Metro Manila
Metro Manila (Kalakhang Maynila in Filipino), also simply called Manila outside the metropolis, is the metropolitan area that contains the City of Manila, the capital of the Philippines. The metropolis is officially called the National Capital Region (NCR) (Pambansang Kabiserang Rehiyon) and is composed of Manila plus 16 neighboring cities and municipalities, including Quezon City, the capital from 1948-1976. Metro Manila is the political, economic, social, and cultural center of the country, and it is one of the largest metropolitan areas in the world. Metro Manila is often simply referred to as Manila, especially by non-residents, and is abbreviated as M.M. The region is also sometimes called the Greater Manila Area, but this term usually also includes adjacent towns not strictly a part of Metro Manila.
Metro Manila is the smallest of the country's regions, but the most populous and the most densely populated, having a population of around 10 million (2000 census) in an area only 636 square kilometers large. It is also the only region without any provinces. The region is bordered by the provinces of Bulacan to the north, Rizal to the east, and Cavite and Laguna to the south. Metro Manila is also sandwiched by the Manila Bay to the west and the Laguna de Bay to the southeast with the Pasig River running between them, bisecting the region.
The term Metro Manila should not be confused with the metro rail system of the region, and the word metro itself always describes the metropolitan area (as in the metro). The railways are called by their abbreviations, such as the LRT and the MRT.
Cities and Municipalities
Metro Manila is composed of thirteen cities and four municipalities. Each is governed by a Mayor who all belong to the Metro Manila Mayor's League.
| City |
Population¹ |
Area (km²) |
Pop. Density (per km²) |
| Quezon City |
2,173,831 |
161.12 |
13,492 |
| Manila |
1,581,082 |
38.55 |
41,014 |
| Caloocan City |
1,177,604 |
53.33 |
22,081 |
| Pasig City |
505,058 |
31.00 |
16,292 |
| Valenzuela City |
485,433 |
44.58 |
10,889 |
| Las Piñas City |
472,780 |
41.54 |
11,381 |
| Parañaque City |
449,811 |
47.69 |
9,432 |
| Makati City |
444,867 |
27.36 |
16,260 |
| Marikina City |
391,170 |
33.97 |
11,515 |
| Muntinlupa City |
379,310 |
46.70 |
8,122 |
| Pasay City |
354,908 |
19.00 |
18,679 |
| Malabon City |
338,855 |
15.76 |
21,501 |
| Mandaluyong City |
278,474 |
11.26 |
24,731 |
| |
| Municipality |
Population¹ |
Area (km²) |
Pop. Density (per km²) |
| Taguig |
467,375 |
47.88 |
9,761 |
| Navotas |
230,403 |
10.77 |
21,393 |
| San Juan |
117,680 |
5.94 |
19,811 |
| Pateros |
57,407 |
2.10 |
27,337 |
¹ 2000 Census
Interesting Spots
Being the political, economic, and cultural center of the Philippines, Metro Manila is the location of many interesting places and areas. In the city of Manila, one can visit the Malacañang Palace, the official residence of the Philippine President, and Intramuros, which was the seat of the Spanish colonial government in the country.
Makati City is acknowledged as the financial capital of the country where one can find the Makati Central Business District. Ortigas Center, located at the boundary where Mandaluyong City, Pasig City, and Quezon City meet is another fast-developing commercial and business center.
The night life in Metro Manila is very vibrant. The districts Malate and Ermita in Manila are popular tourist spot, while some prefer to go to Timog Avenue and Libis in Quezon City, or the Ayala Center and Rockwell Center in Makati City.
In Pasay City, one can go and taste Philippine cultural arts at the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP), while Manila also hosts the National Museum, National Library, and Transportation in the Philippines
Roadways
The metropolis has an extensive system of highways connecting the various cities and municipalities. The major roads include ten radial roads, which branch out from central Manila and five circumferential roads which form concentric arcs around downtown Manila. Most of these roads are very important transportation arteries. One is the C-4 (Circumferential Road 4) also called Epifanio de los Santos Avenue or more popularly as EDSA. Some other other important roads are R-1 (Radial Road 1) or the Manila-Cavite Coastal Road; R-3 or the South Luzon Expressway (SLEX); R-7, which consists of España Avenue, Quezon Avenue, and Commonwealth Avenue; and R-8 or the North Luzon Expressway (NLEX).
Metro Manila is notorious for its traffic jams. A trip that should take 20 minutes will last an hour or more especially during rush hours. Consequently, the Tondo, Manila. See Philippine National Railways.
Ninoy Aquino International Airport
The country's main airport is the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) which straddles the boundary between Parañaque City and Pasay City. It presently consists of two terminals, while a third one is being constructed. There is also a separate domestic terminal. There are two main runways and the hangar of Philippine Airlines is located near the Villamor Air Base.
The Metro Manila Development Authority
The Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA) is the administrative body in charge of development and solving the problems of the metropolis. It closely coordinates with various other organizations such as the Pasig River Rehabilitation Commission and the Regions and Provinces of Luzon
|-
|style="padding:0px 5px" align="right"|Ilocos Region:
|style="padding:0px 5px" | Ilocos Norte | Ilocos Sur | La Union | Pangasinan
|-
|style="padding:0px 5px" align="right"|Cagayan Valley:
|style="padding:0px 5px" | Batanes | Cagayan | Isabela | Nueva Vizcaya | Quirino
|-
|style="padding:0px 5px" align="right"|Central Luzon:
|style="padding:0px 5px" | Aurora | Bataan | Bulacan | Nueva Ecija | Pampanga | Tarlac | Zambales
|-
|style="padding:0px 5px" align="right"|CALABARZON:
|style="padding:0px 5px" | Batangas | Cavite | Laguna | Quezon | Rizal
|-
|style="padding:0px 5px" align="right"|MIMAROPA:
|style="padding:0px 5px" | Marinduque | Occidental Mindoro | Oriental Mindoro | Palawan | Romblon
|-
|style="padding:0px 5px" align="right"|Bicol Region:
|style="padding:0px 5px" | Albay | Camarines Norte | Camarines Sur | Catanduanes | Masbate | Sorsogon
|-
|style="padding:0px 5px" align="right"|Cordillera Adm. Region:
|style="padding:0px 5px" | Abra | Apayao | Benguet | Ifugao | Kalinga | Mountain Province
|-
|style="padding:0px 5px" align="right"|Metro Manila:
|style="padding:0px 5px" | No provinces
|}
