Manila, Metro Manila, Mega Manila?

When it comes to the capital of the Philippines, it is Manila. Many people are probably aware of this.

As you start to research a bit about the Philippines, there are many variations of Manila, such as Manila, Metro Manila, Mega Manila, etc., which can be confusing. Zenmov, which operates in the Philippines, will provide a clear explanation with its own interpretation.

　　　Figure 1: Location of Manila City and the entire Metro Manila (left) and the map of Mega Manila (right)

　　　　　　　　　　　　　Source: Created by Zenmov based on Wikipedia and others

　　　　　　　　　　　Table 1: Overview of Manila City, Metro Manila, and Mega Manila

　　　　　　　　　　　　　Source: Created by Zenmov based on Wikipedia and others

First, at the smallest scale/division, we have "Manila City". Its area is 38.55 km², and the population is 1.85 million. It might be easier to understand if you imagine the "wards" of Tokyo.

The next scale is "Metro Manila". It has an area of 636 km² and a population of 13.48 million, composed of 16 cities and 1 municipality, including the aforementioned Manila City. It serves as the center for politics, economics, culture, and education in the Philippines. Formally, it is called the Manila Capital Region (National Capital Region, NCR), but the commonly used name is Metro Manila. Sometimes, all of Metro Manila is referred to as the capital.

The area of the 23 wards of Tokyo is 627.6 km², and the total population of Tokyo is 13.998 million, with the ward area being 9.6796 million. From the perspective of area, population, and being a center of politics, economics, culture, etc., Metro Manila is quite similar to the 23 wards of Tokyo.

The largest scale is "Mega Manila". Mega Manila is not an administrative division but a concept that indicates an urban area, so definitions vary among government ministries, media, and others. According to the definition by the Philippines Information Agency (PIA), its area is 52,097.66 km², population is 40.37 million, and it is composed of Metro Manila and three regions: Central Luzon, CALABARZON, and MIMAROPA. It includes not only urban areas but also rural regions.

Regarding the different definitions of Mega Manila, it is similar to how in Japan, when expressing "Kanto region" or "Kansai region", the extent of which prefectures are included can vary depending on the context and the person using the terms.

I hope that when you come across or use words like Manila, Metro Manila, and Mega Manila, the above explanation from Zenmov can be of help.