Manila (mȧ-nĭl′lȧ), capital and chief town
of the Philippine Islands, lies on a bay of
Luzon, 650 miles southeast of Hong-Kong, with which it is joined by cable. A small river
divides the city into two parts.
Earthquakes, typhoons and violent thunderstorms
are frequent. A hurricane in 1882 ruined
half the city. The great industry is
cigar-making. The main exports are sugar, hemp,
cigars, tobacco and coffee. The population
is about 219,928, mostly native Tagals, 25,000
Chinese, large numbers being descended
from these two races, and 5,000 Spaniards.
Here, on May 1, 1898, the Spanish fleet was
destroyed in the bay by the American fleet
under Commodore Dewey and the islands
were ceded to the United States by treaty on
Dec. 10, 1898.
