Manila: The Capital of the Philippines
Manila: The Capital of the Philippines Manila, the capital and principal city of the Philippines, stands as the heart of the nation's economic, political, social, and cultural activities. Nestled on the island of Luzon, it stretches along the eastern shore of Manila Bay at the mouth of the Pasig River. The city's name, originally "Maynila," is derived from the "nila" plant, a flowering shrub that once grew abundantly along the riverbanks. Over time, the name evolved to "Manila," a form adopted officially in 1975 by presidential decree. Landscape Manila occupies the low, narrow deltaic plain of the Pasig River, which flows northwest into Manila Bay. To the north lies the swampy delta of the Pampanga River, while the Sierra Madre's southern peaks rise to the northeast and east of the urban area. Laguna de Bay, a vast lake from which the Pasig River originates, borders metropolitan Manila to the southeast. Meanwhile, the Bataan Peninsula enclose...