Manila Bay, large inlet
of the South China Sea, northern Philippines, indenting Luzon Island. The bay,
60 km (40 mi) long, may be entered through a channel 18 km (11 mi) wide, in
which Corregidor Island is situated. On the eastern shore of the bay is the
city of Manila, on the west, Bataan Peninsula. Manila Bay is connected with
Laguna de Bay by a short river on the southeast. One of the finest natural
harbors in the world, Manila Bay was the scene of the destruction of the
Spanish fleet in 1898 during the Spanish-American War.
City of Manila
Manila, capital, largest city,
and chief seaport of the Philippines. The city is located on central Luzon
Island, on the eastern shore of Manila Bay, at the mouth of the Pasig River,
just west of Quezon City. It is the commercial, administrative, and cultural
center of the Philippines. The Manila metropolitan area, or Metro Manila,
officially called the National Capital Region, comprises an area of 636 sq km
(246 sq mi) and includes Manila proper, Quezon City, Pasay, Caloocan, Makati,
and the municipalities of Las Piñas, Malabon, Mandaluyong, Marikina,
Muntinglupa, Navotas, Parañaque, Pasig, Pateros, San Juan del Monte, Taguig,
and Valenzuela. A small Muslim settlement named Maynilad was located in the
vicinity of present-day Manila when the Spaniards arrived in 1571. The city's
name, shortened first to Maynila and then to Manila, is thought to have been
derived from the nilad plant, a flowering shrub that once grew extensively on
the banks of the Pasig River. Mountains surround Manila on three sides. Because
of its picturesque location, Manila is often called the Pearl of the Orient.
Manila
I
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INTRODUCTION
|
Manila, capital, largest city,
and chief seaport of the Philippines. The city is located on central Luzon
Island, on the eastern shore of Manila Bay, at the mouth of the Pasig River,
just west of Quezon City. It is the commercial, administrative, and cultural
center of the Philippines. The Manila metropolitan area, or Metro Manila,
officially called the National Capital Region, comprises an area of 636 sq km
(246 sq mi) and includes Manila proper, Quezon City, Pasay, Caloocan, Makati,
and the municipalities of Las Piñas, Malabon, Mandaluyong, Marikina,
Muntinglupa, Navotas, Parañaque, Pasig, Pateros, San Juan del Monte, Taguig,
and Valenzuela. A small Muslim settlement named Maynilad was located in the
vicinity of present-day Manila when the Spaniards arrived in 1571. The city's
name, shortened first to Maynila and then to Manila, is thought to have been derived
from the nilad plant, a flowering shrub that once grew extensively on the banks
of the Pasig River. Mountains surround Manila on three sides. Because of its
picturesque location, Manila is often called the Pearl of the Orient.
II
|
POPULATION
|
Manila is by far the largest
metropolitan area in the Philippines, and the second largest in Southeast Asia
after Jakarta, Indonesia. About 12 percent of the population of the Philippines
is concentrated in the Manila metropolitan area; by comparison, the population
of the nation's second largest metropolitan area, Cebu, is only about
one-eighth that of Manila.
The metropolitan area
has experienced rapid population growth through heavy rates of migration from
rural areas, especially since the end of World War II (1939-1945). During the
1960s and 1970s annual rates of population growth in metropolitan Manila
approached 5 percent, compared to national growth rates of less than 3 percent.
While the overall growth rate slowed to 2.8 percent during the 1980s (compared
to the national rate of 2.3 percent), most of the outlying suburban areas of
metropolitan Manila grew much more rapidly. Manila proper actually lost
population to the suburbs during this period. Such rapid population growth has
led to overcrowding, traffic congestion, pollution, and housing shortages. By
some estimates, for example, between one-quarter and one-third of the city's
population lives in slums and squatter housing. In 2000, Manila proper had a
population of 1,673,000, and the metropolitan area registered 10.4 million
people (2003).
Almost all of Manila's
population is Roman Catholic. Tagalog, the indigenous language of central
Luzon, is spoken in 93 percent of the city's households. English is used in
businesses, schools, and by the national media.
III
|
ECONOMY
|
Philippine manufacturing
is highly concentrated in or near metropolitan Manila, with area firms
employing more than one-half the country's manufacturing industry workers. This
is due to a number of factors, including Manila's role as the principal port of
entry for imported raw materials and other goods; the city's excellent harbor,
which is deep and sheltered; the existence of a large local market; a pool of
skilled labor; and the presence of the nation's major financial, governmental,
and cultural institutions. Manufactures include textiles, clothing, and
electronic goods; the latter two are the nation's leading exports. Watches,
iron and steel, food and beverages, cigars and cigarettes, leather goods, and
shoes are also manufactured here. Additionally, local entrepreneurs (often with
foreign financial partners) continue to process primary commodities for export,
including plywood, refined sugar, copra, and coconut oil.
Manila is also the major
destination for tourists who visit the Philippines. Numerous points of interest
in the city attract about 1 million visitors annually from all over the world.
Many of Manila's tourist sites are found in the old downtown area and along
Roxas Boulevard, which parallels Manila Bay.
A rail system connects
Manila with the city of Legaspi on the Bicol Peninsula in southern Luzon and
extends north to San Fernando in La Union Province. A light rail transit system
known as Metrorail was opened in Manila in 1985 to help reduce traffic
congestion. Approximately 250,000 passengers are served daily by Metrorail.
Other major modes of transportation include buses; taxis; pedicabs; horse-drawn
carriages; and jeepneys, brightly-colored jeeps often outfitted with
tassels and decorative horns and mirrors. The inexpensive jeepneys transport
about one-third of the city's commuter traffic. The Manila International
Airport, located in Pasay, accounts for about two-fifths of the nation's total
passenger traffic.
Manila's population and
economy are often disturbed by natural disasters, as the area lies astride the
so-called Ring of Fire, an area in the Pacific where earthquakes and volcanic
activity are common. Two well-known volcanoes that have been active in recent
years, Mount Pinatubo and Taal Volcano, are each about 80 km (about 50 mi) from
Manila. The city lies within the typhoon belt and thus destructive storms are
frequent, often causing flooding and loss of life.
IV
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THE URBAN LANDSCAPE
|
Intramuros, the original
city founded in 1571 by the Spanish, is located on the southern bank of the
Pasig River. It includes examples of 17th-century Spanish architecture and an
encircling wall that was begun in 1590. Near Intramuros is the port area and
Rizal Park, which was designed by the American architect and urban planner
Daniel H. Burnham. The United States Embassy is located in the area, and nearby
tourist hotels and government buildings on Roxas Boulevard face Manila Bay. The
Manila Yacht Club, Manila Zoological and Botanical Gardens, Philippine Cultural
Center, Folk Arts Theater, and Philippine International Convention Center are
all located within two blocks of Roxas Boulevard. The newer suburbs include
Quezon City, Pasig, and Makati. Makati, located northwest of Manila proper, is
a modern center with shopping malls, the Philippine Stock Exchange,
international corporations and banks, hotels, and exclusive residential
subdivisions, including Forbes Park and Bel Air Village. New government
buildings, medical centers, and the University of the Philippines (1908) are
located in Quezon City. The poor live in numerous slums and squatter areas
which are interspersed throughout the periphery and in some older areas of the
city. Tondo, located north of Intramuros near the North Harbor area, is one of
the largest slums.
V
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EDUCATIONAL AND CULTURAL
INSTITUTIONS
|
Manila is the site of
many colleges and universities, including the nation's oldest, the University
of Santo Tomás, which was founded by Dominicans in 1611. Also here are the
University of Manila (1913), Philippine Women's University (1919), Far Eastern
University (1928), Manuel L. Quezon University (1947), Ateneo de Manila
University (1959), and the University of the East (1946), one of the largest
universities in Asia. Among the many libraries and museums in Manila are the
National Library of the Philippines (1901), the Metropolitan Museum of Manila
(1976), the National Museum of the Philippines (1901), and the Santo Tomás
Museum (founded before 1682, reorganized in 1865).
VI
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HISTORY
|
Miguel López de Legazpi,
the Spanish conqueror of the Philippines, founded Manila as a fortified colony
in 1571, after defeating the forces of the Muslim ruler Rajah Soliman. In 1601
a seminary for nobles, the first educational institution in the country, was
established at Manila by the Jesuits. From the 16th to early 19th centuries,
Manila played an important role in trade as a port for the Manila galleons,
huge trading ships that carried goods from Manila to Acapulco, Mexico (then
part of New Spain). During this time, Chinese merchants settled in Manila and
became middlemen for other trade from China. By the 1590s the Chinese had
become an economically important community. Many Chinese, aware of the
political and social advantages enjoyed by the Roman Catholics in the colony,
converted to Catholicism and married Filipino women. Many of their mixed-blood
descendants became important in Manila. The city remained under continuous
Spanish colonial rule for about 350 years, except for a brief period during the
Seven Years' War when Britain held the city from 1762 to 1764.
Discontent with Spanish
rule among urban Filipinos and some of the Filipino clergy became especially
significant in Manila during the latter half of the 19th century. Nationalist
sentiment erupted in 1872 when three Filipino priests, who had been charged
with leading a military mutiny at an arsenal near Manila, were executed by the
Spaniards.
In 1896, the execution
in Manila of Filipino patriot José Rizal, convicted by a Spanish military court
of sedition, facilitated a revolt against Spain. The Spanish, meanwhile, had
become enmeshed in an unsuccessful war in their Cuban colony and were eager to
end the fighting in the Philippines. They offered revolutionary leader Emilio
Aguinaldo amnesty and an indemnity payment if he would go into exile. Aguinaldo
agreed and left the Philippines at the end of 1897. In May 1898 a U.S. fleet
under Commodore George Dewey steamed into Manila Bay and destroyed the Spanish
fleet (see Spanish-American War; Manila Bay, Battle of). Thereafter
Manila became the headquarters of the U.S. administration of the Philippines.
Manila was occupied by
the Japanese during World War II from January 1942 until February 1945, and was
considerably damaged during the struggle to recapture the city. Both American
and Japanese funds were used to rebuild much of the city after the war. The
Philippines became independent in 1946 and Manila was named the capital. It was
replaced as capital by Quezon City in 1948, but remained the country's main
administrative center. In 1976, as part of a local government reorganization
that established metropolitan Manila, the city again became the capital.
Between 1972 and 1981
Manila and the Philippines were placed under martial law by President Ferdinand
Marcos. Marcos continued his dictatorial rule while the local economy continued
to disintegrate amid charges of overwhelming corruption by Marcos; his wife,
Imelda; and other associates. Increasingly, the population opposed the Marcos'
rule. On August 21, 1983, opposition leader Benigno Aquino flew to Manila from
the United States and was assassinated as he left the airplane in Manila. After
much turmoil, Aquino's widow, Corazon, was elected president in 1986. During
the Aquino presidency, Manila witnessed six unsuccessful coup attempts, the
most serious occurring in December 1989. See Aquino, Benigno Simeon, Jr.
Contributed By:
Richard Ulack
Richard Ulack
Microsoft ® Encarta ® 2006. © 1993-2005 Microsoft Corporation.
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