According to abbreviationfinder, Manila is the capital of the Philippines, a country in Southeast Asia. As a coastal city, it is located exactly in the Bay that bears its name, next to the mouth of the Pasig River.

History

The history of Manila begins in the 12th century, when a small maritime town settled there. However, back in the 16th century, the Spanish Miguel López de Legazpi and a companion from his boat arrived in these lands and conquered them in the name of Felipe II.

The island of Luzón was explored in 1570 by Martín de Goiti and Juan de Salcedo, sent by Legazpi, who in 1571 conquered it and appointed it head of government of the Philippines. The city remained under his rule for centuries. Due to limits and because reaching the Philippines implied going through Portuguese waters, this colony was quite isolated from its metropolis, even so a settlement was installed to secure it from rival powers.

It was besieged by the Dutch and the English in the 17th and 18th centuries. It was conquered by the American Dewey in 1898, after the Battle of Cavite. In World War II it was occupied by the Japanese between 1942 and 1945. In 1947 the country achieved its independence, but by then it was under a US protectorate. In 1948 it ceased to be the capital of the Philippines, although it continued to be the most important city. In 1976 it regained its capital status to the detriment of Quezon and became the capital city and since then it has been the center of internal immigration: a city where thousands of people came seeking a better quality of life. The problem was that it was overcrowded and the consequences were dire.

Manila has a few dynamic points where commerce and active life pass, but its main place is the mouth of the Pasig River. Despite this, these places have a very poor standard of living: endemicity, pollution and overcrowding are constant. Manila also had the misfortune of being frequently hit by earthquakes, fires and other natural disasters.

Geography

The Philippines comprises eleven large islands (Luzon, Mindanao, Samar, Negros, Panay, Palawan, Mindoro, Leyte, Cebu, Bohol and Masbate) that comprise 95% of the Philippine territory, and more than seven thousand islands or islets that mark out, along long of more than 1,800 km, two of the main tectonic arcs of the Pacific Ocean and the Sonda shelf, between Taiwan and Borneo. They are mountainous islands with numerous volcanoes, some still active.

Climate

The climate of the Philippines is tropical, with two distinct seasons: one dry and the other rainy; the latter runs from June to December and is the typhoon season. The average temperature does not vary much and is around 26º C.

Location

Manila is located on the western coast of Luzon Island, at the mouth of the Pasig River, open to Manila Bay.

Population

Manila has 10,330,100 residents. See population of Philippines.

Economic development

The capital of the Philippine Islands is an important industrial center where large factories in the food sector, mechanical constructions, the steel, metallurgical, chemical and electronic sectors are located. In recent times, the development of the textile, publishing industry and some products of primary origin has increased. This advance has generated new job opportunities but in turn brought more pollution and in a city where only 10% of the population has access to drainage systems, this problem turns into a true tragedy.

The most representative industrial branches are: textiles (12.06 of the national total), appliances of all kinds (12.01), food products (9.69), advertising and printing (8.49), metal manufacturing (7, 45), and others less important. This city has several attractions, buildings with exquisite architecture and green parks.

Sightseeing

A visa is not required for a stay of less than 21 days, but it is necessary to have a validity of six months in the passport. The best way to access Manila is through its Ninoy Aquino International Airport. The Manila night invites you to stroll near the shore of the Pacific. One of the most recommended activities for tourists is swimming in some of the formidable Philippine beaches and practicing scuba diving.

Health

Living conditions in Manila are very bad. There are mandatory vaccines against various diseases that are considered epidemics. Hygiene conditions are not good.

Sport

Manila was the host city of the 1954 Asian Games.

Illustrious people

The Philippine independence movement against the Spanish had its most important figure in José Rizal; in Manila, where he was executed in 1896, he is still remembered as the first and greatest of the country’s martyrs. After the defeat of the Spanish, the islands’ first American governor was future President William H. Taft.