Manila

The City of Manila (Filipino: Lungsod ng Maynila), or simply Manila, is the capital of the Philippines and one of the municipalities that make up Metro Manila. The city is located on the eastern shore of Manila

Bay on Luzon, the country's largest island.

Manila is the hub of a thriving metropolitan area home to over 10 million people. The Metro Manila area also known as the National Capital Region (NCR), of which the City of Manila is a part, is a much bigger metropolis consisting of 17 cities and municipalities. This article discusses the city itself; see Metro Manila for the article on the metropolis.

Manila is the second most populous city proper in the Philippines, with more than 1.6 million inhabitants. Only nearby Quezon City, the country's former capital, is more populous. Manila is currently included in the roster of global cities of the world.

Well into the 13th century, the city consisted of a fortified settlement and trading quarter at the bay of the Pasig River, on top of previous older towns. The official name of the city under its Malay aristocracy was Seludong/Selurung, which was the same name given for the general region of southwestern Luzon at that time, suggesting that it was the capital of this territory. However, the city became well-known by the local name given to the city by its Tagalog inhabitants: Maynilad. The name is from the phrase may nilad, Tagalog for "there is nilad," in reference to the flowering mangrove plant that grew on the marshy shores of the bay, used to produce soap for regional trade. It is from the name Maynilad that the city of Manila derives its modern name.

Manila became the seat of the colonial government of Spain when it controlled the Philippine Islands for over three centuries from 1565 to 1898. Beginning in 1898, the United States occupied and controlled the city and the Philippine archipelago until 1946. During World War II, much of the city was destroyed. The Metropolitan Manila region was enacted as an independent entity in 1975. Today, the city and the metropolis thrive as an important cultural and economic center. However, overpopulation, traffic congestion, pollution, and crime challenge the city.

Manila has been classified as a "Gamma" global city by the Globalization and World Cities Study Group and Network.

The city

Manila lies at the mouth of the Pasig River on the eastern shores of Manila Bay, which is on the western side of Luzon. It lies about 950 kilometers southeast of Hong Kong and 2,400 kilometers northeast of Singapore. The river bisects the city in the middle. Almost all of the city sits on top of centuries of prehistoric alluvial deposits built by the waters of the Pasig River and on some land reclaimed from Manila Bay. The layout of the city was haphazardly planned during Spanish Era as a set of communities surrounding the original Spanish Era walled city of Manila, called Intramuros. Intramuros is one of the oldest walled cities in the far east. During the American Period, some semblance of city planning using the architectural designs and master plans by Daniel Burnham was done on the portions of the city south of the Pasig River. Burnham, the noted American city planner and architect, was famed for his plans and designs of Chicago, Cleveland (the Group Plan), San Francisco, Washington, DC (the McMillan Plan), and Baguio City, details of which appear in The Chicago Plan publication of 1909.

Manila is bordered by several municipalities and cities in Metro Manila: Navotas and Caloocan City to the north, Quezon City to the northeast, San Juan and Mandaluyong City to the east, Makati City to the southeast, and Pasay City to the south.

City seal

The Seal of Maynila depicts the words Lungsod ng Maynila and Pilipinas, Filipino for City of Manila and Philippines, in a circle around a shield. The circle also contains six yellow stars representing the city's six congressional districts. The shield, in the shape of pre-colonial people's shield, depicts the city's nickname Pearl of the Orient on top; a sea lion in the middle, in reference to the city's Spanish influences; and the waves of the Pasig River and Manila Bay in the bottom portion. The colors of the seal mirror that of the Flag of the Philippines.

General landmarks

Chancery of the American Embassy in Manila

IntramurosApolinario Mabini Shrine

Chinatown (Binondo district)

Embassy of the United States of America

Ermita and Malate Districts, a place for Bohemian night life

Fort Santiago

Intramuros, the walled city built by the Spaniards, originally considered to be the City of Manila

Liwasang Bonifacio (Former name: Plaza Lawton)

Malacañan Palace, the official residence of the President of the Philippines

Manila Baywalk

Malate Church

Manila Boardwalk

Manila Cathedral

Manila City Hall

Manila Yacht Club

Manila Zoological and Botanical Garden (Manila Zoo)

Metropolitan Theater

Museo Pambata

National Library of the Philippines

National Museum

Paco Park, the location of the hit Paco Park Presents

Plaza Lorenzo Ruiz

Plaza Miranda

Quiapo Church

Quirino Grandstand

Rajah Sulayman Park

Remedios Circle

Rizal Park, also known as Luneta

San Agustin Church

San Sebastian Church

The Manila Hotel

The Supreme Court of the Philippines

University Belt Area

Victims of Martial Law Memorial Wall - Bonifacio Shrine (near City Hall)

Malls and shopping centers

Avenida Rizal (Rizal Avenue)

Escolta Street

Quiapo/Plaza Miranda/Carriedo Street/Quiapo Church area

168 Shopping Mall-Divisoria

Divisoria Flea Market

Ever Gotesco Manila Plaza (C.M.Recto Street)

Harrison Plaza (SM Harrison; Shopwise; Rustan's), Macario Adriatico Street, Malate

Isetann Department Store (Recto and Quiapo)

Palengke or Pamilihan sa ilalim ng tulay (lit. "marketplace under the bridge" - a center for indigenous Filipino products

Quiapo Bargain Center, home of endless bargain goods

Robinson's Place-Manila, Pedro Gil St., Ermita

SM City Manila (Located In Navidad Lopez St Corner Arocceros St Ermita Manila in front of the Manila City Hall)

SM City San Lazaro (Located In Felix Huretas corner A Lacson Avenue Sta Cruz Manila)

SM Sta. Mesa (Ramon Magsaysay Blvd. boundary Quezon City and San Juan)

SM Department Store Harrison Plaza

SM Department Store - Quiapo

Tutuban Center-Divisoria (Cluster Building, Centermall & Primeblock)

University Mall (beside De La Salle University Manila)

Manila Hotels

The historic lobby of the Manila Hotel, one of the first of its kind in Southeast Asia built in 1901.Manila offers a wide range of accommodations ranging from top-rated deluxe hotels to more affordable universal lodges. Most of these accommodations are located within Roxas Boulevard overlooking Manila Bay, or in the districts of Ermita and Malate. Manila's hotel accommodations are 20 to 30 minutes away from the international and domestic airport.

Admiral Hotel

Aloha Hotel

Bayview Hotel

City Garden

Executive Plaza

Grand Boulevard Hotel

Manila Diamond Hotel

Manila Pavilion (Waterfront)

Hyatt Hotel and Casino

Palm Plaza Hotel

Pan Pacific Plaza

The Manila Hotel

Traders Hotel

Sheraton Hotel

We are experts with the fiancée visa process.

We get your fiancée to the USA without problems or delays.