| Manila is one of the great cities of the world and it is | | | | parks, gardens and recreation areas. The Manila Zoo |
| also the capital of the Philippines. And while there are | | | | and Botanical Garden is one of the more popular |
| actually sixteen cities that make up the urban | | | | parks for tourists and it is not only beautiful but also |
| environment, Manila is the most prominent of them and | | | | impressive in regards to its conservation and |
| is also the cultural center of the country. Together, the | | | | educational efforts. Other major parks in the city |
| cities account for one of the largest metropolitan | | | | include the Manila Boardwalk, Mehan Garden, Rajah |
| regions in the entire world and they have a total | | | | Sulayman Park and Paco Park. Perhaps the most |
| population of around twenty million people. That is | | | | famous and symbolically important park in the city is |
| extremely large by any standards. And with that there | | | | Rizal Park, with its central monument that stands tall in |
| is a tremendous amount of contemporary cultural | | | | honor of Jose Rizal, who is the country's national hero. |
| establishments and attractions as well as some | | | | The Rizal Monument in the park is noticeable from a |
| extremely important traditional heritage elements. | | | | distance and stands facing the Quirino Grandstand. |
| While Manila is the largest city within its urban setting, it | | | | Other major attractions and cultural establishments in |
| is actually not the largest in all of the Philippines. | | | | the city include the National Museum of the Philippines. |
| Quezon City, a near by neighbor is actually larger by | | | | The museum was established in 1901 and serves as |
| population and geography. However, Manila has an | | | | the official repository of natural history for the |
| interesting world statistic regarding its population. It is | | | | Philippines. It is located next to Rizal Park and is |
| has the most condensed populous not only in the | | | | extremely easy to access from it. It is housed in a |
| Philippines but also throughout the world. This is difficult | | | | building that was designed by an American architect |
| to imagine and the best Americans can try to do is to | | | | named Daniel Burnham. Manila Ocean Park is one of |
| imagine a more condensed version of New York or | | | | the favorite places to visit for tourists and it is famous |
| San Francisco. | | | | for the variety of marine life and animals that are |
| With such an incredible large and condensed | | | | housed there. Manila is an incredibly diverse and |
| population, it is important to maintain adequate park | | | | beautiful city and it attracts people from all over the |
| space. And Manila has plenty of beautiful and lush | | | | world. |