THE DAY MARKS THE 437TH FOUNDING ANNIVERSARY OF THE CITY OF MANILA AND "IT'S BUT FITTING AND PROPER THAT THE RESIDENTS OF THE CITY BE GIVEN FULL OPPURTUNITY TO CELEBRATE THE OCASSION WITH APPROPRIATE CEREMONIES," THE PRESIDENT DECLARED.
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.
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.
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