Metro Manila

Metropolitan Manila^[3] (Filipino: Kalakhang Maynila, Kamaynilaan), the National Capital Region (NCR) (Filipino: Pambansang Punong Rehiyon), or simply Metro Manila, is the metropolitan region encompassing the City of Manila and its surrounding areas in the Philippines. It is composed of 16 cities, namely Manila, Caloocan, Las Piñas, Makati, Malabon, Mandaluyong, Marikina, Muntinlupa, Navotas, Pasay, Pasig, Parañaque, Quezon City, San Juan, Taguig, and Valenzuela, and the Municipality of Pateros.

The region is the political, economic, social, cultural, and educational center of the Philippines. As proclaimed by Presidential Decree No. 940, Metro Manila as a whole is the Philippines' seat of government but the Manila is the capital.^[4] The largest city in the metropolis is Quezon City, while the largest business district is the Makati Central Business District.

Metro Manila is the most populous of the twelve defined metropolitan areas in the Philippines and the 11th most populous in the world. As of the 2010 census, it had a population of 11,855,975, comprising 13% of the national population.^[2] The sum total population of provinces with a provincial density above 700 people per square kilometer (more than double the national average) in a contiguous zone with Metro Manila is 25.5 million people as of the 2007 census, one way to refer to the conurbation around Metro Manila is Greater Manila.

Metro Manila's gross regional product is estimated as of July 2009 to be ₱468.4 billion (at constant 1985 prices) and accounts for 33% of the nation's GDP.^[5] In 2008, according to PricewaterhouseCoopers, it ranked as the 40th wealthiest urban agglomeration in the world and the 2nd in Southeast Asia.

Manila (English: /məˈnɪlə/; Tagalog: Maynila, [majˈnilaʔ]) is the capital of the Philippines. It is one of the sixteen cities (along with the smaller municipality of Pateros) that comprise Metro Manila.

Manila is located on the eastern shore of Manila Bay and is bordered by Navotas and Caloocan to the north; Quezon City to the northeast; San Juan and Mandaluyong to the east; Makati to the southeast, and Pasay to the south.

Manila has a total population of 1,652,171 according to the 2010 census.^[3] Manila is the second most populous city in the Philippines, behind its neighbor, Quezon City. The populace inhabit an area of only 38.55 square kilometers, making Manila the most densely populated city in the world.^[5] Metro Manila is the most populous metropolitan area in the Philippines and the 11th in the world with an estimated population of 16,300,000. The greater urban area is the fifth-most populous in the world with an estimated population of 21,951,000.^[4]

The city is divided into six legislative districts and consists of sixteen geographical districts: Binondo, Ermita, Intramuros, Malate, Paco, Pandacan, Port Area, Quiapo, Sampaloc, San Andres, San Miguel, San Nicolas, Santa Ana, Santa Cruz, Santa Mesa and Tondo. Bustling commerce and some of the most historically and culturally significant iconic landmarks in the country, as well as the seat of the executive and judicial branches of the government are to be found in the city. Manila is also home to many scientific and educational institutions, numerous sport facilities, and other culturally and historically significant venues.

The earliest written account of the city is the 10th-century Laguna Copperplate Inscription which describes a context of an Indianised kingdom maintaining diplomatic relations with the Kingdom of Medang. The city was invaded by Brunei's Sultan Bolkiah and was already Islamized by the 15th century when the Spanish first arrived. Manila eventually became the center of Spanish activity in the Far East and one end of the Manila-Acapulco Galleon trade route inking Latin America and Asia. This caused it to be called the "Pearl of the Orient". Several Chinese insurrections, local revolts, a British Occupation and a Sepoy mutiny also occurred thereafter. Later, it saw the rise of the Philippine Revolution which was followed by the arrival of the Americans who made contributions to the city's urban planning and development only to have most of those improvements lost in the devastation of World War II. Since then the city has been rebuilt.

Information from

http://www.philippines.hvu.nl/Luzon4.htm

Metro Manila is the total urban area that  is composed of different cities and  the surrounding urban fringe. The proper city Manila is only one of the big cities of this urban agglomeration. Metro Manila, or the 'National Capital Region' as they say in the Philippines, is a real metropolitan area. On 636 square kilometer live more than 10 million inhabitants. The biggest city in this metropolitan area is Quezon city, with more than 2 million inhabitants. Manila, as the second biggest city within Metro Manila, counts 1,58 million inhabitants in 2000.

What's in the name Manila?!

The name 'Manila' has a special meaning. The original name was "MayNilad". It was the name of the pre-colonial Moslem settlement. Already before the Spaniards came to May Nilad, the place was a small but prosperous trading port. The name means: 'where the blossoming water plants grow'.

Intramuros, a City of Spain in the Orient

Soon after  the Spaniards conquered May Nilad, they decided to build a fortified settlement to protect their trade in the Orient. Spanish style house, monasteries, churches and schools were build within  walls.  Seven gates  were the connection with 'the outside world'. Though the Japanese army ruined  90 percent of the urban area, there are still some remnants of the medieval walled city of Intramuros.

From Manila to Metro Manila

As the city of Manila grew and other cities in the surrounding region got bigger, all these places (7 cities and 9 towns) grew together to the huge metropolitan area of today, Metro Manila! The total urban area counted in 2000 almost 10 million inhabitants. Manila City is, with 1.6 million inhabitants, not the biggest city in the area. The two biggest cities are Calloocan City (1.17 million) and Quezon City (2.17 million).