Manila, officially the City of Manila, is the capital and second-most populous city of the Philippines, after Quezon City. Located on the eastern shore of Manila Bay on the island of Luzon, it is classified as a highly urbanized city. Manila is the world's most densely populated city proper, with 43,611.5 inhabitants per square kilometer (112,953/sq mi) and a population of 1,846,513 people in 2020; it is also the historic core of a built-up area that extends well beyond its administrative limits and includes some 24 million people. Manila was the first chartered city in the country, designated by 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. This marked the first time an uninterrupted chain of trade routes circling the planet had been established.
Ermita is a district in central Manila, Philippines. It is a significant center of finance, education, culture, and commerce. Ermita serves as the civic center of Manila, bearing the seat of city government and a large portion of the area's employment, business, and entertainment activities.
Quiapo is a district of the city of Manila, in the National Capital Region of the Philippines. Known as the “Old Downtown of Manila", the district’s most famous landmark is Quiapo Church, a minor basilica enshrining Asia's most sacred Black Nazarene image, which has been processed every January in the historic district, attracting millions of devotees from all over the country and region. The historic district is also dotted with numerous heritage sites, ranging from ancestral and heritage houses such as those in Hidalgo Street, museums, art galleries, libraries, historic places of worship such as churches and mosques, historic cinemas, as well as historic parks and streets, many of which have been run over by informal settlers and the construction of shanty houses, as well as buildings built by corporations. Many historic sites were destroyed by both the Japanese and American colonizers during World War II without compensation or aid for reconstruction, while some post-war sites were demolished by certain corporations. In recent years, various heritage organizations, experts, and lawmakers have pushed for the re-vitalization of Quiapo as a heritage zone, including the rebuilding of lost heritage structures, the revamping of modern structures to fit the historic district's original aesthetics, as well as the planting of trees and plants and the refurnishing of streets to make the district more safe, walkable, and climate-adaptive.
The Manila massacre, also called the Rape of Manila, involved atrocities committed against Filipino civilians in the City of Manila, the capital of the Philippines, by Japanese troops during the Battle of Manila which occurred during World War II. At least 100,000 civilians were killed in total during the battle from all causes, including the massacre by Japanese troops.
Malate is a district of Manila, Philippines. Together with the district of Ermita, it serves as Manila's center for commerce and tourism.
The Cinema of the Philippines began with the introduction of the first moving pictures to the country on August 31, 1897, at the Salón de Pertierra in Manila. The following year, local scenes were shot on film for the first time by a Spaniard, Antonio Ramos, using the Lumiere Cinematograph. While most early filmmakers and producers in the country were mostly wealthy enterprising foreigners and expatriates, on September 12, 1919, Dalagang Bukid, a film based on a popular zarzuela, was the first movie made and shown by Filipino filmmaker José Nepomuceno. Dubbed as the "Father of Philippine Cinema," his work marked the start of cinema as an art form in the Philippines.
The architecture of the Philippines reflects the historical and cultural traditions in the country. Most prominent historic structures in the archipelago are influenced by Austronesian and American architectures.
Juan Felipe de Jesús Nakpil, KGCR, KSS known as Juan Nakpil, was a Filipino architect, teacher and a community leader. In 1973, he was named one of the National Artists for architecture. He was regarded as the Dean of Filipino Architects.
The Manila Grand Opera House was a theater and opera house located in the district of Santa Cruz in Manila on the intersection of Rizal Avenue and Doroteo Jose Street. It was the Philippines' premiere entertainment venue during the Spanish and American colonial periods and the most popular theater in the 1900s. It was also the site of historically significant political meetings. It could entertain crowds of more than 200 people.
Vaudeville in the Philippines, more commonly referred in the Filipino vernacular as bodabil, was a popular genre of entertainment in the Philippines from the 1910s until the mid-1960s. For decades, it competed with film, radio and television as the dominant form of Filipino mass entertainment. It peaked in popularity during the Japanese occupation in the Philippines from 1941 to 1945. Many of the leading figures of Philippine film in the 20th century, such as Dolphy, Nora Aunor, Leopoldo Salcedo and Rogelio de la Rosa, began their showbusiness careers in bodabil.
Taft Avenue is a major road in southern Metro Manila. It passes through three cities in the metropolis: Manila, Pasay, and Parañaque. The road was named after the former Governor-General of the Philippines and U.S. President William Howard Taft; the Philippines was a former commonwealth territory of the United States in the first half of the 20th century. The avenue is a component of National Route 170 (N170), a secondary road in the Philippine highway network and Radial Road 2 (R-2) of the Manila arterial road network.
In Metro Manila, Philippines, tourism is a significant industry. In 2012, the city and the region welcomed 974,379 overnight visitors. Serving as the main gateway to the Philippines' numerous destinations, the city attracts mainly international tourists, with a total of 3,139,756 visitors in 2012. Global Blue ranks Manila as the eleventh 'Best Shopping Destination' in Asia. The city holds the tenth position in MasterCard's global top 20 fastest-growing cities for international visitors from 2009 to 2013.
Escolta Street is a historic east–west street in the old downtown district of Binondo in Manila, Philippines. It runs parallel to the Pasig River from Quintin Paredes Road to Plaza Santa Cruz Road. The street is home to several fine examples of early skyscraper design in the Philippines.
Remedios Circle, also known as the Plaza de la Virgen de los Remedios, Remedios Rotonda, and Rotary Circle, is a traffic circle in Malate, Manila, Philippines, serving as the intersection between Remedios Street, Jorge Bocobo Street and Adriatico Street. The circle and a traversing street are both named after Nuestra Señora de los Remedios, the patroness of the nearby Malate Church, and is one of two major open spaces in Malate, the other being Plaza Rajah Sulayman.
The UCCP Cosmopolitan Church is a Protestant church in Manila, Philippines.
The following is a timeline of the history of the city and metropolitan area of Manila, the capital city of the Philippines.
The Archdiocesan Shrine of Nuestra Señora de Guia, commonly known as Ermita Shrine or Ermita Church, is a Roman Catholic church and shrine located in the district of Ermita in the city of Manila, Philippines. The church is home to the Marian image of the Immaculate Concepcion known as Nuestra Señora de Guía, which is considered to be oldest in the Philippines, and in whose honor the church is officially named after and dedicated to.
Marcelo H. del Pilar Street, also known as M.H. del Pilar Street or simply Del Pilar Street, is a north–south road running for 1.895 kilometers (1.177 mi) connecting Ermita and Malate districts in Manila, Philippines. It is a two-lane street carrying one-way southbound traffic from Kalaw Avenue in Rizal Park to Quirino Avenue across from the Ospital ng Maynila. It was formerly called Calle Real.
The Cultural Center of the Philippines Complex, also known as the CCP Complex, is an 88-hectare (220-acre) art district managed by the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP) located along Roxas Boulevard in Metro Manila, Philippines. It is a mixed-use cultural and tourism hub overlooking Manila Bay in south-central Manila, most of which fall under the jurisdiction of the city of Pasay.
