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.
Image: Binondo Skyline (cropped)
Image: Rizal Parkjf 8388 27
Image: Fuerte de Santiago, Manila, Filipinas, 2023 08 26, DD 31
Image: San Sebastian Church (San Rafael, Quiapo, Manila; 04 07 2023)
Capital of the Philippines
This is an overview of current and former national capital cities in the Philippines, spanning from the Spanish colonial period to the current Fifth Philippine Republic. The current capital city, Manila, has been the country's capital throughout most of its history and regained the title through a presidential order in 1976, with Metro Manila serving as the National Capital Region (NCR) since 1978.
Burnham Plan of Manila