Manila

Manila ( Filipino : Maynila; also spelled Manila) is the capital of the Philippines .

The city lies on the island of Luzon, on the eastern shore of the 48-kilometer Manila Bay , which flows into the South China Sea . At the last census in 2010, the city had nearly 1.7 million people. [2] The agglomeration coexists Manila from 16 other cities and towns. Here live a total of over 11.5 million inhabitants. This agglomeration, Metro Manila, by foreigners and non-residents are often also called Manila. The actual city of Manila is the second largest city in the country. Only the suburb Quezon City has more inhabitants.

Manila is the political, scientific and cultural center of the Philippines. Additionally, the city is a hub of infrastructure and economy and has several universities, colleges, theaters, museums and attractions.

Content

 * 1 History
 * 1.1 Pre-Hispanic times
 * 1.2 Spanish time
 * 1.3 British occupation
 * 1.4 American colonial period
 * 1.5 World War II
 * 1.6 Recent history
 * 2 Geography
 * 2.1 Topography
 * 2.2 Administrative divisions
 * 2.3 Climate
 * 3 Population and society
 * 3.1 Population Numbers and origin
 * 3.2 Poverty, prostitution
 * 4 Governance and politics
 * 5 Economics
 * 6 Culture and recreation
 * 6.1 Parks
 * 6.2 Museums
 * 6.3 Religion
 * 6.4 Education
 * 6.5 Sport
 * 7 Traffic and transport
 * 8 City Links
 * 9 Born in Manila
 * 10 External links
 * 11 References

[Pre-Hispanic times edit ]
Manila was originally a small fishing village, and grew into a sultanate on the shores of Manila Bay, at the mouth of the Pasig . The name comes from Maynilad; literally "here's Nilad" taking "Nilad" white mangrove plant indicated that grows in large numbers in the area.

Halfway through the sixteenth century was the area that today includes Manila under the authority of three radjas . Rajah Sulayman and Rajah Matanda ruled the communities south of the Pasig, and Rajah Lakandula ruled the community north of the Pasig. Manila was at that time the northernmost sultanate of the Philippine archipelago. From here were also contacts with the Sultanates of Brunei , Sulu and Ternate in Cavite maintained.

Spanish time [ edit ]
Gateway Fort Santiago

In 1570 Manila was the expedition led by Martin de Goiti conquered by the Spaniards . An army of 300 Spanish soldiers had ensured superior technology stronger than the Muslims. A year later ( 1571 ) took Miguel López de Legazpi City finally held in the name of the Spanish Crown and signed a peace agreement with the three Rajahs. A council was set with two mayors, 12 councilors and a secretary.On the southern banks of the Pasig was a walled city called Intramuros built with the intention to protect the Spanish colonists.

In 1595 Manila by the Spaniards named the capital of the Philippines. The city was the center of the trans-Pacific trade. TheManillagaljoenen carry loaded with silver and other precious metals from Acapulco to Manila as spices , porcelain , ivory , silk and other valuable goods from Southeast Asia to buy intended for the European market.

British occupation [ edit ]
In 1762 Manila was, during the Seven Years' War, was captured by a British fleet under the command of Lieutenant-General William Draper . The city was poorly defended and fell easily into the hands of the English. Manila was in the hands of the British will continue until 1764 when the Spaniards got back to the city again at the end of the war.

American colonial period [ edit ]
The Battle of Manila Bay on May 1, 1898

Spanish cannons in Intramuros in 1902

On April 26, 1898 declared the US war on Spain . In subsequent Spanish-American War, the US fought with Spain to the remaining Spanish colonies. On May 1, 1898 an antiquated Spanish fleet in the Battle of Manila Bay in just a few hours defeated by the modern US fleet under Admiral George Dewey

On June 12, 1898 Filipino insurgents against the Spaniards called its independence and was Emilio Aguinaldo installed as president. Because a large portion of Manila was still under Spanish control took this ceremony in Malolos in the province of Bulacan place. In July holed the Spaniards, which was besieged by the Philippine Army, located in Intramuros, the old city of Manila. They refused to surrender because they had been ordered to surrender only to the Americans.

On August 13, 1898 did the US attack on Intramuros place. Although the Filipino troops fought in the Battle of Manila were not allowed to enter the city to them. On August 14, 1898 capitulated the Spaniards and the Americans installed a provisional military government. In December 1898, at the Paris Peace provides that the Philippines now belonged to the United States.

On February 4, 1899 took place on a bridge in Manila an incident involving US soldiers fired some Filipino soldiers. This was the reason for the outbreak of the Philippine-American War . In the same year was again a Battle of Manila, this time between the American and Filipino troops. The Americans defeated the Philippine army and Manila would it until the outbreak of World War II remain in American hands.

World War II [ edit ]
Manila to open city declared in early 1942

On December 8, just hours after the attack on Pearl Harbor began the Imperial Japanese Army its surprise attack on Manila and other parts of the Philippines. After heavy bombing from the air, landing of Japanese troops took to the north and south of Manila. Under pressure from the Japanese force majeure pulled the US Army back in the peninsula of Bataan and the island of Corregidor in Manila Bay . To avoid that Manila would be destroyed was named the city to open city, and the city on January 2, 1942 by Japanese troops was taken

The Japanese troops committed numerous war crimes during the occupation. So it happened that people were executed en masse. Also was tortured there, there were people burned alive or with a samurai sword and beheaded there were rapes.

A devastated Manila in May 1945

After the US Army February 5th 1945 a successful landing on Luzon had started running the army under General Douglas MacArthur with the recapture of Manila. The Japanese army had entrenched in the city and during the fierce fighting that broke out in the streets of Manila, the city, especially the old Spanish town, seriously destroyed.

The resistance of the Japanese was eventually broken by the heavy artillery of the Americans. On 4 March 1945, Major General Oscar Griswold declared liberated the city. At the Battle of Manila were over 1,000 allied forces and 10,000 Japanese soldiers were killed. There were an estimated 100,000 civilian casualties. Many of them were killed by war crimes by the Japanese in the last weeks of the Battle of Manila. [3] After the war, the largely destroyed city rebuilt.

Recent history [ edit ]
The postwar years were dominated by the reconstruction of the city and the growth and expansion of the urban area. The Philippines were also the immediate postwar independence on July 4th 1946 .

In 1975 Manila and surrounding cities and municipalities were merged into a separate region Metro Manila, to enable better management of the fast-growing region. Manila became the new capital of the Philippines, as the successor of Quezon City.

The agglomeration is today an important cultural and economic center, but many suffer from overcrowding , traffic congestion , pollution and crime .

In 1995, the Manila World Youth Day organized. With 4 million visitors were the busiest world youth days until then.

[Geography edit ]
Location of Manila in Metro Manila

Map of Manila (click for more detail)

[Topography edit ]
Manila is the crow flies at about 1120 kilometers southeast of Hong Kong and about 2390 kilometers northeast of Singapore on the west side of the northern island of Luzon .The city lies at the Manila Bay at the mouth of the river Pasig and is divided by the river into two. Almost the entire city is built on the deposed by the Pasig for centuries alluvialsoil. A part of the territory of the city is reclaimed land that originally belonged to the Manila Bay.

Manila is bordered by several cities and towns which are all part of Metro Manila . To the north are Navotas City and Caloocan, northeast Quezon City , east of San Juan Cityand Mandaluyong City , in the southeast lies Makati City and is situated in the south Pasay City .

Administrative divisions [ edit ]
Manila is in the region of the National Capital Region, which is usually referred to as Metro Manila. This region is the only one of the 17 regions of the Philippines not divided into provinces. The city itself is divided for administrative purposes into sixteen districts. The districts are further subdivided into 897 barangays . These barangays are unlike the districts have their own administrative level and have their own elected officials.

[Climate edit ]
Manila has, like the rest of the Philippines, a tropical climate . The temperature is high throughout the year and there is a relatively large annual precipitation. The temperature in Manila is an average of 27 ° C, with an average maximum temperature of 31 ° C and an average minimum temperature of 23 ° C. The total average annual rainfall is 1970 mm. The months of December to April are normally dry. The other months, especially July, August and September are very wet.

[Population Numbers and descent edit ]
The population of Manila has been compared with the beginning of the 20th century increased substantially. During the population census of 1903 the city had barely 200,000 people.Just before the start of the Second World War, this number had nearly tripled to more than 623 thousand. The years it showed the largest population of the 20th century show, making Manila in 1948 there were nearly a million inhabitants. The following years the city grew to a city of nearly 1.5 million in 1975. At the end of the seventies, when the city experienced a second growth spurt, Manila in 1980 reached a population of over 1.6 million. The population has since toned. At the 2010 census had a population of Manila 1,652,171 people. These were 8543 people (0.5%) less than in the previous census of 2007. Compared to the 2000 census, the population had grown by 71 089 people (4.5%). The average annual growth in that period was higher at 0.44%, which was lower than the national annual average over this period (1.90%). [2]

The population density of Manila at the time of the last census, with 1,652,171 inhabitants 24.98 km² 66139.8 people per km². The city makes it the most populous city in the Philippines and one of the most densely populated cities in the world. It is the sixth most populous constituency district; the least populated district is five.

Poverty, prostitution [ edit ]
Slums around the city jail

Several districts of Manila are very poor. Minors can sometimes only make ends meet by the prostitutes to go, and also in some cases to support their parents in the countryside. Until the nineties, Manila was a notorious destination for sex tourism . At the end of the decade was commissioned by Mayor Alfredo Lim held a big cleanup that has resulted in most of the bars were closed it.

However, in the following years are the bars slowly returned again and a portion of the prostitution moves to shopping malls; one in parts of Asia pretty much coming phenomenon where especially students hang out in the malls to be picked up.

Tondo is one of the poorest districts of Manila. The city is relatively high crime and drug abuse.

Government and politics [ edit ]
Like all cities in the Philippines Manila is governed by a mayor. The current mayor of the city, Joseph Estrada was during the 2013 election elected. The vice mayor of Manila from June 30, 2010 Francisco Domagoso. He is the chairman of the city council. This council is composed of six elected councilors for each of the six constituencies of Manila .

The city of Manila has six elected representatives in the Philippine House of Representatives, a member of the Congress of the Philippines . Each delegate represents one of the six constituencies of the city . In the elections of 2013, the following politicians were elected delegates: Benjamin Asilo (1st constituency), Carlo Lopez (2nd constituency), Zenaida Angping (3rd constituency), Trisha Bonoan (4th constituency), Amado Bagatsing (5th constituency) and Rosenda Ocampo (6th constituency).

Manila City Hall
 * List of mayors of Manila from 1907

Economy [ edit ]
Rizal Monument in Rizal Park .

Manila has traditionally been the center of trade in the Philippines. The Spaniards traded more than two centuries by the Manila galleon goods from China and India for silver from New Spain . Early 19th century came the Mexican War of Independence ended. All that time the Port of Manila had been officially closed to western powers. However, it was by the English of the East India Company driven or clandestine trade. After the independence of Mexico, the Spaniards were dependent on this illegal trade. This resulted in 1834 under Governor General Pascual Enrile in the official opening of Manila for foreign trade. [6]

Today Manila is still the most important trading center of the Philippines. Most imported goods come to the Philippines via the Port of Manila. The proximity of the port has created a large concentration of mostly small factories in the district of Tondo. In addition, one small industry in the districts Binondo and Santa Cruz. The heavy industry is located in the districts Pacom, Pandacan and Santa Ana. Since the eighties, however, it gradually moved to less populated areas in Metro Manila .

Over the years, the role as a financial center of the country largely taken over by the city of Makati City . However, there are still some major financial institutions and banks with their headquarters in Manila. Examples include the Central Bank of the Philippines , Land Bank of the Philippines and Phil Trust Bank

Parks [ Edit ]
In Manila there are several parks. Best known is Rizal Park, which was constructed in honor of the Philippine national hero José Rizal . Other parks and green areas are the area around the Cultural Center of the Philippines, Rajah Sulayman Park, Manila Boardwalk, Liwasang Bonifacio, Mehan Garden , Paco Park , Remedios Circle, Pandacan Linear Park and Malacañang Garden. Center in Manila, the zoo and botanical garden Manila Zoo . The city has also several large cemeteries Manila Chinese Cemetery , La Loma Cemetery, Manila South Green Park and Manila North Cemetery , the final burial of several well-known persons from the Philippine history and the largest cemetery of Metro Manila .

Museums [ Edit ]
Coconut Palace

Manila to find many museums. One of these institutions is the National Museum of the Philippines which exhibits relating to botany , zoology , geology , anthropology and art can be seen. One of the highlights of the museum is the painting Spoliarium of the Filipino painter Juan Luna . To the San Luis Comples, is " Casa Manila ', where Chinese and European furniture pieces will be exhibited from the 20th century. In Rizal Park are the Metropolitan Museum, the Museong Pambata (Children's Museum) and the National Library of the Philippines located. The Metropolitan Museum, the most important art museum in the Philippines.

Another attraction in Manila is the "Coconut Palace." This palace was commissioned by Imelda Marcos built for the visit of Pope John Paul II in 1981. Although the pope refused to stay there was the guesthouse for prominent people as Muammar Gaddafi , Brooke Shields and George Hamilton . Today the palace is a museum, complete with a butterfly and orchid garden

In the "Central Bank Money Museum" is since January 3, 1974 Filipino and foreign coins and banknotes on display. "The Archdiocese of Manila Museum (AMM)" (Museum of the Archdiocese of Manila ) was appointed in 1987. The collection includes a variety of documents relating to the history of the Catholic Church in the Philippines. In the San Agustin Church in Intramuros, the San Agustin Museum and a collection of oil paintings of sacred and religious objects.

[Religion edit ]
San Agustin Church in Intramuros

The majority of the inhabitants of Manila is Roman Catholic . This is caused by the prolonged presence of the Spaniards in the country. A few years after the Spanish Manila had made ​​the capital of the archipelago in 1571 was also the first diocese established in the Philippines. The diocese of Manila was led by Domingo de Salazar until in 1595was elevated to Archdiocese . Although today archdiocese is not nearly as great as in 1595 it includes have a much larger area than just the city of Manila. The archdiocese is today still the most important archdiocese of the Philippines and the Manila Cathedral is the seat of the Primate of the Philippines, Cardinal Gaudencio Rosales .

Other important Roman Catholic churches and cathedrals in the city include San Agustin Church in Intramuros, the repository of the image of Nuestra Señora de Consolacion y Correa and a UNESCO World Heritage, which is widely used as a wedding venue by famous Filipinos, Quiapo Church , also known as Basilica Minore del Nuestro Padre Jesus Nazareno, the site of the annual Black Nazarene ; Binondo Church, also known as the Basilica Minore San Lorenzo Ruiz ; Malate Church , Ermita Church, where to find the oldest Marian image of the Philippines; Tondo Church, where an ancient ivory statue of Santo Niño is to be found (baby Jesus); Sta. Ana Church and San Sebastian Church, also known as the San Sebastian Church, the only all-steel church in Asia .

The Quiapo district is home to a relatively large Muslim community. There is also the famous " Golden Mosque ". Ermita is a Hindu temple for the Indian population and the Quirino Avenue, Malate is the only synagogue in the city for the small Jewish population. The few Buddhists who knows Manila, are mostly of Chinese coming.

Education [ Edit ]
The main building of the University of Santo Tomas

The majority of colleges and universities in Metro Manila are located in the city of Manila. Most of these settings can be found in the districts of Malate, Ermita, Intramuros, San Miguel, Quiapo and Sampaloc. This field is therefore also referred to as the University belt or U-Belt. The most important are the University of the Philippines, Ermita, the De La Salle University in Malate, the Far Eastern University , the University of the East , University of Santo Tomas in Sampaloc and the Colegio de San Juan de Letran ,Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila and the Technical University Mapua Institute of Technology in Intramuros. In addition, in the district of San Miguel de Centro Escolar University and San Beda College located.

[Sports edit ]
The Rizal Memorial Sports Complex

In Manila organized by the years many major international sporting events. For example, the Asian Games in 1954 and the Southeast Asian Games in 1981 , 1991 and 2005held in Manila. The basketball world championship in 1978, the Far East play from 1919, 1925 and 1934 and the Asian athletics championships in 1973, 1993 and 2003 took place there. In 1992 was the chess Olympiad in Manila organized.

Several of these events took place in the national stadium of the Philippines, the Rizal Memorial Sports Complex (RMSC). Despite the fact that the stadium is pretty outdated and has only a limited capacity of 30,000, are also now many important sports events organized here.

As in other parts of the Philippines is a basketball the most popular sports in the city. Some well-known teams from Manila, the Letran knights, the Mapua Cardinals, the San Beda Red Lions, the San Sebastian Stags and the St. Benilde Blazers. All these teams come out in the competition of university teams, the National Collegiate Athletic Association, Philippines (NCAA). Other popular spectator sports in Manila are jai-alai and cockfighting. Jai-alai matches are played daily at the Jai-alai stadium in the Manila Malate.

Although the name suggests otherwise, the most famous boxing match was ever organized in the Philippines, the Thrilla in Manila between Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier, finished in the suburb of Quezon City .

Traffic and transport [ edit ]
A Jeepney in the streets of Manila

The streets of Manila have chronic problems with traffic congestion. Indeed, there are little to no traffic, happy driving the bulk of the traffic users to the agreed roadside. For the rest all ride in traffic at their discretion.

The main public transport are the jeepneys . Originally, this old Jeeps from Willys-Overland left behind by the US military. They were converted by Filipinos to small passenger vans. Later, the jeepneys were built in the Philippines, with parts like the engine and the gearbox still came from the army surplus. Jeepneys are artfully painted and are a typical Filipino transport, each Jeepney is therefore unique. Lately they are to criticism because of the pollution they cause.

For short distance use the Filipino tricycles . These are motorcycles with sidecars that can carry up to three passengers, but especially in more remote areas carry up to seven passengers. The ordinary Padycabs, allowing the driver to cycle, play almost no role. For long-distance buses, and for the tourists and the wealthier inhabitants of Manila city also has a large fleet of taxis, which are very beneficial to Western concepts.

The Metro Manila is a largely overground rail network which light rail and subway trains serve. In order to save costs in the middle of the grand boulevards placed pillars on which rest the route. It just follows so broadly share the main roads without intersections with traffic. The network is (in 2010) 48 km long and has three lines with a total of 43 stations.

The international airport in Manila called Ninoy Aquino International Airport . There are loose departure terminal for domestic flights and flights of Philippine Airlines .

City links [ edit ]
Manila has five partner cities in the Sister Cities International (SCI) link: Other partner cities are:
 * Honolulu (United States)
 * Los Angeles (USA)
 * Maui County (United States)
 * Sacramento, CA (USA)
 * San Francisco (USA)
 * Bangkok (Thailand)
 * Montreal (Canada)
 * Santa Barbara (United States)
 * Taipei (Taiwan)
 * Winnipeg (Canada)