Black Nazarene – Philippines

Manila is the capital of Philippines, located on the eastern shores of Manila Bay. With an estimated population of nearly 1,660,714 inhabitants it is the second most populous city in Philippines after Quezon being the top most populous city. Metro Manila is the top most populated area in the nation and 11^th in the world. Besides being densely populated this city is a famous tourists destination welcoming tourists from nearly every part of the world. There are a number of attractions offered by this magnificent city including historical places, museums, art galleries, vibrant nightlife and a lively culture.

Manila is the main cultural center of the nation. Many festivals and cultural events are celebrated in the city that are of great interest for the tourists from abroad, one of the major festivals is the feast of the Black Nazarene, this is an annual festival held every 9^th of January, Black Nazarene is a wooden sculpture of Jesus Christ and is colored in black and is thought to be miraculous by many Philippinos. Some other points of interest in the city include many museums namely Metropolitan Museum of Manila, Museum of Philippine political History, National Museum of Philippine, UST Museum of Science and Arts and Museo Pambata, a child oriented-museum. Some of the famous parks include the Rizal Park, Mehan garden, Manila Zoological, Botanical garden and Manila North Green Park.

Manila also hosts majority of the educational institutes in the country including many colleges, universities and schools, some of the best known educational institutes are Colegio de San Juan de Letran, University of the City of Manila, University of the Philippines, University of Santo Tomas and Polytechnic university of Philippines.

This city has a very well developed transport system offering various transportation options including taxis and taxicabs that are basically motorcycles with side or rear cars. Manila also has the first light rail system in southeast Asia known as the Manila Light rail Transit System. Port of Manila is the major seaport of the country. Some parts of the city are also served by a ferry service.

Ninoy Aquino International Airport serves the city and its surrounding areas including the metropolitan area, this airport is located about seven kilometers south of the city and provides services to all domestic and international airlines having direct flights to Manila. This airport also caters flights to many destinations worldwide including India, China, United States, Canada, France, United Kingdom, UAE and other Gulf countries.