Manila ( , ; fil, Maynila, ), officially the City of Manila ( fil, Lungsod ng Maynila, ), is the

capital Capital may refer to: Common uses * Capital city, a municipality of primary status ** List of national capital cities * Capital letter, an upper-case letter Economics and social sciences * Capital (economics), the durable produced goods used fo ...

of the

Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

, and its second-most populous city. It is highly urbanized and, as of 2019, was the world's most densely populated city proper. Manila is considered to be a global city and rated as an Alpha – City by

Globalization and World Cities Research Network The Globalization and World Cities Research Network (GaWC) is a think tank that studies the relationships between world cities in the context of globalization. It is based in the geography department of Loughborough University in Leicestershir ...

(GaWC). It was the first chartered city in the country, designated as such by the Philippine Commission Act 183 of July 31, 1901. It became autonomous with the passage of Republic Act No. 409, "The Revised Charter of the City of Manila", on June 18, 1949. Manila is considered to be part of the world's original set of global cities because its commercial networks were the first to extend across the Pacific Ocean and connect Asia with the Spanish Americas through the

galleon trade fil, Galyon ng Maynila , english_name = Manila Galleon , duration = From 1565 to 1815 (250 years) , venue = Between Manila and Acapulco , location = New Spain (Spanish Empire) ...

; when this was accomplished, it marked the first time in world history that an uninterrupted chain of trade routes circling the planet had been established. It is among the most populous and fastest growing cities in

Southeast Asia Southeast Asia, also spelled South East Asia and South-East Asia, and also known as Southeastern Asia, South-eastern Asia or SEA, is the geographical south-eastern region of Asia, consisting of the regions that are situated south of mainland ...

.. Manila is classified as a Medium-Port Megacity, using the Southampton system for port-city classification . A

Tagalog Tagalog may refer to: Language * Tagalog language, a language spoken in the Philippines ** Old Tagalog, an archaic form of the language ** Batangas Tagalog, a dialect of the language * Tagalog script, the writing system historically used for Taga ...

-fortified

polity A polity is an identifiable political entity – a group of people with a collective identity, who are organized by some form of institutionalized social relations, and have a capacity to mobilize resources. A polity can be any other group of ...

called Maynila had already existed on the site of modern Manila dating as far back as

1258 Year 1258 (Roman numerals, MCCLVIII) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. Events By place Mongol Empire * February 10 – Siege of Baghdad (1258), Siege of Baghdad: ...

. On June 24, 1571, the Spanish-built walled fortification of

Intramuros Intramuros (Latin for "inside the walls") is the historic walled area within the city of Manila, the capital of the Philippines. It is administered by the Intramuros Administration with the help of the city government of Manila. Present-day ...

was constructed by Spanish ''

conquistador Conquistadors (, ) or conquistadores (, ; meaning 'conquerors') were the explorer-soldiers of the Spanish and Portuguese Empires of the 15th and 16th centuries. During the Age of Discovery, conquistadors sailed beyond Europe to the Americas, ...

Miguel López de Legazpi Miguel López de Legazpi (12 June 1502 – 20 August 1572), also known as '' El Adelantado'' and ''El Viejo'' (The Elder), was a Spaniard who, from the age of 26, lived and built a career in Mexico (then the Viceroyalty of New Spain) and, ...

on the ruins of the older settlement from which the Spanish and English name Manila derives. However, that Spanish construction began only after the defeat of the polity's last indigenous

Raja ''Raja'' (; from , IAST ') is a royal title used for South Asian monarchs. The title is equivalent to king or princely ruler in South Asia and Southeast Asia. The title has a long history in South Asia and Southeast Asia, being attested ...

h, Sulayman III, in the

Battle of Bangkusay The Battle of Bangkusay ( fil, Labanan sa Ilog Bangkusay; es, Batalla de Bangkusay), on June 3, 1571, was a naval engagement that marked the last resistance by locals to the Spanish Empire's occupation and colonization of the Pasig River delta, ...

. Manila was used as the capital of the captaincy general of the Spanish East Indies (which included the

Marianas The Mariana Islands (; also the Marianas; in Chamorro: ''Manislan Mariånas'') are a crescent-shaped archipelago comprising the summits of fifteen longitudinally oriented, mostly dormant volcanic mountains in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, betw ...

Guam Guam (; ch, Guåhan ) is an organized, unincorporated territory of the United States in the Micronesia subregion of the western Pacific Ocean. It is the westernmost point and territory of the United States (reckoned from the geographic cent ...

and other islands) and was controlled and administered by

Mexico City Mexico City ( es, link=no, Ciudad de México, ; abbr.: CDMX; Nahuatl: ''Altepetl Mexico'') is the capital and largest city of Mexico, and the most populous city in North America. One of the world's alpha cities, it is located in the Valley o ...

in the Viceroyalty of New Spain for the Spanish crown. Today, it is home to many historic sites. In modern times, the term "Manila" is commonly used to refer to the whole metropolitan area, the greater metropolitan area, or the city proper. The officially defined metropolitan area, called

Metro Manila Metropolitan Manila (often shortened as Metro Manila; fil, Kalakhang Maynila), officially the National Capital Region (NCR; fil, link=no, Pambansang Punong Rehiyon), is the capital region, seat of government and one of three List of metrop ...

, the " capital region" of the Philippines, includes the much larger

Quezon City Quezon City (, ; fil, Lungsod Quezon ), also known as the City of Quezon and Q.C. (read in Filipino as Kyusi), is the List of cities in the Philippines, most populous city in the Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a populatio ...

and the Makati Central Business District. It is the most populous region in the country, one of the most populous urban areas in the world, and is one of the wealthiest regions in Southeast Asia. The city proper was home to 1,846,513 people in 2020, and is the historic core of a built-up area that extends well beyond its administrative limits. With 71,263 people per square kilometer, Manila is the most densely populated city proper in the world. Manila is located on the eastern shore of

Manila Bay Manila Bay ( fil, Look ng Maynila) is a natural harbor that serves the Port of Manila (on Luzon), in the Philippines. Strategically located around the Manila, capital city of the Philippines, Manila Bay facilitated commerce and trade between t ...

, on the island of

Luzon Luzon (; ) is the largest and most populous island in the Philippines. Located in the northern portion of the Philippines archipelago, it is the economic and political center of the nation, being home to the country's capital city, Manila, as ...

. The Pasig River flows through the middle of the city, dividing it into the north and south sections. The city comprises 16 administrative districts and is divided into six political districts for the purposes of its representation in the

Congress of the Philippines The Congress of the Philippines ( fil, Kongreso ng Pilipinas, italic=unset) is the legislature of the national government of the Philippines. It is bicameral, composed of a lower body, the House of Representatives, although colloquially the ...

and the election of city council members. In 2018, the

listed Manila as an "Alpha-" global city and ranked it seventh in economic performance globally and second regionally, while the

Global Financial Centres Index The Global Financial Centres Index (GFCI) is a ranking of the competitiveness of financial centres based on over 29,000 financial centre assessments from an online questionnaire together with over 100 indices from organisations such as the World ...

ranks Manila 79th in the world.

Etymology

''Maynilà'', the Filipino name for the city, comes from the phrase ''may-nilà'', meaning "where indigo is found". ''Nilà'' is derived from the

Sanskrit Sanskrit (; attributively , ; nominally , , ) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in South Asia after its predecessor languages had Trans-cultural diffusion ...

word ''nīla'' (), which refers to

indigo Indigo is a deep color close to the color wheel blue (a primary color in the RGB color space), as well as to some variants of ultramarine, based on the ancient dye of the same name. The word "indigo" comes from the Latin word ''indicum'', ...

– and, by extension, to several plant species from which this natural

dye A dye is a colored substance that chemically bonds to the substrate to which it is being applied. This distinguishes dyes from pigments which do not chemically bind to the material they color. Dye is generally applied in an aqueous solution and ...

can be extracted. The name ''Maynilà'' was probably bestowed because of the indigo-yielding plants that grow in the area surrounding the settlement, and not because it was known as a settlement that traded in indigo dye: Indigo-dye extraction became an important economic activity in the area only in the 18th century, several hundred years after the Maynila settlement was founded and named. ''Maynilà'' was eventually hispanicized into Spanish as ''Manila''.

May-nilad

An antiquated, inaccurate, and now debunked etymological theory held that the city's name originated from the word ''may-nilad'' (meaning "where ''nilad'' is found"). There are two versions of this false etymology. One popular incorrect notion is that the old word ''nilad'' refers to the

water hyacinth ''Pontederia crassipes'' (formerly ''Eichhornia crassipes''), commonly known as common water hyacinth is an aquatic plant native to South America, naturalized throughout the world, and often invasive outside its native range.Pasig River. However, this plant species was only recently introduced into the Philippines from South America, and therefore could not have been the source of the toponym for old Manila. Another incorrect etymology has arisen from the observation that, in

, ''nilád'' or ''nilár'' refers to a shrub-like tree (''

Scyphiphora hydrophyllacea ''Scyphiphora'' is a monotypic genus of flowering plants in the family Rubiaceae. It is the only genus in the tribe Scyphiphoreae. The genus contains only one species, viz. ''Scyphiphora hydrophylacea'', which has a large distribution range from ...

''; formerly ''Ixora manila'' Blanco) that grows in or near

mangrove A mangrove is a shrub or tree that grows in coastal saline or brackish water. The term is also used for tropical coastal vegetation consisting of such species. Mangroves are taxonomically diverse, as a result of convergent evolution in severa ...

swamps. However, linguistic analysis shows that the word ''Maynilà'' is unlikely to have developed from this term. It is unlikely that native

speakers would completely drop the final consonant /d/ in ''nilad'' to arrive at the present form ''Maynilà''. As an example, nearby

Bacoor Bacoor (), officially the City of Bacoor ( fil, Lungsod ng Bacoor), is a 1st class Cities of the Philippines#Legal classification, component city in the Provinces of the Philippines, province of Cavite, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, ...

still retains the final consonant of the old Tagalog word ''bakoód'' ("elevated piece of land"), even in old Spanish renderings of the placename (e.g., ''Vacol'', ''Bacor''). Moreover, the historians Ambeth Ocampo and

Joseph Baumgartner Joseph Baumgartner (November 16, 1904 in Sulzemoos – January 21, 1964 in Munich) was a German politician, representative of the Christian Social Union of Bavaria, Bavarian People's Party and the Bavaria Party. He was a member of the Landtag ...

have shown that, in every early document, the place name Maynilà was always written without a final /d/. This documentation shows conclusively that the ''may-nilad'' etymology is spurious. Originally, the mistaken identification of ''nilad'' as the source of the toponym probably originated in an 1887 essay by Trinidad Pardo de Tavera, in which he mistakenly used the word ''nila'' to refer both to '' Indigofera tinctoria'' (true indigo) and to '' Ixora manila'' (which is actually ''nilád'' in Tagalog). Early 20th century writings, such as those of Julio Nakpil and of Blair and Robertson, then simply repeated the claim.Blair and Robertson, The Philippine Islands, 1493–1898, Vol. VIII, p. 96-141. The Arthur H. Clarke Company.; Census of the Philippines, 1903 Today, this erroneous etymology continues to be perpetuated through casual repetition in both literatureAn example is: and in popular use. Examples of popular adoption of this mistaken etymology include the name of a local utility, Maynilad Water Services, and the name of an underpass close to Manila City Hall, '' Lagusnilad'' (meaning "Nilad Pass").

History

Early history

The earliest evidence of human life around present-day Manila is the nearby Angono Petroglyphs, dated to around 3000 BC.

Negritos The term Negrito () refers to several diverse ethnic groups who inhabit isolated parts of Southeast Asia and the Andaman Islands. Populations often described as Negrito include: the Andamanese peoples (including the Great Andamanese, the On ...

, the aboriginal inhabitants of the Philippines, lived across the island of

, where Manila is located, before the Malayo-Polynesians migrated in and assimilated them. Manila was an active trade partner with the

Song A song is a musical composition intended to be performed by the human voice. This is often done at distinct and fixed pitches (melodies) using patterns of sound and silence. Songs contain various forms, such as those including the repetiti ...

and Yuan dynasties of China. The polity of Tondo flourished during the latter half of the

Ming dynasty The Ming dynasty (), officially the Great Ming, was an Dynasties in Chinese history, imperial dynasty of China, ruling from 1368 to 1644 following the collapse of the Mongol Empire, Mongol-led Yuan dynasty. The Ming dynasty was the last ort ...

as a result of direct trade relations with China. The Tondo district was the traditional capital of the empire, and its rulers were sovereign kings, not mere chieftains. Tondo was christened under the

traditional Chinese characters Traditional Chinese characters are one type of standard Chinese character sets of the contemporary written Chinese. The traditional characters had taken shapes since the clerical change and mostly remained in the same structure they took a ...

in the

Hokkien The Hokkien () variety of Chinese is a Southern Min language native to and originating from the Minnan region, where it is widely spoken in the south-eastern part of Fujian in southeastern mainland China. It is one of the national languages ...

reading, , due to its chief position located southeast of China. The kings of Tondo were addressed variously as ''panginoón'' in

("lords") or ''panginuan'' in Maranao; ''anák banwa'' ("son of heaven"); or ''

lakandula Lakandula ( Baybayin: , Spanish orthography: ''Lacandola'') was the title of the last '' lakan'' or paramount ruler of pre-colonial Tondo when the Spaniards first conquered the lands of the Pasig River delta in the Philippines in the 1570s. T ...

'' ("lord of the palace"). The

Emperor of China ''Huangdi'' (), translated into English as Emperor, was the superlative title held by monarchs of China who ruled various imperial regimes in Chinese history. In traditional Chinese political theory, the emperor was considered the Son of Heav ...

considered the lakans—the rulers of ancient Manila—"王", or kings. During the 12th century, then Hindu Brunei called "Pon-i", as reported in the Chinese annals, ''Nanhai zhi'', that Pon-i invaded Malilu 麻裏蘆 (present-day Manila) as it also administered

Sarawak Sarawak (; ) is a state of Malaysia. The largest among the 13 states, with an area almost equal to that of Peninsular Malaysia, Sarawak is located in northwest Borneo Island, and is bordered by the Malaysian state of Sabah to the northeast, ...

and

Sabah Sabah () is a state of Malaysia located in northern Borneo, in the region of East Malaysia. Sabah borders the Malaysian state of Sarawak to the southwest and the North Kalimantan province of Indonesia to the south. The Federal Territory ...

as well as the Philippine kingdoms of Butuan,

Sulu Sulu (), officially the Province of Sulu ( Tausūg: ''Wilāya sin Lupa' Sūg''; tl, Lalawigan ng Sulu), is a province of the Philippines in the Sulu Archipelago and part of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM). Its cap ...

, Ma-i (Mindoro), Shahuchong 沙胡重 (present-day Siocon), Yachen 啞陳 ( Oton), and 文杜陵 Wenduling (present-day

Mindanao Mindanao ( ) ( Jawi: مينداناو) is the second-largest island in the Philippines, after Luzon, and seventh-most populous island in the world. Located in the southern region of the archipelago, the island is part of an island group of ...

). However, Manila regained independence. In the 13th century, Manila consisted of a fortified settlement and trading quarter on the shore of the Pasig River. It was then settled by the Indianized empire of

Majapahit Majapahit ( jv, ꦩꦗꦥꦲꦶꦠ꧀; ), also known as Wilwatikta ( jv, ꦮꦶꦭ꧀ꦮꦠꦶꦏ꧀ꦠ; ), was a Javanese Hindu-Buddhist thalassocratic empire in Southeast Asia that was based on the island of Java (in modern-day Indonesia ...

, as recorded in the epic eulogy poem '' Nagarakretagama'', which described the area's conquest by

Maharaja Mahārāja (; also spelled Maharajah, Maharaj) is a Sanskrit title for a "great ruler", "great king" or " high king". A few ruled states informally called empires, including ruler raja Sri Gupta, founder of the ancient Indian Gupta Empire, a ...

Hayam Wuruk Hayam Wuruk (Sanskrit: हयम् वुरुक्, Kawi: ꦲꦪꦩ꧀ꦮꦸꦫꦸꦏ꧀) (1334–1389), also called Rajasanagara, Pa-ta-na-pa-na-wu, or Bhatara Prabhu after 1350, was a Javanese Hindu emperor from the Rajasa Dynasty and th ...

. Selurong (षेलुरोङ्), a historical name for Manila, is listed in Canto 14 alongside Sulot, which is now

, and Kalka. Selurong (Manila) together with Sulot (Sulu) was able to regain independence afterward, and Sulu even attacked and looted the then Majapahit-invaded province of Po-ni (Brunei) in retribution. During the reign of the Arab emir, Sharif Ali's descendant,

Sultan Bolkiah Bolkiah, also known as Nakhoda Ragam, was the 5th Sultan of Brunei. He ascended the throne upon the abdication of his father, Sultan Sulaiman, and ruled Brunei from 1485 to 1524. His reign marked the Golden Age of Brunei and saw the Sultanate ...

, from 1485 to 1521, the

Sultanate of Brunei This article includes a list of successive Islamic states and Muslim dynasties beginning with the time of the Islamic prophet Muhammad (570–632 CE) and the early Muslim conquests that spread Islam outside of the Arabian Peninsula, and continu ...

which had seceded from Hindu

and became a Muslim, had invaded the area. The Bruneians wanted to take advantage of Tondo's strategic position in trade with China and Indonesia and thus attacked its environs and established the rajahnate of Maynilà (كوتا سلودوڠ; ''Kota Seludong''). The rajahnate was ruled under and gave yearly tribute to Brunei as a satellite state. It created a new dynasty under the local leader, who accepted

Islam Islam (; ar, ۘالِإسلَام, , ) is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion centred primarily around the Quran, a religious text considered by Muslims to be the direct word of God (or '' Allah'') as it was revealed to Muhammad, the ...

and became Rajah Salalila or Sulaiman I. He established a trading challenge to the already rich House of Lakan Dula in Tondo. Islam was further strengthened by the arrival of Muslim traders from the

Middle East The Middle East ( ar, الشرق الأوسط, ISO 233: ) is a geopolitical region commonly encompassing Arabian Peninsula, Arabia (including the Arabian Peninsula and Bahrain), Anatolia, Asia Minor (Asian part of Turkey except Hatay Pro ...

and

Spanish period

Walled_City_of_Manila,_detail_from_Carta_Hydrographica_y_Chorographica_de_las_Yslas_Filipinas_(1734)

On June 24, 1571, the conquistador

arrived in Manila and declared it a territory of

New Spain New Spain, officially the Viceroyalty of New Spain ( es, Virreinato de Nueva España, ), or Kingdom of New Spain, was an integral territorial entity of the Spanish Empire, established by Habsburg Spain during the Spanish colonization of the A ...

(Mexico), establishing a city council in what is now the district of

. Inspired by the ''

Reconquista The ' ( Spanish, Portuguese and Galician for "reconquest") is a historiographical construction describing the 781-year period in the history of the Iberian Peninsula between the Umayyad conquest of Hispania in 711 and the fall of the N ...

'', a war in mainland Spain to rechristianize and reclaim the parts of the country that once fell to the

Umayyad Caliphate The Umayyad Caliphate (661–750 CE; , ; ar, ٱلْخِلَافَة ٱلْأُمَوِيَّة, al-Khilāfah al-ʾUmawīyah) was the second of the four major caliphates established after the death of Muhammad. The caliphate was ruled by th ...

's rule, he took advantage of a Hindu Tondo versus Islamic Manila territorial conflict to justify expelling or converting Bruneian Muslim colonists who supported their Manila vassals while his Mexican grandson Juan de Salcedo had a romance with a princess of Tondo, Gandarapa. López de Legazpi had the local royalty executed or exiled after the failure of the

Conspiracy of the Maharlikas The Tondo Conspiracy of 1587, popularly known as the Conspiracy of the Maginoos (Spanish: ''La Conspiración de las Maginoos''), also known as the Revolt of the Lakans, was a revolt planned by Tagalog nobles known as maginoos, led by Don Agustin de ...

, a plot wherein an alliance between

datu ''Datu'' is a title which denotes the rulers (variously described in historical accounts as chiefs, sovereign princes, and monarchs) of numerous indigenous peoples throughout the Philippine archipelago. The title is still used today, especial ...

raja ''Raja'' (; from , IAST ') is a royal title used for South Asian monarchs. The title is equivalent to king or princely ruler in South Asia and Southeast Asia. The title has a long history in South Asia and Southeast Asia, being attested ...

hs, Japanese merchants and the

would band together to execute the Spaniards, along with their

Latin American Latin Americans ( es, Latinoamericanos; pt, Latino-americanos; ) are the citizens of Latin American countries (or people with cultural, ancestral or national origins in Latin America). Latin American countries and their diasporas are multi-e ...

recruits and Visayan allies. The victorious Spaniards made Manila the capital of the Spanish East Indies and of the Philippines, which their empire would control for the next three centuries. In 1574, Manila was temporarily besieged by the Chinese pirate Lim Hong, who was ultimately thwarted by the local inhabitants. Upon Spanish settlement, Manila was immediately made, by papal decree, a suffragan of the Archdiocese of Mexico. Then, by royal decree of

Philip II of Spain Philip II) in Spain, while in Portugal and his Italian kingdoms he ruled as Philip I ( pt, Filipe I). (21 May 152713 September 1598), also known as Philip the Prudent ( es, Felipe el Prudente), was King of Spain from 1556, King of Portugal from ...

, the city of Manila was put under the spiritual patronage of Saint

Pudentiana Pudentiana is a traditional Christian saint and martyress of the 2nd century who refused to worship the Roman Emperors Marcus Aurelius and Antoninus Pius as deities. She is sometimes locally known as Potentiana and is often coupled with her s ...

and Our Lady of Guidance (spurred by a locally found sacred image, i.e., a Black Madonna of unknown origin; one theory is that it is from Portuguese-Macau, another is that it is a Tantric goddess and this was worshiped by the natives in a Pagan-Hindu manner and had survived Islamic iconoclasm by the Sultanate of Brunei. This image was interpreted to be of Marian nature, and it was found during the Miguel de Legazpi expedition and eventually a Mexican hermit built a chapel around that image). Manila became famous for its role in the Manila–Acapulco galleon trade, which lasted for more than two centuries and brought goods from Europe, Africa and Hispanic America across the

Pacific Islands Collectively called the Pacific Islands, the islands in the Pacific Ocean are further categorized into three major island groups: Melanesia, Micronesia, and Polynesia. Depending on the context, the term ''Pacific Islands'' may refer to one of se ...

to Southeast Asia (which was already an entrepôt for goods coming from India, Indonesia and China), and vice versa.

Silver Silver is a chemical element with the symbol Ag (from the Latin ', derived from the Proto-Indo-European ''h₂erǵ'': "shiny" or "white") and atomic number 47. A soft, white, lustrous transition metal, it exhibits the highest electrical ...

that was mined in Mexico and Peru was exchanged for Chinese

silk Silk is a natural protein fiber, some forms of which can be woven into textiles. The protein fiber of silk is composed mainly of fibroin and is produced by certain insect larvae to form cocoons. The best-known silk is obtained from th ...

, Indian gems and the spices of Indonesia and Malaysia. Likewise,

wine Wine is an alcoholic drink typically made from Fermentation in winemaking, fermented grapes. Yeast in winemaking, Yeast consumes the sugar in the grapes and converts it to ethanol and carbon dioxide, releasing heat in the process. Different ...

s and

olive The olive, botanical name ''Olea europaea'', meaning 'European olive' in Latin, is a species of small tree or shrub in the family Oleaceae, found traditionally in the Mediterranean Basin. When in shrub form, it is known as ''Olea europaea'' ' ...

s grown in Europe and North Africa were shipped via Mexico to Manila. Because of the

Ming The Ming dynasty (), officially the Great Ming, was an imperial dynasty of China, ruling from 1368 to 1644 following the collapse of the Mongol-led Yuan dynasty. The Ming dynasty was the last orthodox dynasty of China ruled by the Han pe ...

ban on trade leveled against the Ashikaga shogunate in 1549, this resulted in the ban for all the Japanese to enter China, and for Chinese ships to sail to Japan. Thus, Manila became the only place where the Japanese and Chinese can openly trade, often also trading Japanese silver from Chinese silk. In 1606, upon the Spanish conquest of the

Sultanate of Ternate The Sultanate of Ternate (Jawi alphabet: كسلطانن ترنتاي), previously also known as the Kingdom of Gapi is one of the oldest Muslim kingdoms in Indonesia besides Tidore, Jailolo, and Bacan. The Ternate kingdom was established by ...

, one of monopolizers of the growing of spice, the Spanish deported the ruler, Sultan Said Din Burkat of Ternate, along with his clan and his entire entourage to Manila, were they were initially enslaved and eventually converted to Christianity. About 200 families of mixed Spanish-Mexican-Filipino and Moluccan-Indonesian-Portuguese descent from Ternate and Tidor followed him there at a later date. The city attained great wealth due to it being at the confluence of three great commercial exchanges: the

Silk Road The Silk Road () was a network of Eurasian trade routes active from the second century BCE until the mid-15th century. Spanning over 6,400 kilometers (4,000 miles), it played a central role in facilitating economic, cultural, political, and rel ...

, the Spice Route and the Silver Flow. Significant is the role of

Armenia Armenia (), , group=pron officially the Republic of Armenia,, is a landlocked country in the Armenian Highlands of Western Asia.The UNbr>classification of world regions places Armenia in Western Asia; the CIA World Factbook , , and ''O ...

ns, who acted as merchant intermediaries that made Europe to Asia trade possible in this area. Most specifically, it was France first trying to finance their Asian trade with a partnership in Manila through Armenian khojas. The largest trade volume was in iron, and 1000 men of iron bars were traded only in 1721. In 1762, the city was captured by

Great Britain Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the northwest coast of continental Europe. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the largest European island and the ninth-largest island in the world. It ...

as part of the

Seven Years' War The Seven Years' War (1756–1763) was a global conflict that involved most of the European Great Powers, and was fought primarily in Europe, the Americas, and Asia-Pacific. Other concurrent conflicts include the French and Indian War (1754 ...

, which Spain had recently become involved in. The city was then occupied by the British for twenty months from 1762 to 1764 in their attempt to capture the Spanish East Indies, but they proved to be unable to extend their occupation past Manila proper. Frustrated by their inability to take the rest of the archipelago, the British eventually withdrew in accordance with the Treaty of Paris signed in 1763, which brought an end to the war. An unknown number of

Indian soldiers The Indian Army is the land-based branch and the largest component of the Indian Armed Forces. The President of India is the Supreme Commander of the Indian Army, and its professional head is the Chief of Army Staff (COAS), who is a four ...

known as

sepoy ''Sepoy'' () was the Persian-derived designation originally given to a professional Indian infantryman, traditionally armed with a musket, in the armies of the Mughal Empire. In the 18th century, the French East India Company and its ot ...

s, who came with the British, deserted and settled in nearby Cainta, Rizal. The Chinese minority were then punished for supporting the British, and the fortress city of

, initially populated by 1,200 Spanish families and garrisoned by 400 Spanish troops, kept its cannons pointed at

Binondo Binondo () is a district in Manila and is referred to as the city's Chinatown. Its influence extends beyond to the places of Quiapo, Santa Cruz, San Nicolas and Tondo. It is the oldest Chinatown in the world, established in 1594 by the S ...

, the world's oldest

Chinatown A Chinatown () is an ethnic enclave of Chinese people located outside Greater China, most often in an urban setting. Areas known as "Chinatown" exist throughout the world, including Europe, North America, South America, Asia, Africa and Aust ...

.Raitisoja, Gen
" Chinatown Manila: Oldest in the world"
, ''Tradio86.com'', July 8, 2006, accessed March 19, 2011. The native

Mexican Mexican may refer to: Mexico and its culture *Being related to, from, or connected to the country of Mexico, in North America ** People *** Mexicans, inhabitants of the country Mexico and their descendants *** Mexica, ancient indigenous people ...

population was concentrated at the south part of Manila, and also at

Cavite Cavite, officially the Province of Cavite ( tl, Lalawigan ng Kabite; Chavacano: ''Provincia de Cavite''), is a province in the Philippines located in the Calabarzon region in Luzon. Located on the southern shores of Manila Bay and southw ...

, where ships from Spain's American colonies docked, and at Ermita, an area so named because of a Mexican hermit that lived there. The Philippines hosts the only Latin American-established districts in Asia. When the Spanish evacuated Ternate, they settled the Papuan refugees in Ternate, Cavite which was named after their former homeland. The rise of Spanish Manila marked the first time in world history where all hemispheres and continents were interconnected in a worldwide trade network. Thus, making Manila, alongside

and

Madrid Madrid ( , ) is the capital and most populous city of Spain. The city has almost 3.4 million inhabitants and a metropolitan area population of approximately 6.7 million. It is the second-largest city in the European Union (EU), and ...

, the world's original set of global cities, predating the ascent of modern Alpha++ class world cities like

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

as global financial centers, by hundreds of years. A Spanish Jesuit priest commented that due to the confluence of many foreign languages gathering in Manila, he said that the confessional in Manila is "the most difficult in the world". Another Spanish missionary in the 1600s by the name of Juan de Cobo was so astonished by the manifold commerce, cultural complexity and ethnic diversity in Manila he thus wrote the following to his brethren in Mexico: After Mexico gained independence from Spain in 1821, the Spanish crown began to govern Manila directly. Under direct Spanish rule, banking, industry and education flourished more than they had in the previous two centuries. The opening of the

Suez Canal The Suez Canal ( arz, قَنَاةُ ٱلسُّوَيْسِ, ') is an artificial sea-level waterway in Egypt, connecting the Mediterranean Sea to the Red Sea through the Isthmus of Suez and dividing Africa and Asia. The long canal is a popula ...

in 1869 facilitated direct trade and communications with Spain. The city's growing wealth and education attracted indigenous peoples, Negritos, Malays, Africans, Chinese, Indians, Arabs, Europeans, Latinos and Papuans from the surrounding provinces and facilitated the rise of an '' ilustrado'' class that espoused liberal ideas: the ideological foundations of the Philippine Revolution, which sought independence from Spain. A revolt by Andres Novales was inspired by the Latin American wars of independence as the revolt itself was led by demoted Latin-American military officers stationed at the city, from the then newly independent nations of Mexico, Colombia, Venezuela, Peru, Chile, Argentina and Costa Rica. Following the Cavite Mutiny and the

Propaganda Movement The Propaganda Movement encompassed the activities of a group of Filipinos who called for political reforms in their land in the late 19th century, and produced books, leaflets, and newspaper articles to educate others about their goals and is ...

, the Philippine revolution eventually erupted, Manila was among the first eight provinces to rebel and thus their role was enshrined in the

Philippine Flag The national flag of the Philippines ( tgl, Pambansang watawat ng Pilipinas; ilo, Nailian a bandera ti Filipinas; ceb, Nasudnong bandila ng Pilipinas; es, Bandera Nacional de Filipinas) is a horizontal bicolor flag with equal bands of royal ...

where Manila was marked as one of the eight rays of the symbolic sun.

American period

Philippine Island - Manila - NARA - 68156635

After the 1898 Battle of Manila, Spain ceded Manila to the United States. The First Philippine Republic, based in nearby

Bulacan Bulacan, officially the Province of Bulacan ( tl, Lalawigan ng Bulacan), is a province in the Philippines located in the Central Luzon region. Its capital is the city of Malolos. Bulacan was established on August 15, 1578, and part of the Me ...

, fought against the Americans for control of the city. The Americans defeated the First Philippine Republic and captured its president,

Emilio Aguinaldo Emilio Aguinaldo y Famy (: March 22, 1869February 6, 1964) was a Filipino revolutionary, statesman, and military leader who is the youngest president of the Philippines (1899–1901) and is recognized as the first president of the Philippine ...

, who declared allegiance to the United States on April 1, 1901. Upon drafting a new charter for Manila in June 1901, the Americans made official what had long been tacit: that the city of Manila consisted not of Intramuros alone but also of the surrounding areas. The new charter proclaimed that Manila was composed of eleven municipal districts: presumably Binondo, Ermita, Intramuros,

Malate Malic acid is an organic compound with the molecular formula . It is a dicarboxylic acid that is made by all living organisms, contributes to the sour taste of fruits, and is used as a food additive. Malic acid has two stereoisomeric forms (L ...

, Paco, Pandacan, Sampaloc, San Miguel, Santa Ana, Santa Cruz and Tondo. In addition, the

Catholic Church The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwide . It is am ...

recognized five parishes—Gagalangin, Trozo, Balic-Balic, Santa Mesa and Singalong—as part of Manila. Later, two more would be added: Balut and San Andres.Joaquin, Nick (1990). Manila My Manila. Vera-Reyes, Inc. p. 137, 178. Under American control, a new, civilian-oriented Insular Government headed by

Governor-General Governor-general (plural ''governors-general''), or governor general (plural ''governors general''), is the title of an office-holder. In the context of governors-general and former British colonies, governors-general are appointed as viceroy t ...

William Howard Taft William Howard Taft (September 15, 1857March 8, 1930) was the 27th president of the United States (1909–1913) and the tenth chief justice of the United States (1921–1930), the only person to have held both offices. Taft was elected pr ...

invited city planner Daniel Burnham to adapt Manila to modern needs. The Burnham Plan included the development of a road system, the use of waterways for transportation, and the beautification of Manila with waterfront improvements and construction of parks, parkways and buildings. The planned buildings included a government center occupying all of Wallace Field, which extends from Rizal Park to the present

Taft Avenue Taft Avenue ( fil, Abenida Taft; es, Avenida Taft) is a major road in the south of Metro Manila. It passes through three cities in the metropolis: Manila, Pasay and Parañaque. The road was named after the former Governor-General of the Philippin ...

. The Philippine capitol was to rise at the Taft Avenue end of the field, facing towards the sea. Along with buildings for various government bureaus and departments, it would form a quadrangle with a

lagoon A lagoon is a shallow body of water separated from a larger body of water by a narrow landform, such as reefs, barrier islands, barrier peninsulas, or isthmuses. Lagoons are commonly divided into '' coastal lagoons'' (or ''barrier lagoons ...

in the center and a monument to

José Rizal José Protasio Rizal Mercado y Alonso Realonda (, ; June 19, 1861 – December 30, 1896) was a Filipino nationalist, writer and polymath active at the end of the Spanish colonial period of the Philippines. He is considered the national h ...

at the other end of the field. Of Burnham's proposed government center, only three units—the Legislative Building and the buildings of the Finance and Agricultural Departments—were completed when

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

erupted.

Japanese occupation and World War II

US Navy Photo 114-1 Bombing Manila 14 Nov 1944

During the

Japanese occupation of the Philippines The Japanese occupation of the Philippines ( Filipino: ''Pananakop ng mga Japones sa Filipinas''; ja, 日本のフィリピン占領, Nihon no Firipin Senryō) occurred between 1942 and 1945, when Imperial Japan occupied the Commonwealth of t ...

, American soldiers were ordered to withdraw from Manila, and all military installations were removed on December 24, 1941. Two days later, General

Douglas MacArthur Douglas MacArthur (26 January 18805 April 1964) was an American military leader who served as General of the Army for the United States, as well as a field marshal to the Philippine Army. He had served with distinction in World War I, was ...

declared Manila an

open city In war, an open city is a settlement which has announced it has abandoned all defensive efforts, generally in the event of the imminent capture of the city to avoid destruction. Once a city has declared itself open the opposing military will b ...

to prevent further death and destruction, but Japanese warplanes continued to bomb it. Manila was occupied by Japanese forces on January 2, 1942. From February 3 to March 3, 1945, Manila was the site of one of the bloodiest battles in the Pacific theater of World War II. Under orders of Japanese Rear Admiral Sanji Iwabuchi, retreating Japanese forces killed some 100,000 Filipino civilians and perpetrated mass raping of women in February. At the end of the war, Manila had suffered from heavy bombardment and became the second most-destroyed city in World War II. Manila was recaptured by joint American and Philippine troops.

Post-war years and the Marcos Sr. Dictatorship era (1946–1986)

After the war, reconstruction efforts started. Buildings like the Manila City Hall, Legislative Building (now the National Museum of Fine Arts) and Manila Post Office, roads and other infrastructures were rebuilt. In 1948, President

Elpidio Quirino Elpidio Rivera Quirino (born Elpidio Quirino y Rivera; ; November 16, 1890 – February 29, 1956) was a Filipino lawyer and politician who served as the sixth president of the Philippines from 1948 to 1953. A lawyer by profession, Quirino ente ...

moved the seat of government of the Philippines to

, a new capital in the suburbs and fields northeast of Manila, created in 1939 during the administration of President Manuel L. Quezon. The move ended any implementation of the Burnham Plan's intent for the government center to be at Luneta. With the Visayan-born Arsenio Lacson as its first elected

mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well ...

in 1952 (all mayors were appointed before this), Manila underwent ''The Golden Age'', once again earning its status as the "Pearl of the Orient", a moniker it earned before the Second World War. After Lacson's term in the 1950s, Manila was led by Antonio Villegas for most of the 1960s. Ramon Bagatsing (an

Indian-Filipino Indian Filipinos are Filipinos of Indian descent who have historical connections with and have established themselves in what is now the Philippines. The term refers to Filipino citizens of either pure or mixed Indian descent currently residing ...

) was mayor from 1972 until the 1986

People Power Revolution The People Power Revolution, also known as the EDSA Revolution or the February Revolution, was a series of popular demonstrations in the Philippines, mostly in Metro Manila, from February 22 to 25, 1986. There was a sustained campaign of c ...

. During the administration of

Ferdinand Marcos Ferdinand Emmanuel Edralin Marcos Sr. ( , , ; September 11, 1917 – September 28, 1989) was a Filipino politician, lawyer, dictator, and kleptocrat who was the 10th president of the Philippines from 1965 to 1986. He ruled under martial ...

, the region of Metro Manila was created as an integrated unit with the enactment of Presidential Decree No. 824 on November 7, 1975. The area encompassed four cities and thirteen adjoining

towns A town is a human settlement. Towns are generally larger than villages and smaller than cities, though the criteria to distinguish between them vary considerably in different parts of the world. Origin and use The word "town" shares an or ...

, as a separate regional unit of government. On the 405th anniversary of the city's foundation on June 24, 1976, Manila was reinstated by President Marcos as the capital of the Philippines for its historical significance as the seat of government since the Spanish Period. Concurrent with the reinstatement of Manila as the capital, Ferdinand Marcos designated his wife, Imelda Marcos, as the first governor of Metro Manila. She started the rejuvenation of the city as she re-branded Manila as the " City of Man". During the martial law era, Manila became a hot-bed of resistance activity as youth and student demonstrators repeatedly clashed with the police and military which were subservient to the Marcos regime. After decades of resistance, the non-violent

, led by

Corazon Aquino Maria Corazon "Cory" Sumulong Cojuangco-Aquino (; ; January 25, 1933 – August 1, 2009) was a Filipina politician who served as the 11th president of the Philippines from 1986 to 1992. She was the most prominent figure of the 1986 People ...

and Cardinal Jaime Sin, ousted the dictator Marcos from power.

Contemporary period (1986–present)

From 1986 to 1992, Mel Lopez was mayor of Manila. During his early years, his administration was faced with 700 million pesos worth of debt and inherited an empty treasury. In the first eleven months, however, the debt was reduced to 365 million pesos and the city's income rose by around 70% eventually leaving the city with positive income until the end of his term. Lopez closed down numerous illegal gambling joints and jueteng. In January 1990, Lopez padlocked two Manila casinos operated by the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR), saying the billions it gained cannot make up for the negative effects gambling inflicts upon the people, particularly the youth. He also revived the Boys' Town Haven (now referred to as "Boys Town"), rehabilitating its facilities to accommodate underprivileged children and provide them with livelihood and education. In 1992,

Alfredo Lim Alfredo "Fred" Siojo Lim Jr.. (; December 21, 1929 – August 8, 2020) was a Filipino politician and police officer who served as a Senator of the Philippines from 2004 to 2007. He also served as the Mayor of Manila twice: first from 1992 to ...

was elected mayor, the first

Chinese-Filipino Chinese Filipinos; tl, Tsinoy, / Tsinong Pilipino, ; Hokkien in the Philippines, Philippine Hokkien , Mandarin Chinese in the Philippines, Mandarin (also known as Filipino Chinese in the Philippines) are Filipinos of Chinese descent, mo ...

to hold the office. He was known for his anti-crime crusades. Lim was succeeded by

Lito Atienza Jose "Lito" Livioko Atienza Jr. (; born August 10, 1941) is a Filipino politician. He served as a Party-list Representative for Buhay from 2013 to 2022, and was a House Deputy Speaker from 2020 to 2022. He served as the Secretary of Environme ...

, who served as his vice mayor. Atienza was known for his campaign (and city slogan) "''Buhayin ang Maynila''" (''Revive Manila''), which saw the establishment of several parks and the repair and rehabilitation of the city's deteriorating facilities. He was the city's mayor for three terms (9 years) before being termed out of office. Lim once again ran for mayor and defeated Atienza's son Ali in the 2007 city election and immediately reversed all of Atienza's projects claiming Atienza's projects made little contribution to the improvements of the city. The relationship of both parties turned bitter, with the two pitting again during the 2010 city elections in which Lim won against Atienza. Lim was sued by councilor Dennis Alcoreza on 2008 over

human rights Human rights are moral principles or normsJames Nickel, with assistance from Thomas Pogge, M.B.E. Smith, and Leif Wenar, 13 December 2013, Stanford Encyclopedia of PhilosophyHuman Rights Retrieved 14 August 2014 for certain standards of hu ...

, charged with graft over the rehabilitation of public schools, and was heavily criticized for his haphazard resolution of the Rizal Park hostage taking incident, one of the deadliest hostage crisis in the Philippines. Rizal Park Front View

In 2012, DMCI Homes began constructing Torre de Manila, which became controversial for ruining the sight line of Rizal Park. The tower is infamously known as "Terror de Manila" or the "national photobomber". The

Torre de Manila controversy The Torre de Manila (; fil, Tore ng Maynila) is a high-rise residential building built by DMCI Homes in Ermita, Manila, Philippines. The building has been controversial due to its proximity to the Rizal Monument, and has been publicly known as "a ...

is regarded as one of the most sensationalized heritage issues of the country. In 2017, the

National Historical Commission of the Philippines The National Historical Commission of the Philippines ( fil, Pambansang Komisyong Pangkasaysayan ng Pilipinas, abbreviated NHCP) is a government agency of the Philippines. Its mission is "the promotion of Philippine history and cultural herit ...

erected a 'comfort woman' statue along Roxas Boulevard, which made Japan express regret that such statue was erected in the city despite the healthy relationship between Japan and the Philippines. In the 2013 elections, former President

Joseph Estrada Joseph Ejercito Estrada, (; born Jose Marcelo Ejercito; April 19, 1937), also known by the nickname Erap, is a Filipino politician and former actor. He served as the 13th president of the Philippines from 1998 to 2001, the 9th vice presi ...

defeated Lim in the mayoral race. During his term, Estrada allegedly paid ₱5 billion in city debts and increased the city's revenues. In 2015, in line with President

Noynoy Aquino Benigno Simeon Cojuangco Aquino III (; February 8, 1960 – June 24, 2021), also known as Noynoy Aquino and colloquially as PNoy, was a Filipino politician who served as the 15th president of the Philippines from 2010 to 2016. The son of ...

's administration progress, the city became the most competitive city in the Philippines, making the city the best place for doing business and for living in. In the 2016 Manila local elections, 2016 elections, Estrada narrowly won over Lim in their electoral rematch. Throughout Estrada's term, numerous Filipino heritage sites were demolished, gutted out, or approved for demolition. Among such sites are the post-war Santa Cruz Building, Capitol Theater, El Hogar, old Magnolia Ice Cream Plant, and Rizal Memorial Stadium, among many others Some of these sites were saved upon the intervention of various cultural agencies of government and heritage advocate groups against Estrada's orders. In May 2019, Estrada claimed that Manila was debt-free, however, two months later, the Commission on Audit verified that Manila has a total of 4.4 billion pesos in debt. Manila_Skyline_March_2020

Estrada, who was seeking for re-election for his third and final term, lost to Isko Moreno in the 2019 Manila local elections, 2019 local elections. Moreno has served as the vice mayor under both the Lim and Estrada administrations. Estrada's defeat was seen as the end of their reign as a political clan, whose other family members run for various national and local positions. After assuming office, Moreno initiated a city-wide cleanup against illegal vendors, signed an executive order promoting open governance, and vowed to stop bribery and corruption in the city. Under his administration, several ordinances were signed, giving additional perks and privileges to Manila's senior citizens, and monthly allowances for Grade 12 Manileño students in all public schools in the city, including students of Universidad de Manila and the University of the City of Manila. The city government also undertook infrastructure projects such as the restoration of Jones Bridge to its near-original architecture, sprucing up the city's parks and plazas, and clearing the public roads of obstructions. In 2022, ''Time Out (magazine), Time Out'' ranked Manila as one of the 53 best cities in the world landing in the 34th spot, citing it as "an underrated hub for art and culture, with unique customs and cuisine to boot". Manila was also voted the third most resilient and least rude city for the year's index.

Geography

The City of Manila is situated on the eastern shore of

, on the western edge of

, from mainland Asia. One of Manila's greatest natural resources is the protected harbor upon which it sits, regarded as the finest in all of Asia. The Pasig River flows through the middle of city, dividing it into the north and south. The overall Grading (engineering), grade of the city's central, built-up areas, is relatively consistent with the natural flatness of its overall natural geography, generally exhibiting only slight differentiation otherwise. Almost all of Manila sits on top of centuries of prehistoric alluvium, alluvial deposits built by the waters of the Pasig River and on some land reclaimed from

. Manila's land has been altered substantially by human intervention, with considerable land reclamation along the waterfronts since the American colonial times. Some of the city's natural variations in topography have been evened out. , Manila had a total area of 42.88 square kilometers. In 2017, the City Government approved five reclamation projects: the New Manila Bay–City of Pearl (New Manila Bay International Community) (407.43 hectares), Solar City (148 hectares), the Manila Harbour Center expansion (50 hectares), Manila Waterfront City (318 hectares) and Horizon Manila (419 hectares). Out of the five planned reclamation, only Horizon Manila was approved by the Philippine Reclamation Authority in December 2019 and was slated for construction in 2021. Another reclamation project is possible and when built, it will contain the in-city housing relocation projects. Reclamation projects have been criticized by environmental activists and the Catholic Church in the Philippines, Philippine Catholic Church, claiming that these are not sustainable and would put communities at risk of flooding. In line of the upcoming reclamation projects, the Philippines and the Netherlands forged a cooperation to craft the ₱250 million Manila Bay Sustainable Development Master Plan to guide future decisions on programs and projects on

Barangays and districts

Manila is made up of 897 barangays, which are grouped into 100 Zones for statistical convenience. Manila has the most barangays in the Philippines. Attempts at reducing its number have not prospered despite local legislation—Ordinance 7907, passed on April 23, 1996—reducing the number from 896 to 150 by merging existing barangays, because of the failure to hold a plebiscite. * Manila's 1st congressional district, District I (2015 population: 415,906) covers the western part of Tondo and is made up of 136 barangays. It is the most densely populated Congressional District and was also known as Tondo I. The district is the home to one of the biggest urban poor communities. The Smokey Mountain in Balut Island is once known as the largest landfill where thousands of impoverished people lives in the slums. After the closure of the landfill in 1995, mid-rise housing buildings were built in place. This district also contains the Manila North Harbour Centre, the Manila North Harbor, and the Manila International Container Terminal of the Port of Manila. The boundaries of the 1st District are the neighboring cities of Navotas and the southern enclave of Caloocan. * Manila's 2nd congressional district, District II (2015 population: 215,457) covers the eastern part of Tondo which contains 122 barangays. It is also referred to as Tondo II. It contains Gagalangin, a prominent place in Tondo, and Divisoria, a popular shopping place in the Philippines and the site of the Tutuban (PNR station), Main Terminal Station of the Philippine National Railways. The boundary of the 2nd District is the neighboring city of Caloocan. * Manila's 3rd congressional district, District III (2015 population: 221,780) covers Binondo, Quiapo, San Nicolas and Santa Cruz. It contains 123 barangays and encompasses the so-called "Downtown Manila" or the historic business district of the city and the oldest Chinatown in the world. The boundary of the 3rd District is the neighboring city of

. * Manila's 4th congressional district, District IV (2015 population: 265,046) covers Sampaloc and some parts of Santa Mesa. It contains 192 barangays and has numerous colleges and universities, which were located along the city's "University Belt", a ''de facto'' sub-district. The University of Santo Tomas is located here, the oldest existing university in Asia which was established in 1611. The boundaries of the 4th District are the neighboring cities of San Juan, Metro Manila, San Juan and Quezon City. * Manila's 5th congressional district, District V (2015 population: 366,714) covers Ermita, Malate, Port Area, Intramuros, San Andres Bukid, and a portion of Paco. It is made up of 184 barangays. The historic Walled City is located here, along with Manila Cathedral and San Agustin Church (Manila), San Agustin Church, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The boundaries of the 5th District are the neighboring cities of Makati and Pasay. This district also includes the Manila South Cemetery, an Enclave and exclave, exclave surrounded by Makati City. * Manila's 6th congressional district, District VI (2007 population: 295,245) covers Pandacan, San Miguel, Santa Ana, Santa Mesa and a portion of Paco. It contains 139 barangays. Santa Ana district is known for its 18th Century Santa Ana Church and Historic houses in Santa Ana, Manila, historic ancestral houses. The boundaries of the 6th District are the neighboring cities of Makati, Mandaluyong, Quezon City, and San Juan.

Climate

Under the Köppen climate classification system, Manila has a tropical savanna climate (Köppen climate classification, Köppen ''Aw''), bordering closely on a tropical monsoon climate (Köppen climate classification, Köppen ''Am''). Together with the rest of the Philippines, Manila lies entirely within the tropics. Its proximity to the equator means that temperatures are hot year-round especially during the daytime, rarely going below or above . Temperature extremes have ranged from on January 11, 1914, to on May 7, 1915. Humidity levels are usually very high all year round, making the temperature feel hotter than it is. Manila has a distinct dry season from late December through early April, and a relatively lengthy wet season that covers the remaining period with slightly cooler temperatures during the daytime. In the wet season, it rarely rains all day, but rainfall is very heavy during short periods. Typhoons usually occur from June to September.

Natural hazards

Swiss Re ranked Manila as the second riskiest capital city to live in, citing its exposure to natural hazards such as earthquakes, tsunamis, typhoons, floods and landslides. The seismically active Marikina Valley Fault System poses a threat of a large-scale earthquake with an estimated Moment magnitude scale, magnitude between 6–7 and as high as 7.6 to

and nearby provinces. Manila has endured several deadly earthquakes, notably in 1645 Luzon earthquake, 1645 and in 1677 which destroyed the stone and brick medieval city."Fire and Quake in the construction of old Manila"
. The Frequency of Earthquakes in Manila. Retrieved November 22, 2013. The Earthquake Baroque style was used by architects during the Spanish colonial period in order to adapt to the frequent earthquakes."The City of God: Churches, Convents and Monasteries"
Discovering Philippines. Retrieved July 6, 2011. Manila is hit with five to seven typhoons yearly. In 2009, Typhoon Ketsana, Typhoon Ketsana (Ondoy) struck the Philippines. It led to one of the worst floodings in

and several provinces in Luzon with an estimated damages worth ₱11 billion ($237 million). The floodings caused 448 deaths in Metro Manila alone. Following the aftermath of Typhoon Ketsana, the city began to dredge its rivers and improve its drainage network.

Pollution

Due to industrial waste and automobiles, Manila suffers from air pollution, affecting 98% of the population. Swiss firm IQAir reported in December 2020 that Manila suffered from an average PM2.5 concentration of 6.1 μg/m3, which was classed as "Good" according to recommendations made by the World Health Organization. According to a report in 2003, the Pasig River is one of the most polluted rivers in the world with 150 tons of domestic waste and 75 tons of industrial waste dumped daily. The city is the second biggest waste producer in the country with 1,151.79 tons (7,500.07 cubic meters) per day, after

which yields 1,386.84 tons or 12,730.59 cubic meters per day. Both cities were cited as having poor management in garbage collection and disposal. Rehabilitation efforts have resulted in the creation of parks along the riverside, along with stricter pollution controls. In 2019, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources has launched a rehabilitation program for

that will be administered by different government agencies.

Cityscape

Manila is a New town, planned city. In 1905, American Architect and Urban Planner Daniel Burnham was commissioned to design the new capital. His design for the city was based on the City Beautiful movement, which features broad streets and avenues radiating out from rectangles. The city is made up of fourteen city districts, according to Republic Act No. 409—the Revised Charter of the City of Manila—the basis of which officially sets the present-day boundary of the city. Two districts were later created, which are Santa Mesa (partitioned off from Sampaloc) and San Andres (partitioned off from Santa Ana). Ermita-Malate skyline in Manila as of June 2015

Ermita-Malate skyline in Manila as of June 2015

Manila's mix of architectural styles reflects the turbulent History of Manila, history of the city and country. During the Second World War, Manila was razed to the ground by the Japanese forces and the shelling of American forces. After the liberation, rebuilding began and most of the historical buildings were thoroughly reconstructed. However, much of the historic churches and buildings in Intramuros, Manila's historic core, had been damaged by the war beyond repair. Manila's current urban landscape is one of modern and contemporary architecture.

Architecture

Manila is known for its eclectic mix of architecture that shows a wide range of styles spanning different historical and cultural periods. Architectural styles reflect American, Spanish, Chinese, and Malay influences. Prominent Filipino architects such as Antonio Toledo (architect), Antonio Toledo, Felipe Roxas, Juan M. Arellano and Tomás Mapúa have designed significant buildings in Manila such as churches, government offices, theaters, mansions, schools and universities. Manila is also famed for Art Deco theaters of Manila, its Art Deco theaters. Some of these were designed by National Artists of the Philippines, National Artists for Architecture such as Juan Nakpil and Pablo Antonio. Unfortunately most of these theaters were neglected, and some have been demolished. The historic Escolta Street in Binondo features many buildings of Neoclassical architecture, Neoclassical and Beaux-Arts architecture, Beaux-Arts architectural style, many of which were designed by prominent Filipino architects during the American Rule in the 1920s to the late 1930s. Many architects, artists, historians and heritage advocacy groups are pushing for the rehabilitation of Escolta Street, which was once the premier street of the Philippines. Luneta Hotel

Almost all of Manila's prewar and Spanish colonial architecture were destroyed during its Battle of Manila (1945), battle for liberation by the intensive bombardment of the United States Air Force during

. Reconstruction took place afterwards, replacing the destroyed historic Spanish-era buildings with modern ones, erasing much of the city's character. Some buildings destroyed by the war have been reconstructed, such as the Old Legislative Building (now the National Museum of Fine Arts), Ayuntamiento de Manila (now the Bureau of the Treasury) and the under construction San Ignacio Church (Manila), San Ignacio Church and Convent (as the Museo de Intramuros). There are plans to rehabilitate and/or restore several neglected historic buildings and places such as Plaza Del Carmen, San Sebastian Church (Manila), San Sebastian Church and the NCCA Metropolitan Theater. Spanish-era shops and houses in the districts of

, Quiapo, Manila, Quiapo, and San Nicolas, Manila, San Nicolas are also planned to be restored, as a part of a movement to restore the city to its prewar state. Since Manila is prone to earthquakes, the Spanish colonial architects invented the style called Earthquake Baroque which the churches and government buildings during the Spanish colonial period adopted. As a result, succeeding earthquakes of the 18th and 19th centuries barely affected Manila, although it did periodically level the surrounding area. Modern buildings in and around Manila are designed or have been retrofitted to withstand an 8.2 magnitude quake in accordance to the country's building code.

Demographics

According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 1,846,513 people, making it the List of cities in the Philippines, second most populous city in the Philippines. Manila is List of cities proper by population density, the most densely populated city in the world, with 41,515 inhabitants per km in 2015. District 6 is listed as being the most dense with 68,266 inhabitants per km, followed by District 1 with 64,936 and District 2 with 64,710. District 5 is the least densely populated area with 19,235. (from Webcite archive) Manila has been presumed to be the Philippines' largest city since the establishment of a permanent Spanish settlement with the city eventually becoming the political, commercial and ecclesiastical capital of the country. Since colonial times, Manila has been the destination of peoples whose origins are as wide-ranging as India and Latin-America. In the 1860s to 1890s, in the urban areas of the Philippines, especially at Manila, according to burial statistics, as much as 3.3% of the population were pure European Spaniards and the pure Chinese were as high as 9.9% of the people. The Spanish-Filipino and Chinese-Filipino Mestizo populations also fluctuated. Eventually, everybody belonging to these non-native categories diminished because they were assimilated into and chose to self-identify as pure Filipinos since during the Philippine Revolution, the term "Filipino" included anybody born in the Philippines coming from any race. That would explain the abrupt drop of otherwise high Chinese, Spanish and mestizo percentages across the country by the time of the first American census in 1903. Manila's population increased dramatically since the 1903 census as the population tended to move from rural areas to towns and cities. In the 1960 census, Manila became the first Philippine city to breach the one million mark (more than 5 times of its 1903 population). The city continued to grow until the population somehow "stabilized" at 1.6 million and experienced alternating increase and decrease starting the 1990 census year. This phenomenon may be attributed to the higher growth experience by suburbs and the already very high population density of city. As such, Manila exhibited a decreasing percentage share to the metropolitan population from as high as 63% in the 1950s to 27.5% in 1980 and then to 13.8% in 2015. The much larger

marginally surpassed the population of Manila in 1990 and by the 2015 census already has 1.1 million people more. Nationally, the population of Manila is expected to be overtaken by cities with larger territories such as Caloocan and Davao City by 2020. The vernacular language is Filipino, based mostly on the Tagalog language of the city and its surroundings, and this Manilan form of spoken Tagalog has essentially become the lingua franca of the Philippines, having spread throughout the archipelago through mass media and entertainment. Philippine English, English is the language most widely used in education and business, and it is in heavy everyday use throughout Metro Manila and the rest of the Philippines. A variant of Southern Min, Philippine Hokkien (locally known as ''Lan-nang-oe''), is mainly spoken by the city's Chinese-Filipino community. According to data provided by the Bureau of Immigration, a total of 3.12 million Chinese citizens arrived in the Philippines from January 2016 to May 2018.

Crime

Toyota Vios Philippine Police Car Manila City

Crime in Manila is concentrated in areas associated with poverty, Illegal drug trade in the Philippines, drug abuse, and gangs. Crime in the city is also directly related to its changing demographics and unique criminal justice system. Illegal drug trade in the Philippines, Illegal drug trade is a major problem of the city. In

alone, 92% of the barangays are affected by illegal drugs. From 2010 to 2015, the city had the second highest index crime rates in the Philippines, with 54,689 cases or an average of about 9,100 cases per year. By October 2017, the Manila Police District (MPD) reported a 38.7% decrease in index crimes, from 5,474 cases in 2016 to only 3,393 in 2017. MPD's crime solution efficiency also improved, whereby six to seven out of 10 crimes have been solved by the city police force. MPD was cited as the Best Police District in

in 2017 for registering the highest crime solution efficiency.

Religion

Christianity

As a result of Culture of Spain, Spanish cultural influence, Manila is a predominantly Christianity in the Philippines, Christian city. , Catholic Church in the Philippines, Roman Catholics were 93.5% of the population, followed by adherents of the Iglesia ni Cristo (1.9%); various Protestantism, Protestant churches (1.8%); and Buddhism, Buddhists (1.1%). Members of

and other religions make up the remaining 1.4% of its population. Manila is the seat of prominent Catholic churches and institutions. There are 113 Catholic churches within the city limits; 63 are considered as major shrines, basilicas, or a cathedral. The Manila Cathedral is the seat of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Manila and the oldest established church in the country. Aside from the Manila Cathedral, there are also three other basilicas in the city: Quiapo Church, Binondo Church, and the Basilica of San Sebastian, Manila, Minor Basilica of San Sebastián. The San Agustin Church, Manila, San Agustín Church in Intramuros is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Several Mainline Protestant denominations are headquartered in the city. St. Stephen's Parish (Manila), St. Stephen's Parish pro-cathedral in the Santa Cruz district is the see of the Episcopal Church in the Philippines' Diocese of Central Philippines, while align Taft Avenue are the main cathedral and central offices of the Iglesia Filipina Independiente (also called the Aglipayan Church, a national church that was a product of the Philippine Revolution). Other faiths like the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons) have temples within the city such as the Manila Philippines Temple in the Quezon City and Alabang Philippines Temple in Muntinlupa. The indigenous Iglesia ni Cristo has several locales (akin to parishes) in the city, including its very first chapel (now Iglesia ni Cristo Museum (Santa Ana, Manila), a museum) in Punta, Santa Ana. Evangelical Christian, Evangelical, Pentecostal and Seventh-day Adventist denominations also thrive. The headquarters of the Philippine Bible Society is in Manila. Also, the main campus of the Cathedral of Praise is located along

. Jesus Is Lord Church Worldwide has several branches and campuses in Manila. Religious groups such as Iglesia ni Cristo, Jesus Is Lord Church Worldwide and the El Shaddai (movement) celebrate their anniversary at the Quirino Grandstand, which is an open space, in Rizal Park. File:02237jfManila Cathedral Intramuros Manila Palacio del Gobernador Landmarksfvf 12.jpg, Manila Cathedral is the seat of Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Manila File:Basílica de San Sebastián, (Agustinos Recoletos) Manila, Filipinas..jpg, The Basilica of San Sebastian, Manila, Minor Basilica of San Sebastián is the only Steel building, all-steel church in Asia. File:Ph-mm-manila-intramuros-san agustin church (2014).JPG, San Agustin Church, Manila, San Agustín Church in

, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. File:0728jfBuildings Streets Binondo Plaza Lorenzo Ruiz Landmarks Manilafvf 06.jpg, Binondo Church serves the Roman Catholic Chinese community File:Allan Jay Quesada- Quiapo Church DSC 0065 The Minor Basilica of the Black Nazarene or Quiapo Church, Manila.JPG, Quiapo Church, home of the iconic Black Nazarene whose ''Traslacion'' feast is celebrated every January 9

Other faiths

There are many Taoist and Buddhist temples like Seng Guan Temple in the city serving the spiritual needs of the Chinese Filipino community. Quiapo has a "Islam in the Philippines, Muslim town" where the city's largest mosque, Masjid Al-Dahab, exists. Members of the Indian expatriate population have the option of worshiping at the large Hinduism in the Philippines, Hindu temple in the city, or at the Sikhism, Sikh gurdwara along United Nations Avenue. The Spiritual Assembly, National Spiritual Assembly of the Baháʼí Faith, Baháʼís of the Philippines, the governing body for followers of the Baháʼí Faith in the Philippines, is headquartered near Manila's eastern border with Makati.

Economy

Manila is a major center for commerce, banking and finance, retailing, transportation, tourism, real estate, new media as well as Old media, traditional media, advertising, legal services, accounting, insurance, theater, fashion, and the arts in the Philippines. Around 60,000 establishments operate in the city. The National Competitiveness Council of the Philippines which annually publishes the Cities and Municipalities Competitiveness Index (CMCI), ranks the cities, municipalities and provinces of the country according to their economic dynamism, government efficiency and infrastructure. According to the 2016 CMCI, Manila was the second most competitive city in the Philippines. Manila placed third in the Highly Urbanized City (HUC) category. Manila held the title country's most competitive city in 2015, and since then has been making it to the top 3, assuring that the city is consistently one of the best place to live in and do business. The Port of Manila is the largest seaport in the Philippines, making it the premier international shipping gateway to the country. The Philippine Ports Authority is the government agency responsible to oversee the operation and management of the ports. The International Container Terminal Services Inc. cited by the Asian Development Bank as one of the top five major maritime terminal operators in the world has its headquarters and main operations on the ports of Manila. Another port operator, the Asian Terminal Incorporated, has its corporate office and main operations in the Manila South Harbor and its container depository located in Santa Mesa, Manila, Santa Mesa. Binondo, the oldest and one of the largest

s in the world, was the center of commerce and business activities in the city. Numerous residential and office skyscrapers are found within its medieval streets. Plans to make the Chinatown area into a business process outsourcing (BPO) hub progresses and is aggressively pursued by the city government of Manila. 30 buildings are already identified to be converted into BPO offices. These buildings are mostly located along the Escolta Street of Binondo, which are all unoccupied and can be converted into offices. Divisoria in Tondo is known as the "shopping mecca of the Philippines". Numerous shopping malls are located in this place, which sells products and goods at bargain price. Small vendors occupy several roads that causes pedestrian and vehicular traffic. A famous landmark in Divisoria is the Tutuban Center, a large shopping mall that is a part of the Philippine National Railways' Tutuban railway station, Main Station. It attracts 1 million people every month, but is expected to add another 400,000 people upon the completion of the Manila Light Rail Transit System Line 2, LRT Line 2 West Extension, thereby making it Manila's busiest transfer station. Diverse manufacturers within the city produce industrial-related products such as chemicals, textiles, clothing, and electronic goods. Food and beverages and tobacco products also produced. Local entrepreneurs continue to process primary commodities for export, including rope, plywood, refined sugar, copra, and coconut oil. The food-processing industry is one of the most stable major manufacturing sector in the city. The Pandacan oil depot houses the storage facilities and distribution terminals of the three major players in the country's petroleum industry, namely Chevron Corporation, Caltex Philippines, Royal Dutch Shell, Pilipinas Shell and Petron Corporation. The oil depot has been a subject of various concerns, including its environmental and health impact to the residents of Manila. The Supreme Court has ordered that the oil depot to be relocated outside the city by July 2015, but it failed to meet this deadline. Most of the oil depot facility inside the 33 hectare compound have been demolished, and plans have been put into place to transform it into a transport hub or food park. Manila is a major publishing center in the Philippines. ''Manila Bulletin'', the Philippines' largest broadsheet newspaper by circulation, is headquartered in Intramuros. Other major publishing companies in the country like ''The Manila Times'', ''The Philippine Star'' and ''Manila Standard Today'' are headquartered in the Port Area. The ''Chinese Commercial News'', the Philippines' oldest existing Chinese-language newspaper, and the country's third-oldest existing newspaper is headquartered in

. DWRK used to have its studio at the FEMS Tower 1 along South Superhighway in

before transferring to the Manila Broadcasting Company, MBC Building at the CCP Complex in 2008. Manila serves as the headquarters of the Central Bank of the Philippines which is located along Roxas Boulevard. Some universal banks in the Philippines that has its headquarters in the city are the Landbank of the Philippines and Philippine Trust Company. Unilever, Unilever Philippines used to have its corporate office along United Nations Avenue in Paco before transferring to Bonifacio Global City in 2016. Toyota, a company listed in the Forbes Global 2000, also has its regional office along UN Avenue.

Tourism

Manila welcomes over 1 million tourists each year. Major tourist destinations include the historic Walled City of

, the Cultural Center of the Philippines Complex, Manila Ocean Park, Binondo (Chinatown), Ermita,

, Manila Zoo, the National Museum Complex (Manila), National Museum Complex and Rizal Park. Both the historic Walled City of Intramuros and Rizal Park were designated as flagship destinations and as tourism enterprise zones in the Tourism Act of 2009. Rizal Park, also known as Luneta Park, is a national park and the largest urban park in Asia with an area of , The park was constructed in honor of and dedication to the country's national hero

, who was executed by the Spaniards on charges of subversion. The flagpole west of the Rizal Monument is the Kilometre Zero, Kilometer Zero marker for distances to the rest of the country. The park is managed by the National Parks and Development Committee. The Walled City of

is the historic center of Manila. It is administered by the Intramuros Administration, an attached agency of the Department of Tourism (Philippines), Department of Tourism. It contains the famed Manila Cathedral and the 18th Century San Agustin Church (Manila), San Agustin Church, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Kalesa is a popular mode of transportation for tourists in Intramuros and nearby places including Binondo, Ermita and Rizal Park. Known as the oldest chinatown in the world,

was established on 1521 and served as a hub of Chinese commerce before the Spaniards colonized the Philippines. Its main attractions are Binondo Church, Filipino-Chinese Friendship Arch, Seng Guan Buddhist temple and authentic Chinese restaurants. Manila is designated as the country's pioneer of medical tourism, estimated to generate $1 billion in revenue annually. However, lack of a progressive health system, inadequate infrastructure and the unstable political environment are seen as hindrances to its growth.

Shopping

Manila is regarded as one of the best shopping destinations in Asia. Major shopping malls, department stores, market (place), markets, supermarkets and bazaars thrive within the city. One of the city's famous shopping destinations is Divisoria, home to numerous shopping malls, including the famed Tutuban Center and the Lucky Chinatown. It is also dubbed the shopping mecca of the Philippines where everything is sold at a bargain price. There are almost 1 million shoppers in Divisoria according to the Manila Police District. Binondo, the oldest Chinatown in the world, is the city's center of commerce and trade for all types of businesses run by Filipino-Chinese merchants, with a wide variety of Chinese and Filipino shops and restaurants. Quiapo is referred to as the "Old Downtown", where tiangges, markets, boutique shops, music and electronics stores are common. Many department stores are on Recto Avenue. Robinsons Place Manila is the largest shopping mall in the city. The mall was the second and the largest Robinsons Malls built. SM Supermalls operates two shopping malls in the city which are the SM City Manila and SM City San Lazaro. SM City Manila is located on the former grounds of YMCA Manila beside the Manila City Hall in Ermita, Manila, Ermita, while SM City San Lazaro is built on the site of the former San Lazaro Hippodrome in Santa Cruz. The building of the former Manila Royal Hotel in Quiapo, Manila, Quiapo, which is famed for its revolving restaurant atop, is now the SM Quiapo, SM Clearance Center established in 1972. The site of the SM Quiapo, first SM Department Store is located at Carlos Palanca Sr. (formerly Echague) Street in San Miguel.

Culture

Museums

04762jfNational Museum of the Philippines Ermita Manilafvf 07

As the cultural center of the Philippines, Manila is the home to a number of museums. The National Museum Complex (Manila), National Museum Complex of the National Museum of the Philippines, located in Rizal Park, is composed of the National Museum of Fine Arts, the National Museum of Anthropology (Manila), National Museum of Anthropology, the National Museum of Natural History (Manila), National Museum of Natural History, and the National Planetarium (Manila), National Planetarium. The famous painting of Juan Luna, the Spoliarium, can be found in the complex. The city also hosts the repository of the country's printed and recorded cultural heritage and other literary and information resources, the National Library of the Philippines, National Library. The

maintains two history museums in the city which are the Mabini Shrine (Manila), Museo ni Apolinario Mabini – PUP and the Rizal Shrine (Intramuros), Museo ni Jose Rizal – Fort Santiago. Museums established or run by educational institutions are the DLS-CSB Museum of Contemporary Art and Design, UST Museum of Arts and Sciences, and the University of the Philippines Museum of a History of Ideas, UP Museum of a History of Ideas. Bahay Tsinoy, one of Manila's prominent museums, documents the Chinese lives and contributions in the history of the Philippines. The Intramuros Light and Sound Museum chronicles the Filipinos desire for freedom during Philippine Revolution, the revolution under Rizal's leadership and other revolutionary leaders. The Metropolitan Museum of Manila is a museum of modern and contemporary visual arts exhibits the Filipino arts and Culture of the Philippines, culture. Other museums in the city are the Museum of Manila, the city-owned museum that exhibits the city's culture and history, Museo Pambata, a children's museum and a place of hands-on discovery and fun learning, and Plaza San Luis which is an outdoor heritage public museum that contains a collection of nine Spanish Bahay na Bato houses. Ecclesiastical museums in the located in the city are the Parish of the Our Lady of the Abandoned in Santa Ana, the San Agustin Church (Manila), San Agustin Church Museum and the Museo de Intramuros which houses the ecclesiastical art collection of the Intramuros Administration in the reconstructed San Ignacio Church (Manila), San Ignacio Church and Convent.

Sports

Sports in Manila have a long and distinguished history. The city's, and in general the country's main sport is basketball, and most barangays have a basketball court or at least a makeshift basketball court, with court markings drawn on the streets. Larger barangays have covered courts where inter-barangay leagues are held every summer (April to May). Manila has many sports venues, such as the Rizal Memorial Sports Complex and San Andres Gym, the home of the now defunct Manila Metrostars. The Rizal Memorial Sports Complex houses the Rizal Memorial Track and Football Stadium, Rizal Memorial Baseball Stadium, the Baseball Stadium, Tennis Courts, the Rizal Memorial Coliseum and the Ninoy Aquino Stadium (the latter two are indoor arenas). The Rizal complex had hosted several multi-sport events, such as the 1954 Asian Games and the 1934 Far Eastern Games. Whenever the country hosts the Southeast Asian Games, most of the events are held at the complex, but in the 2005 Southeast Asian Games, 2005 Games, most events were held elsewhere. The 1960 ABC Championship and the 1973 ABC Championship, forerunners of the FIBA Asia Championship, was hosted by the memorial coliseum, with the Philippines men's national basketball team, national basketball team winning on both tournaments. The 1978 FIBA World Championship was held at the coliseum although the latter stages were held in the Araneta Coliseum in

. Manila also hosts several well-known sports facilities such as the Enrique M. Razon Sports Center and the University of Santo Tomas Sports Complex, both of which are private venues owned by a university; collegiate sports are also held, with the University Athletic Association of the Philippines and the National Collegiate Athletic Association (Philippines), National Collegiate Athletic Association basketball games held at Rizal Memorial Coliseum and Ninoy Aquino Stadium, although basketball events had transferred to San Juan, Metro Manila, San Juan's Filoil Flying V Arena and the Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City. Other collegiate sports are still held at the Rizal Memorial Sports Complex. Professional basketball, which has been organized mostly by corporate teams, also used to play at the city, but the Philippine Basketball Association now holds their games at Araneta Coliseum and Cuneta Astrodome at Pasay; the now defunct Philippine Basketball League played some of their games at the Rizal Memorial Sports Complex such as its 1995–96 Philippine Basketball League season. Manila has always been represented whenever city-based sports leagues are set up. The Manila Metrostars participated in the Metropolitan Basketball Association. The Metrostars, named after the Metrostar Express, the brand name of the MRT Line 3 (Metro Manila), Metro Manila MRT-3, which does not have stations in the city, participated in its first three seasons, and won the 1999 championship. The Metrostars later merged with the Batangas Blades and subsequently played in Lipa, Batangas, Lipa. Almost two decades later, the Manila Stars participated in the Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League. The Stars' best performance was reaching the Northern Division Finals in 2019. Both teams played in the San Andres Sports Complex. Other teams that represented Manila but did not host games in the city are the Manila Jeepney F.C. and Loyola F.C., FC Meralco Manila. Jeepney were acknowledged by the city's government as Manila's representative in the United Football League (Philippines), United Football League. Meralco Manila played in the Philippines Football League and designated the Rizal Memorial Stadium as their home ground. The Manila Storm are the city's rugby league team training at Rizal Park (Luneta Park) and playing their matches at Southern Plains Field, Calamba, Laguna. Previously a widely played sport in the city, Manila is now the home of the only sizable baseball stadium in the country, at the Rizal Memorial Baseball Stadium. The stadium hosted games of the now defunct Baseball Philippines; Lou Gehrig and Babe Ruth were the first players to score a home run at the stadium at their tour of the country on December 2, 1934. Another popular sport in the city are cue sports, and billiard halls are a feature in most barangays. The 2010 World Cup of Pool was held at Robinsons Place Manila. The Rizal Memorial Stadium, Rizal Memorial Track and Football Stadium hosted the first FIFA World Cup qualifier in decades when the Philippines national football team, Philippines hosted Sri Lanka national basketball team, Sri Lanka in July 2011. The stadium, which was previously unfit for international matches, had undergone a major renovation program before the match. The stadium also hosted its first Test match (rugby union), rugby test when it hosted the 2012 Asian Five Nations division tournaments, 2012 Asian Five Nations Division I tournaments.

Festivities and holidays

Manila celebrates civic and national holidays. Since most of the city's citizens are Catholic Church, Roman Catholics as a result of the Spanish colonization, most of the festivities are religious in nature. Manila Day, which celebrates the city's founding on June 24, 1571, by Spanish ''

, was first proclaimed by Herminio A. Astorga (then vice mayor of Manila) on June 24, 1962. It has been annually commemorated under the patron saint, patronage of John the Baptist, and has always been declared by the national government as a special non-working holiday through Presidential Proclamations. Each of the city's 896 barangays also have their own festivities guided by their own patron saint. The city is also the host to the Black Nazarene, Procession of the Feast of the Black Nazarene (''Traslacíon''), held every January 9, which draws millions of Roman Catholic Church, Catholic devotees. Other religious festivities held in Manila are the Feast of Santo Niño in Tondo and Pandacan held on the third Sunday of January, the Feast of the Nuestra Señora de los Desamparados de Manila (Our Lady of the Abandoned), the patron saint of Santa Ana which was held every May 12, and the ''Flores de Mayo''. Non-religious holidays include the New Year's Day, National Heroes' Day, Bonifacio Day and Rizal Day.

Government

12-10-20 International Human Rights Day Protest Manila

Manila—officially known as the City of Manila—is the capital city, national capital of the Philippines and is classified as a Special City (according to its income) and a Cities of the Philippines#classification, Highly Urbanized City (HUC). The

is the chief executive, and is assisted by the vice mayor, and the 38-member Manila City Council, City Council. The members of the City Council are elected as representatives of the six councilor districts within the city, and the municipal presidents of the Liga ng mga Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan. The city, however, has no control over

and the Port of Manila, Manila North Harbor. The historic Walled City is administered by the Intramuros Administration, while the Manila North Harbor is managed by the Philippine Ports Authority. Both are national government agencies. The barangays that have jurisdictions over these places only oversee the welfare of the city's constituents and cannot exercise their executive powers. Manila has a total of 12,971 personnel complement by the end of 2018. Under the proposed form of federalism in the Philippines, Manila may no longer be the capital or Metro Manila may no longer be the seat of government. The committee has not yet decided on the federal capital and states that they are open to other proposals. The

is Honey Lacuna, Dr. Maria Shielah "Honey" Lacuna-Pangan, daughter of former Manila vice mayor Danilo Lacuna. Lacuna made history as she became the first female Mayor of Manila. The vice mayor is Yul Servo. The mayor and the vice mayor are term-limited by up to 3 terms, with each term lasting for three years. The city has an ordinance penalizing street harassment, cat-calling since 2018, and is the second city in the Philippines to do so after

passed a similar ordinance in 2016. Recently, the city government is planning to revise existing curfew ordinance since the Supreme Court declared it unconstitutional in August 2017. Out of the three cities reviewed by the Supreme Court, namely: the City of Manila, Navotas and

; only the curfew ordinance of Quezon City was approved. Manila, being the seat of political power of the Philippines, has several national government offices headquartered at the city. Planning for the development for being the center of government started during the early years of History of the Philippines (1898–1946), American colonization when they envisioned a well-designed city outside the walls of Intramuros. The strategic location chosen was Bagumbayan, a former town which is now the Rizal Park to become the center of government and a design commission was given to Daniel Burnham to create a master plan for the city patterned after Washington, D.C. These improvements were eventually abandoned under the Commonwealth Government of Manuel L. Quezon. A new government center was to be built on the hills northeast of Manila, or what is now Quezon City. Several government agencies have set up their headquarters in Quezon City but several key government offices still reside in Manila. However, many of the plans were substantially altered after the devastation of Manila during World War II and by subsequent administrations. The city, as the capital, still hosts the Office of the President of the Philippines, Office of the President, as well as the President of the Philippines, president's Malacañang Palace, official residence. Aside from these, important government agencies and institutions such as the Supreme Court of the Philippines, Supreme Court, the Philippine Court of Appeals, Court of Appeals, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas, the Executive Departments of the Philippines, Departments of Department of Budget and Management, Budget and Management, Department of Finance (Philippines), Finance, Department of Health (Philippines), Health, Department of Justice (Philippines), Justice, Department of Labor and Employment (Philippines), Labor and Employment and Department of Public Works and Highways, Public Works and Highways still call the city home. Manila also hosts important national institutions such as the National Library, National Archives, National Museum of the Philippines and the Philippine General Hospital.. Other notable institutions based in Manila are the National Commission for Culture and the Arts, National Historical Commission, Film Development Council of the Philippines and the Cultural Center of the Philippines. Congress previously held office at the Old Legislative Building (Manila), Old Congress Building. In 1972, due to declaration of martial law, Congress was dissolved; its successor, the unicameral Batasang Pambansa, held office at the new Batasang Pambansa Complex. When a new constitution of the Philippines, constitution restored the bicameral Congress, the House of Representatives stayed at the Batasang Pambansa Complex, while the Senate remained at the Old Congress Building. In May 1997, the Senate transferred to a new building it shares with the Government Service Insurance System at reclaimed land at Pasay. The Supreme Court of the Philippines, Supreme Court was slated to transfer to its new campus at Bonifacio Global City, Taguig in 2019 but was postponed to a later year. In Congress, Manila is represented by its six representatives, one each from its six congressional districts, while in the Senate, that body is elected nationally.

Finance

In the 2019 Annual Audit Report published by the Commission on Audit (Philippines), Commission on Audit, the total revenue of the City of Manila amounted to ₱16.534 billion. It is one of the cities with the highest tax collection and internal revenue allotment. For the 2019 fiscal year, the total tax revenue collected by the city amounted to ₱8.4 billion. The city's total Internal Revenue Allotment (IRA), coming from the National Treasury, is at ₱2.94 billion. Meanwhile, its total assets was worth ₱63.4 billion in 2019. The City of Manila has the highest budget allocation to healthcare among all the cities and municipalities in the Philippines, which maintains the six district hospitals, 59 health centers and lying-in clinic, and healthcare programs.

Infrastructure

Housing

Development of public housing in the city began in the 1930s when the United States rule over the Philippines. Americans have to deal with the problem of sanitation and concentration of settlers around business areas. Business codes and sanitation laws were implemented in the 1930s. During this period until the 1950s, new communities were opened for relocation. Among these were Projects 1–8 in Diliman,

and the Vitas tenement houses in Tondo. The government implemented the Public Housing Policy in 1947 that established the People's Homesite and Housing Corporation (PHHC). A few years later, it put up the Slum Clearance Committee which, with the help of the PHHC, relocated thousands of families from Tondo and Quezon City to Sapang Palay in San Jose del Monte, Bulacan in the 1960s. In 2016, the national government completed several medium-rise houses for 300 Manila residents whose slum community was destroyed by a fire in 2011. Meanwhile, the city government plans to retrofit dilapidated tenements within the city, and will construct new housing buildings for the city's informal settlers such as the 14-storey Tondominium 1 and Tondomium 2 buildings, containing 42-square meter, two-bedroom units. The construction of these new in-city vertical housing projects was funded by a loan from the Development Bank of the Philippines and the Land Bank of the Philippines. A multitude of other vertical housing projects are in development. Since 2019, the Manila City Government has initiated 5 housing projects, namely: Tondominium 1 & 2, Binondominium, BaseCommunity, San Lazaro Residences and the Pedro Gil Residences.

Transportation

One of the more famous modes of transportation in Manila is the jeepney. Patterned after Jeep#World War II Jeeps, U.S. Army jeeps, these have been in use since the years immediately following World War II. The Tamaraw FX, the third generation Toyota Kijang, which competed directly with jeepneys and followed fixed routes for a set price, once plied the streets of Manila. They were replaced by the UV Express. All types of public road transport plying Manila are privately owned and operated under government-issued franchises. On a for-hire basis, the city is served by numerous taxicabs, "Motorized tricycle (Philippines), tricycles" (motorcycles with sidecars, the Philippine version of the auto rickshaw), and "''trisikads''" or "''sikads''", which are also known as "''kuligligs''" (bicycles with sidecars, the Philippine version of Cycle rickshaw, pedicabs). In some areas, especially in Divisoria, motorized pedicabs are popular. Spanish-era horse-drawn calesas are still a popular tourist attraction and mode of transportation in the streets of Binondo and Intramuros. Manila will phase out all gasoline-run tricycles and pedicabs and replace them with electric tricycles (e-trikes), and plans to distribute 10,000 e-trikes to qualified tricycle drivers from the city. As of January 2018, the city has already distributed e-trikes to a number of drivers and operators in

, Ermita,

and Santa Cruz. The city is serviced by LRT Line 1 (Metro Manila), LRT Line 1 (LRT-1) and LRT Line 2 (Metro Manila), Line 2 (LRT-2), which form the Manila Light Rail Transit System, Light Rail Transit. Development of the railway system began in the 1970s under the presidency of Ferdinand Marcos, when the LRT Line 1 was built, making it the first light rail transport in Southeast Asia, though despite the name "light rail", LRT-1 operates as a light metro running on dedicated right-of-way. LRT 2 on the other hand, operates as a full-metro heavy rail system. These systems are undergoing a multibillion-dollar expansion. The LRT runs along the length of

(N170/R-2) and Rizal Avenue (N150/R-9), while LRT-2 runs along Claro M. Recto Avenue (N145/C-1) and Ramon Magsaysay Boulevard (N180/R-6) from Santa Cruz, through

, up to Masinag in Antipolo, Rizal. The Tutuban station, central terminal of the Philippine National Railways lies within the city. One commuter railway within Metro Manila is in operation. The line runs in a general north–south direction from Tutuban (Tondo) toward the province of Laguna (province), Laguna. The Port of Manila, located at the western section of the city at the vicinity of Manila Bay, is the largest and chief seaport of the Philippines. The Pasig River Ferry Service which runs on the Pasig River is another form of transportation. The city is also served by the Ninoy Aquino International Airport, the country's main international airport and hub for domestic flights. “Trolleys", hand-made human-powered metal handcarts operated by “trolley boys” transport people along sections of the PNR lines. This is a popular means of transport, due to it being cheap (roughly ₱10 or US$.20) and avoiding traffic. Many “trolley boys” are homeless, and live alongside the rail line as a result. Since the line is actively used by passenger trains, collisions with passenger trains are a consistent danger, although casualties are reportedly rare. Rides are unofficial and unregulated, but tolerated by authorities. Manila was ranked by ''TomTom'' as the second world's most traffic-congested city in 2019. According to Waze's 2015 "Global Driver Satisfaction Index", Manila is the town with the worst traffic worldwide. Manila is notorious for its frequent traffic jams and high densities. The government has undertaken several projects to alleviate the traffic in the city. Some of the projects include: the proposed construction of a new viaduct or underpass at the intersection of España Boulevard and Lacson Avenue, the construction of Skyway (Metro Manila)#Stage 3, Skyway Stage 3, North Luzon Expressway#NLEX Connector, NLEX Connector, Pasig River Expressway, the proposed LRT Line 2 West Extension Project from Recto Avenue to Pier 4 of the Manila North Harbor, the proposed construction of the Philippine National Railways, PNR east–west line, which will run through España Boulevard up to

, and the expansion and widening of several national and local roads. However, such projects have yet to make any meaningful impact, and the traffic jams and congestion continue unabated. The Metro Manila Dream Plan seeks to address these urban transport problems. It consists of a list of short term priority projects and medium to long term infrastructure projects that will last up to 2030.

Water and electricity

Water services used to be provided by the Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System, which served 30% of the city with most other sewage being directly dumped into storm drains, septic tanks, or open canals. MWSS was Water privatization in Metro Manila, privatized in 1997, which split the water Concession (contract), concession into the east and west zones. The Maynilad Water Services took over the west zone of which Manila is a part. It now provides the supply and delivery of potable water and sewerage system in Manila, but it does not provide service to the southeastern part of the city which belongs to the east zone that is served by Manila Water. Electric services are provided by Meralco, the sole electric power distributor in Metro Manila.

Healthcare

The Manila Health Department is responsible for the planning and implementation of the health care programs provided by the city government. It operates 59 health centers and six city-run hospitals, which are free of charge for the city's constituents. The six public city-run hospitals are the Ospital ng Maynila Medical Center, Ospital ng Sampaloc, Gat Andres Bonifacio Memorial Medical Center, Ospital ng Tondo, Santa Ana Hospital (Manila), Santa Ana Hospital, and Justice Jose Abad Santos General Hospital. Manila is also the site of the Philippine General Hospital, the tertiary state-owned hospital administered and operated by the University of the Philippines Manila. The city is also planning to put up an education, research and hospital facility for Cleft lip and cleft palate, cleft-palate patients, as well as establishing the first children's surgical hospital in Southeast Asia. Manila's healthcare is also provided by private corporations. Private hospitals that operates in the city are the Manila Doctors Hospital, Chinese General Hospital and Medical Center, José R. Reyes Memorial Medical Center, Metropolitan Medical Center, Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital (Manila), Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital, and the University of Santo Tomas Hospital. The Department of Health (Philippines), Department of Health (DOH) has its main office in Manila. The national health department operates the San Lazaro Hospital, a special referral tertiary hospital. DOH also operates the Dr. Jose Fabella Memorial Hospital, Jose R. Reyes Memorial Medical Center and the Tondo Medical Center. Manila is the home to the headquarters of the World Health Organization's Regional Office for the Western Pacific and Country Office for the Philippines. The city has free immunization programs for children, specifically targeted against hepatitis B, Hemophilus influenza B pneumonia, diphtheria, tetanus, polio, measles, mumps and rubella. As of 2016, a total of 31,115 children age one and below has been "fully immunized". The Manila Dialysis Center that provides free services for the poor has been cited by the United Nations Committee on Innovation, Competitiveness and Public-Private Partnerships as a model for public-private partnership (PPP) projects. The dialysis facility was named as the Flora V. Valisno de Siojo Dialysis Center in 2019, and was inaugurated as the largest free dialysis facility in the Philippines. It has 91 dialysis machines, which can be expanded up to 100, matching the capabilities of the National Kidney and Transplant Institute (NKTI).

Education

The center of education since the colonial period, Manila is home to several Philippine universities and colleges as well as its oldest ones. The city contains the University Belt, an area where there is a high concentration of colleges and universities. Each of the colleges and universities found here are at a short walking distance of each other. The area is commonly understood as the one where the San Miguel, Quiapo, Manila, Quiapo, and Sampaloc districts meet, while another cluster of colleges lies along the southern bank of the Pasig River, mostly at the Intramuros and Ermita districts, and still a smaller cluster is found at the southernmost part of

near the city limits. The historic district of Intramuros once served as the home of the University of Santo Tomas (1611), Colegio de San Juan de Letran (1620), and Ateneo de Manila University (1859). Today, only Colegio de San Juan de Letran remains at Intramuros; the University of Santo Tomas transferred to a new campus at Sampaloc in 1927, and Ateneo left Intramuros for Loyola Heights, Quezon City (while still retaining "de Manila" in its name) in 1952. Meanwhile, new non-sectarian schools were built after the war: Mapúa University (1925), Lyceum of the Philippines University (1952), and Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila (1965) which is owned and operated by the Manila city government. Together, the four schools in the district formed the Intramuros Consortium. Other notable universities in the city include National University (Philippines), National University (1900), De La Salle University (1911), the largest of all De La Salle University System of schools, Far Eastern University (1928), and Adamson University (1939). The University of the Philippines (1908), the premier state university of the country, was established in Ermita, Manila. It moved its central administrative offices from Manila to Diliman in 1949 and eventually made the original campus the University of the Philippines Manila – the oldest of the constituent universities of the University of the Philippines System and the center of health sciences education in the country. The city is also the site of the main campus of the Polytechnic University of the Philippines Santa Mesa, Polytechnic University of the Philippines, the largest university in the country in terms of student population. The Division of City Schools–Manila, Division of the City Schools of Manila, a branch of the Department of Education (Philippines), Department of Education, refers to the city's three-tier public education system. It governs the 71 public elementary schools and 32 public high schools within the city. The city also contains the Manila Science High School, the pilot science high school of the Philippines.

Sister cities

Asia

* Astana, Kazakhstan *

, Cavite * Bangkok, Thailand * Beijing, People's Republic of China * Dili, East Timor * Guangzhou, Guangdong, People's Republic of China * Haifa, Israel * Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam * Incheon, South Korea * Jakarta, Indonesia * Nantan, Kyoto, Japan * Osaka, Japan (business partner) * Saipan, Northern Mariana Islands * Shanghai, People's Republic of China * Taipei, Taiwan * Takatsuki, Osaka, Takatsuki, Osaka, Japan * Yokohama, Kanagawa, Japan

Europe

* Bucharest, Romania * Lisbon, Portugal * Warsaw, Poland *

, Spain * Màlaga, Spain * Moscow, Russia * Nice, France, Nice, France

Americas

* Acapulco, Guerrero, Mexico * Cali, Colombia * Cartagena, Colombia, Cartagena, Colombia * Havana, Cuba * Honolulu, Hawaii, United States * Lima, Peru * Maui County, Hawaii, United States *

, Mexico * Montevideo, Uruguay * Montreal, Quebec, Canada * New York City, New York, United States (global partner) * Panama City, Panama * Sacramento, California, United States * San Francisco, California, United States * Santiago, Chile, Santiago, Chile * Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada

International relations

Manila hosts the foreign embassies of the United States and Vietnam. Honorary consulates of Belize, Burkina Faso, Jordan, Nepal, Poland, Thailand, and Tunisia are based in the city.

Notes

References

Sources

* Moore, Charles (1921)
"Daniel H. Burnham: Planner of Cities"
Houghton Mifflin and Co., Boston and New York.

External links

* * [ Philippine Standard Geographic Code] * {{Authority control Manila, Capitals in Asia Cities in Metro Manila 1574 establishments in the Philippines Planned cities in the Philippines Populated places established in 1574 Populated places on Manila Bay Populated places on the Pasig River Port cities and towns in the Philippines Highly urbanized cities in the Philippines