American settlement in the Philippines began during the Spanish colonial period. The period of American colonialization of the Philippines lasted 48 years, from cession of the Philippines to the U.S. by Spain in 1898 to U.S. recognition of Philippine independence in 1946. After independence in 1946, many Americans chose to remain in the Philippines while maintaining relations with relatives in the US. Most of them were professionals, but missionaries continued to settle the country. In 2015, the U.S. State Department estimated that there were more than 220,000 U.S. citizens living in the Philippines, with a significant mixed population of Amerasians and descendants from the colonial era as well.