  In this paper we show that a simply connected 8-dimensional manifold M of
positive sectional curvature and symmetry rank $\geq 2$ resembles a rank one
symmetric space in several ways. For example, the Euler characteristic of M is
equal to the Euler characteristic of S^8, H P^2 or C P^4. And if M is
rationally elliptic then M is rationally isomorphic to a rank one symmetric
space. For torsion-free manifolds we derive a much stronger classification. We
also study the bordism type of 8-dimensional manifolds of positive sectional
curvature and symmetry rank $\geq 2$. As an illustration we apply our results
to various families of 8-manifolds.
