The Philippines is an island nation in the Pacific Ocean, the capital of which is Manila. The main settlement of the country is located on the shores of the Manila Bay. The capital of the Philippines is the second most populous city in the country. More than 1.6 million people live in Manila.
Culture and attractions
Manila is the oldest city in the Philippine archipelago. There are many interesting places here, but most of all tourists are interested in local sacral buildings. Many of them are architectural monuments:
- Manila Cathedral is the main shrine of the local diocese.
- The Church of San Agustin is the oldest cathedral in the entire archipelago, which has survived to this day.
- The Ad-Dahab Mosque is one of the main Muslim shrines. Located in the Chiapo area. It is there that the largest number of Muslims live.
History of the capital
The city was founded in 1571 by a Spanish conquistador named Lopez de Legazpi. At first, mostly Spaniards lived on the territory of the settlement. The city became the official capital of the entire archipelago in 1595. Manila has had a difficult history. There have been many wars and conflicts here.
Many old houses and structures were destroyed. The oldest part of the city is the Intramuros area. It is surrounded by powerful protective walls. During the Second World War, almost all buildings were destroyed by bombing, but several unique buildings have been preserved to our times. Today there are several large universities functioning here.
Manila in the twentieth century
At the end of the nineteenth century, the archipelago was captured by American troops. They established a harsh and oppressive government here that ruled in a similar way until the early twentieth century. World War II was a real challenge. All islands came under Japanese rule. The inhabitants of the islands, together with the Americans, strongly opposed the Japanese conquerors. From November 1944 to February 1945, terrible events took place in the capital - the Japanese army killed more than one hundred thousand civilians. From February to March of the same year, a battle took place that went down in history as the Battle of Manila. Almost the entire city was destroyed by bombing.
In October 1975, the eyes of the whole world were once again riveted on the Philippine capital. It was here that the third fight between Joe Fraser and Muhammad Ali took place. Due to the climate, the fight was very difficult and went down in boxing history as "Thriller in Manila".
