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Metro
Manila (menil´e), city (1990 pop. 1,601,234), capital
of the Philippines, SW Luzon, on Manila Bay. Manila is the
center of the country's largest metropolitan area, its chief
port, and the focus of all governmental, commercial, industrial,
and cultural activities. In addition to its extensive and
superb port facilities, Manila has a major international
airport and is the terminus of the island's railroads and
highways. It is the manufacturing center of the Philippines,
with large metal fabrication, automobile assembly, and textile
and garment industries. It also has food- and hemp-processing
plants, cigarette factories, and establishments making toilet
articles, pharmaceuticals, and other chemical products.
The navigable Pasig River flows through the city, dividing
it into two sections, with Intramuros (the old Spanish walled
city) and Ermita (the site of most government buildings
and tourist hotels) on the south bank, and the newer section
(which includes the commercial district, many congested
slum areas, and the Chinese quarter in Binondo) on the northern
bank. Malacañang Palace, the presidential mansion, is on
the Pasig.Manila is one of the most cosmopolitan cities
in Asia.
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