Manila Philippines

Description: Manila, officially the City of Manila, is the capital and second-most-populous city of the Philippines. Located on the eastern shore of Manila Bay on the island of Luzon, it is classified as a highly urbanized city. As of 2019, it is the world’s most densely populated city proper. It was the first chartered city in the country, and was designated as such by the Philippine Commission Act No. 183 on 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; when this was accomplished, it was the first time an uninterrupted chain of trade routes circling the planet had been established.

Population: 1,846,513

Demographics: The original settlers of Manila were the Tagalogs. Throughout the centuries, there has been a constant migration of Visayans, Bicolanos, Ilocanos, Maranaos, Pampangans, Chinese, Japanese, and Spaniards. There are also Americans, Arabs, Indonesians, Indians, and Koreans in Manila.

History: The earliest evidence of human life around present-day Manila is the nearby Angono Petroglyphs, which are dated to around 3000 BC. Negritos, the aboriginal inhabitants of the Philippines, lived across the island of Luzon, where Manila is located, before Malayo-Polynesians arrived and assimilated them. Manila was an active trade partner with the Song and Yuan dynasties of China. On June 24, 1571, conquistador Miguel López de Legazpi arrived in Manila and declared it a territory of New Spain (Mexico), establishing a city council in what is now Intramuros district. 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 to Southeast Asia, and vice versa. The city attained great wealth due to its location at the confluence of the Silk Road, the Spice Route, and the Silver Flow. Significant is the role of Armenians, who acted as merchant intermediaries that made trade between Europe and Asia possible in this area. France was the first nation to try financing its Asian trade with a partnership in Manila through Armenian khojas. After the 1898 Battle of Manila, Spain ceded the city to the United States. The First Philippine Republic based in nearby Bulacan fought against the Americans for control of the city. During the Japanese occupation of the Philippines, American soldiers were ordered to withdraw from Manila and all military installations were removed by December 24, 1941. During the administration of Ferdinand Marcos, 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 as a separate regional unit of government. In 2022, Time Out ranked Manila in 34th position in its list of the 53 best cities in the world, 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. In 2023, the search site Crossword Solm utilizing internet geotagging, showed that Manila is the world’s most loving capital city.

Elevation: 13 m

Climate: Tropical monsoon climate. Average annual temperature in Manila is 28 C (82 F), the average for July is 30 C (85 F), the average for January is 26 C (78 F).

Attractions: Intramuros, Fort Santiago, Rizal Park, Manila Cathedral, National Museum, Manila Ocean Park, Manila Bay, Casa Manila

Airports: Ninoy Aquino International Airport MNA, Clark International Airport CRK

Distance To City Centre: 15 km

Commute Length: 30 min

Average Cost: 25 USD

Traffic Hours: 6 am – 10 am, 5 pm – 9 pm