National Capital Region (NCR) (pop. 13,484,462) is one of 17 administrative regions that make up the Philippines. NCR serves as the nation’s seat of government and includes the capital city, Manila. The National Capital Region is on Luzon, the northernmost major Philippine island. It consists of the Manila metropolitan area and is also called Metro Manila. NCR is the financial, educational, and commercial center of the country. Service industries are the region’s main industry.
NCR is the only region in the Philippines that is not divided into provinces. The region has 16 cities, 1 municipality (Pateros), and over 1,700 barangays (villages or neighborhoods).
People
Population.
The National Capital Region is the smallest region of the Philippines by land area, but it is the most densely populated region. Manila is the capital of the Philippines and one of the country’s largest cities. Manila has one of the world’s highest population densities, with tens of thousands of people per square mile.
Ancestry.
NCR has a diverse population. The vast majority of its inhabitants, like nearly all Filipinos, are of Malay ancestry. Malays are a group of Southeast Asian peoples whose ancestors have lived in the Philippines and neighboring Indonesia and Malaysia for thousands of years. A small percentage of NCR’s inhabitants are Chinese. Additional groups include other mainland Asians, Americans, and Europeans. The architecture in NCR reflects Malayan, Spanish, American, and Chinese influences.
NCR has attracted people from different parts of the Philippines, who have come in search of employment, education, and trade. This migration caused the region’s population to increase rapidly, especially during the 1900’s.
Language.
Most of the people of NCR speak Filipino—a variation of Tagalog—and English. Tagalog is the primary language of Luzon. Chinese is also spoken. Indigenous Philippine language groups include Agutaynen, Inabaknon, Ivatan, Kagayanen, and Kalinga.
Religion.
Roman Catholics make up the majority of the population. Most other people are Protestant Christians or Buddhists.
Culture and attractions.
NCR has many cultural attractions, including the National Museum and the Cultural Center of the Philippines. The National Museum includes archaeological, ethnographic, fine arts, and natural history exhibits. The Cultural Center, built on reclaimed land in Manila Bay, presents visual art along with drama, music, and folk dance.
Other attractions include such urban parks as Rizal Park and the Quezon City Memorial Circle. Rizal Park includes an open-air theater, a playground, and a grandstand. The park also has a Japanese garden, a Chinese garden, and a long promenade along the shores of Manila Bay. The centerpiece of the park is a monument to the Philippine national hero José Rizal. Rizal was an early leader of the Philippine movement for political and social independence from Spain. Other major attractions are the Manila Zoological and Botanical Garden, the Paco Park, and the Mehan Garden. The Rizal Memorial Stadium and the Pope Pius XII Catholic Center provide sporting facilities. The region also has private theaters, bowling alleys, and horse-racing tracks. 
Quezon City is home to the Ninoy Aquino Parks and Wildlife Center, which includes a botanical garden. The Ortigas Center serves as the region’s central business district. It overlaps the borders of Mandaluyong, Pasig, and Quezon City.
Education.
National law requires children from 5 to 17 years old to go to school, from kindergarten through the 12th grade. The Department of Education provides free primary and secondary education. There are also many private schools. Elementary schools conduct classes in English and Filipino. Most of the private schools teach in English. The high schools and universities mostly use English.
There are many public and private universities in the NCR, including several in Manila and Quezon City. The main campus of the University of the Philippines is in Quezon City. Ateneo de Manila University and the University of Santo Tomás are private Roman Catholic institutions.
Land and climate
Location and description.
The National Capital Region is 239 square miles (620 square kilometers) in area. It lies in the southwest portion of the island of Luzon. Its cities and municipalities are grouped into four administrative districts. The first district contains Manila. It has the highest population density of the four districts. The second district covers most of northern NCR and has the largest total population. It includes Quezon City, which has both the largest land area and largest total population of all the cities in NCR. The third district is in the northwest, and the fourth covers the south.
NCR lies between the eastern shore of Manila Bay and the Marikina Valley. The region has four different geographical areas. The Coastal Margin faces west along Manila Bay and is the main area for the fishing industry. The Guadalupe Plateau runs down the center of the region from north to south. It contains most of the region’s housing and infrastructure. In the northeast, the Marikina Valley’s land is fertile for growing crops. The Laguna Lowlands in the southeast are suitable for both land agriculture and aquaculture, along with manufacturing.
Luzon has many inactive volcanoes. Earthquakes and other geologic hazards occur frequently, because the island lies on active fault lines. The Sierra Madre Mountains and the mountains of the Bataan Peninsula protect NCR from typhoons, which occur more frequently west of Manila Bay. The sheltered harbor and the rich agricultural areas nearby make Manila an excellent port.
Rivers and lakes.
The Pasig and Marikina rivers flow through the National Capital Region. Manila lies at the mouth of the Pasig River. The river flows into Manila Bay, a natural harbor along the western coast of the region. NCR borders Laguna de Bay to the southeast. Laguna de Bay is the largest lake in the country.
Climate.
The Philippines has a tropical climate with high humidity and rainfall. In the NCR, the warmest months are April and May. The coolest are January and February. The temperature varies slightly from month to month. The nights are generally mild, due to the land and sea breezes. The dry season runs from November to April. The rest of the year is a wet season. Typhoon season, from June to December, often brings damaging storms and flooding.
Economy
NCR accounts for a large portion of the Philippine economy. It contributes more than any other Philippine region to the country’s production of goods and services. Manufacturing and service industries account for a large part of the region’s income.The majority of its people work in service industries, primarily in finance, government, real estate, and trade. Many people also work in manufacturing and construction. Few people work in agriculture.
NCR is the country’s center of banking, commerce, and trade. The headquarters of the Central Bank of the Philippines is in Manila. The city of Makati serves as the business and economic hub of the Philippines. Commercial traders do business with other regions and with foreign countries.
Manila is the Philippines’ busiest port for domestic and international shipping. It is strategically placed for easy trade with such countries as China, India, and Indonesia. It lies on air routes and shipping lanes from the United States to Asia. This location makes it a convenient distribution center for goods from different parts of the world. Most Philippine exports and imports pass through the ports of Manila.
Agriculture
plays a limited role in the region’s economy and employment. NCR’s leading crops include abacá (a plant that yields hemp fibers), corn, palay (unhusked rice), root vegetables, sugar cane, tubers, and other vegetables. The main fruit crops include bananas, coconuts, mangoes, and pineapples. Livestock farmers raise carabao (water buffalo), cattle, goats, hogs, and horses. Farms also produce poultry, including chickens, ducks, and quails. Orchids are grown in the region. 
The fishing industry
in the NCR accounts for a small proportion of the country’s fish production. The industry’s leading products include anchovies, bream, carp, cavalla, crabs, crevalle, grouper, mackerel, milkfish, mussels, sardines, scad, siganid, skipjack, slipmouth, snapper, squid, tilapia, and tuna. 
Manufacturing
represents a small but significant part of the region’s economy. About one-fifth of the region’s workers are employed in manufacturing and construction. Leading industries include food processing, as well as printing and publishing. Manufacturers also produce clothing, electronic products, machinery, textiles, and tobacco products. Most factories are small.
Service industries
account for the majority of NCR’s economy. About four-fifths of the region’s workers are employed in service industries. Trade and real estate sales contribute heavily to the region’s industry. Banks, schools, and the government employ many people. Several large companies and banks are headquartered in the financial district of Makati. There are many hotels and embassies in the area. Tourism, a major industry in NCR, benefits the region’s hotels, restaurants, and stores.
Health care also represents an important part of NCR’s service industries. NCR has some of the best health facilities in Asia. There are municipal hospitals and several health centers that provide free medical treatment to Philippine citizens. The national government also maintains hospitals in the city, including the Philippine General Hospital and the San Lazaro Hospital. Private hospitals and clinics are also available.
Transportation and communication.
Traffic congestion is a major problem in the region because of the rapid growth of the NCR’s cities and population. The construction of the Manila Light Rail Transit (LRT), which crosses the commercial centers of the city, has provided some relief. The Manila Metro Rail Transit System (MRT) was also built to relieve traffic congestion.
Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA), between Parañaque and Pasay, is one of the country’s busiest airports. Philippine Airlines provides both domestic and international flights. The Philippine National Railways has its main terminal in Manila and connects the city with other parts of Luzon.
The region has daily newspapers in both English and Filipino. The most important English dailies include The Manila Bulletin, The Philippine Star, and The Manila Times. Several radio broadcasting stations and television stations operate within NCR.
Government
An elected mayor and council govern each city or municipality. The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) coordinates services and development planning among the cities of the National Capital Region. Barangays are governed by elected barangay captains and councils.
Local governments in the Philippines are formally under the general supervision of the president. The people elect city and municipal officials for three-year terms. These local officials may not serve more than three consecutive terms. Barangay officials serve a fixed term of office that is determined by law.
Every Philippine city has a court. Each municipality has a judge who serves as the local judicial officer. Judges hold office until they reach the age of 70 or become unable to carry out their official duties.
History
Traders have used Manila and its bay as a port for over a thousand years. Muslim traders began to visit the islands of the Philippines in the 1200’s. By the late 1500’s, some of the leaders and people in the Manila area had adopted Islam. Philippine Muslim rajahs ruled several small sultanates near the mouth of the Pasig River. Spaniards conquered the area, and Miguel López de Legazpi, a conquistador, founded a Spanish city at the site of Manila in 1571.
Manila soon became the capital of the lands claimed by Spain in the Philippine archipelago. It also became the main port of exchange in the Spanish Empire’s trade between its American colony of New Spain, centered in Mexico, and China.
The walled city Intramuros was built during Spanish rule. The early villages surrounding Intramuros developed as centers of trade and settlement. Eventually, they became the present districts of Manila. The Christian religion was established, and the Spaniards founded several Roman Catholic churches, convents, and schools. The San Agustin Church in Intramuros, built from 1587 to 1607, is the oldest church in Manila.
During the 1700’s and 1800’s, the region made great advances in public building, transportation, communication, and commerce. Manila was one of eight provinces that rebelled against Spain in the late 1890’s. Following Spain’s defeat in the Spanish-American War (1898), the country turned over the Philippines to the United States. Quezon City was established in 1939. During World War II (1939-1945), Manila was badly damaged during the fighting on Luzon. It was rebuilt with aid from the United States. 
Manila became the national capital on July 4, 1946, when the Philippines proclaimed independence. In 1948, the Philippine government made Quezon City the official capital of the country. However, Manila continued to serve as the seat of government. On Nov. 7, 1975, the region of Metro Manila was formally established. In 1976, the government once again named Manila the country’s official capital. On June 2, 1978, Metro Manila was renamed the National Capital Region. During the late 1900’s and early 2000’s, NCR’s economic importance drew many people to the region from throughout the Philippines. Along with the benefits of economic growth, NCR has also experienced the problems that high population density brings.
