Philippine is a town in the Dutch

Netherlands

The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...

 province of Zeeland

Zeeland

Zeeland , also called Zealand in English, is the westernmost province of the Netherlands. The province, located in the south-west of the country, consists of a number of islands and a strip bordering Belgium. Its capital is Middelburg. With a population of about 380,000, its area is about...

. It is a part of the municipality of Terneuzen

Terneuzen

Terneuzen is a city and municipality in the southwestern Netherlands, in the province of Zeeland, in the middle of Zeelandic Flanders. With over 55,000 inhabitants, it is the most populous municipality of Zeeland.-Population centres :...

, and lies about 23 km southeast of Vlissingen. It is located close to the border with Belgium

Belgium

Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...

, 5 km southwest of the city of Terneuzen

Terneuzen

Terneuzen is a city and municipality in the southwestern Netherlands, in the province of Zeeland, in the middle of Zeelandic Flanders. With over 55,000 inhabitants, it is the most populous municipality of Zeeland.-Population centres :...

. It received city rights

City rights in the Netherlands

City rights are a medieval phenomenon in the history of the Low Countries. A liegelord, usually a count, duke or similar member of high nobility, granted a settlement he owned certain town privileges that settlements without city rights did not have....

 in 1506.

Philippine has gained some renown for its mussel

Mussel

The common name mussel is used for members of several families of clams or bivalvia mollusca, from saltwater and freshwater habitats. These groups have in common a shell whose outline is elongated and asymmetrical compared with other edible clams, which are often more or less rounded or oval.The...

 restaurants. On the village square there is a fountain in the shape of a mussel.

Philippine was a separate municipality until 1970, when it was merged with Sas van Gent.

In 2001, the town of Philippine had 1,970 inhabitants. The built-up area of the town was 0.60 km², and contained 853 residences.
The statistical area "Philippine", which also can include the surrounding countryside, has a population of around 2,180.

The land lord, Hieronymus Lauweryn (1505), who founded this town, gave it the name Sainct Philippine

Philip the Apostle

Philip the Apostle was one of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus. Later Christian traditions describe Philip as the apostle who preached in Greece, Syria, and Phrygia....

, choosing the Apostle as Patron Saint. Reviewing the name "Philippine" strictly on its etymology, it is derived from the Greek

Greek language

Greek is an independent branch of the Indo-European family of languages. Native to the southern Balkans, it has the longest documented history of any Indo-European language, spanning 34 centuries of written records. Its writing system has been the Greek alphabet for the majority of its history;...

phrase Φίλος Ίππος Νησί Fílos Íppos Ni̱sí meaning "Island of the Horse Friend", nevertheless has nothing to do with the name of the town.