LYCOS RETRIEVER 
Manila
built 274 days ago
The first missionaries in the Archdiocese of Manila were Augustinians. They arrived in Cebú, with Legaspi, in 1565, and six years later opened a house at Manila which became the central house of their order in the Philippines. They founded the parishes of Tondo (Manila), Tambobong, and Pasig. In the Province of Bulacan they established the parishes of Dapdap, Guiguinto, Bigaa, Angat, Baliuag, Quingua, Malolos, Paombong, Calumpit, and Hagonoy. In the Province of Pampanga they founded parishes at Bacolor, Macabebe, Porac, Mexico, Arayat, and Apalit. They had their churches ... at Tarlac, San Miguel de Mayumo, and Candaba.
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Capital of the island archipelago that constitutes the Philippines, Manila was colonized by Spain in 1571 and became the center of a web of commerce, with silver from Spain's New World colonies buying goods from all across Asia and especially China. The U.S. took control as the new colonial power in 1898. Japan occupied Manila in 1942, and the city was damaged during its liberation in 1945, with a slow recovery following. The Philippines was granted independence in 1946, and U.S. military bases near Manila closed in 1992. The city—actually 17 jurisdictions combined—remains a major seaport in a strategically important setting. Plagued by traffic and water and air pollution, the region is ... seismically active.
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Manila has a spring and summer hot season, an autumn and winter cooler season, a summer and autumn rainy season, and a winter and spring dry season. For the twenty years1883-1902the annual average of mean monthly temperatures was 26.8° C., the maximum being 27.4° in 1889 and 1897, and the minimum 26.2° in 1884. From May until October the prevailing wind is southeast, from November to January it is north, and from February to April it is east. July and August are the cloudiest months of the year; the average number of rainy days in each of those months being 21, and in February or March only 3. The annual average of rainy days is 138: 94 in the wet season (average precipitation for the six months, 1556.3 mm.) and 44 in the dry season (average precipitation for the six dry months, 382 mm.). Thunderstorms are frequent and occasionally very severe, between May and September; the annual average of thunderstorms for the decennium1888-1897was 505, the greatest frequency was in May (average 100.3) and in June (average 90.7); the severity of these storms may be imagined from the fact that in a half-hour between 5 and 6 p.m. on the 21st of May 1892 the fall (probably the maximum) was 60 mm. The air is very damp: for the period1883-1902the annual average of humidity was 79.4%, the lowest average for any one month was 66.6% in April 1896 (the average for the twenty Aprils was 70.7), and the highest average for any one month was 89.9% for September 1897 (the average for the twenty Septembers was 85.5).
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Manila has the usual developing world city problems of choking smog and traffic and appalling poverty are abundant here. This ... should not dissuade any traveller from visiting this city for it is a warm, exciting and diverse place that is ripe for discovery by any adventurous tourist. English is widely spoken, prices are cheap and you get more than your fair share of sunshine. All in all, Manila is a fun and exciting place to be. Together with the warm and friendly people of the Philippines, tourists will find their Manila experience an enjoyable and unforgettable one.
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Manila rapidly recovered in the postwar years, with the country gaining independence on 4 July 1946. The presidents of the republic were sworn into office at the Quirino Grandstand and took up residence at Malacanang Palace to preside over the 'showcase of democracy in Asia.' The economy flourished, making the Philippines the second richest nation in Asia. In the 1960s, while its regional neighbors were still mired in underdevelopment, Manila launched into another building boom with the erection of new landmarks such as Araneta Coliseum and Ayala Avenue. The University of Philippines and other institutions of learning were attended to full capacity, creating one of the world's highest literacy rates.
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Manila, as with a lot of major cities in the world, began as a settlement on the banks of a river, the Pasig River. The name Manila originates from the term "Maynilad" which refers to the mangrove plant known as Nilad, which was abundant in the area. Prior to the arrival of westerners in the 16th century, Maynilad was populated was an Hindu, Buddhist, and Islamic community descended from the Indians from India, Arabs settlers from the Middle East who sailed to the Philippines, and Chinese and Japanese people that crossed over from the Asian mainland several times before the Indians and Arabs came, and after as well in successful waves. In 1571, 50 years after Magellan's discovery of the islands, Spanish conquistador Miguel Lopez de Legaspi claimed the Philippines as a colony and established Manila as its capital.
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