Manila is the capital city of Philippines. Its population is around 1.7 Million. Its area is around 42 square km. Manila is in the southern Luzon, the largest island of the Philippines archipelago consisting of more than 7000 islands. Manila is one of the most densely populated cities in the world. It is known as the “Pearl of the Orient”.

Manila was established by the Spanish conquerors in 1571. The Spanish conquistador Miguel Lopez de Legazpi made it the capital of their colony “Felipinas”. For 327 years, the Spanish kept Philippines as their colony. After a bloody revolution that saw hundreds of men die in the battlefield, the US took over the country until they granted Philippines independence in 1935.

The language mainly spoken in Manila is Tagalog. The grammar is taken from Arabic, Chinese, Spanish and Sanskrit.

Nilad is a local flower yellow in colour. It is said that Nilad is slowly changed into Manila.

The people of Manila are very much fond of basketball. There is a professional basketball league for Manila.

Doctor Jose Rizal is known as the national hero of the Philippines. When Manila was under the Spanish rule, he has taken part in many movements for freedom. He is also a writer. In his honour, Rizal Park was constructed in Manila. There is an auditorium in the park. The total area of the park is 60 hectares.

For two years from 1762, Manila went under the British rule even though the Britishers did not have control over the other parts of the country. The British rule was limited to the city limits of Manila. The British went into war with the French for seven years. As a part of the war, the British occupied Manila and carried out their strategies from the city.

The world’s oldest China Town is in Manila. It was inhabited since 1594. Apart from Chinese, many philippinos also do business in the China Town. It is well known for its street food and Chinese goods.

The President of Philippines resides at Manila. His official residence is known as the “Malacanang”. Its name is derived from the Tagalog phrase, “may lakan diyan” which means “there is a nobleman here”.

San Augustine Church, the most famous church in Philippines, is in Manila. It is the oldest church in Philippines. It was built during 1587-1606.

One needs to visit the National Museum Complex to know about the Philippines art work. This complex consists of the National Museum of Fine Arts, National Museum of Anthropology and the National Museum of National History. The city also hosts the repository of the country’s printed and recorded cultural heritage and other literary and information resources, the National Library.

In the underground of the city of Manila, there are some tunnels. All these tunnels belong to the period before the second world war. Main among the tunnels is the Fort Bonifacio Tunnel. It has 32 chambers. It is 2.24 km long and 4 metres wide. On the other end of the tunnel, we can reach the Makati city.

The most famous of the heritage monuments of Manila is the Fort Santiago. It was built by the Spanish in 1571.

Escolta street in Manila is a famous tourist attraction. Some of the firsts in the country were started here in Escolta street. We can see the first ice cream shop of the country. First cinema theatre, salon, departmental store, cable car, elevator etc. are started in Escolta street only.

Manila is rich with natural resources. Its greatest asset is the protected harbour upon which it sits, the finest in all Asia. The city profits from fish, shells and salt it gets from the sea. The people of the country, with their high literacy rate and talent with languages, are another source of Manila’s wealth.

The city offers various shopping experiences ranging from colourful open-air markets to the air-conditioned shopping malls.

It is also the land of music and arts. Artists of international repute frequent the city for musical performances and live theatre.