Greater Manila Area

Greater Manila generally refers to the contiguous urbanization surrounding Metro Manila, and ambiguously there are several terms.

Definitions

Greater Manila may describe:

• Metro Manila, a first-level administrative unit of Philippines under the governance of Metropolitan Manila Development Authority, considered the core of the greater metro area.
• A term in common usage, Mega Manila, is used to describe a region that is bound to Manila economically. There are 2 definitions. Both terms are based on administrative divisions (entire provinces) that encompass wide ranges of settlements and/or rural areas and do not take into account huge differences among localities.
• The built-up area surrounding Manila, which is constantly being developed. (It can be seen by air or satellite and does not fit neatly into provinces, or even city limits). To disambiguate from the two above terms which are in common use, it may be deemed Greater Manila Area. This article is about this contiguous built-up zone. The built-up zone covers Metro Manila as well as parts of the neighboring provinces of Laguna, Cavite, Rizal, Bulacan, Pampanga, Batangas, Tarlac and Nueva Ecija. Though sprawl continues to absorb new zones, some urban zones (notably Angeles and San Fernando of Pampanga) are independent clusters of settlements surrounded by non-urban areas; Manila's belt of urbanization has yet to absorb them.

Province Level Data

Of the above-mentioned provinces, there are stark development contrasts ranging from dense suburban to rural areas within a province.

Overall, the density of provinces around Metro Manila is far higher than the national average. Cavite and Batangas, for example, is 1,888.9 per square km or 6.17 times the national average. Similarly, Rizal, Laguna, Bulacan, Pampanga, Tarlac and Nueva Ecija all have population density over twice the national average of 306 per square km. The sum total population of these provinces ignoring finer details of locality data, is about 25.5 million using 2010 census figures.

Population densities of Batangas localities, 1,000 people/km2 or more in red, 950-1000 in brown

File:Ph density cavite.PNG

Population densities of Cavite localities, 1,000 people/km2 or more in red, 950-1000 in brown

File:Ph density bulacan.PNG

Population densities of Bulacan localities, 1,000 people/km2 or more in red, 950-1000 in brown

File:Ph density pampanga.PNG

Population densities of Pampanga localities, 1,000 people/km2 or more in red

Population densities of Laguna localities, 1,000 people/km2 or more in red

File:Ph density rizal.PNG

Population densities of Rizal localities, 1,000 people/km2 or more in red

Table 1

Localities which have at least 1,000 people per square kilometer and are in a contiguous 1,000+ people/km2 density zone with Metro Manila:

Region	Population (2010 Census figures)	Area (km²)	Density (per km²)
Metro Manila	11,553,427	636	18,166
Lipa City, Batangas	260,568	209.4	2,942.2
Santo Tomas, Batangas	113,105	95.41	1,185.5
Tanauan City*, Batangas	142,537	147.2	968
Malvar, Batangas	41,730	33.0	1,264.5
Padre Garcia, Batangas	42,942	41.51	1,264.5
Mataas na Kahoy, Batangas	25,400	22.1	1,149.3
San Jose, Batangas	61,307	53.29	1,150.4
San Pascual, Batangas	57,200	50.7	1,128.2
Batangas City	295,231	282.96	1,150.4
Talisay, Batangas	39,120	28.2	1,387.2
Bauan, Batangas	79,831	53.3	1,497.7
Batangas Subtotal	1,158,971	1017.07	1,139.5
Meycauayan City	196,569	22.10	8,894
Marilao, Bulacan	160,452	26.25	6,112
Santa Maria, Bulacan	205,258	90.92	2,258
San Jose del Monte City	439,090	165.10	2,659
Bocaue, Bulacan	105,817	31.87	3,320
Malolos City	223,069	67.30	3,314
Balagtas, Bulacan	62,684	32.05	1,956
Bulacan, Bulacan*	72,289	72.9	972.5
Guiguinto, Bulacan	89,225	21.48	4,153
Plaridel, Bulacan	99,817	41.0	2,434
Pandi, Bulacan	60,637	31.7	1,912
Calumpit, Bulacan	98,017	56.25	1,442
Pulilan, Bulacan	85,008	30	2,834
Hagonoy, Bulacan	126,329	103.10	1,225.3
Baliuag, Bulacan	136,982	41.88	3,270
Obando, Bulacan	56,258	52.1	1,079.8
Paombong, Bulacan	53,510	46.3	1,155.7
Bulacan Subtotal	2,271,011	919.58	2,470
Bacoor City	441,197	52.4	8,419
Imus City	253,158	64.7	3,912
Kawit, Cavite	76,405	16.7	4,575
General Trias, Cavite	218,387	108.7	2,009
Gen. Mariano Alvarez, Cavite	136,613	11.4	11,983
Carmona, Cavite	68,135	30.9	2,205
Cavite City	104,581	20.8	5,028
Tanza, Cavite	171,795	98.2	1,749
Rosario, Cavite	94,228	8.2	11,491
Noveleta, Cavite	46,336	8.6	8,565
Naic, Cavite	87,058	86.0	1,012
Silang, Cavite*	199,285	209.4	952
Cavite Subtotal	2,453,508	806.1	3,044
San Pedro City	281,808	24.05	11,717.6
Biñan City	262,735	39.1	6,827
Santa Rosa City	266,943	39.1	6,827
Cabuyao City	205,376	43.3	4,743
Calamba City	360,281	144.8	2,488
Los Baños, Laguna	98,631	56.5	1,746
Bay, Laguna	50,756	42.66	1,189.8
San Pablo City	237,259	197.6	1,200
Laguna Subtotal	1,763,789	587.11	3004.18
Apalit, Pampanga	97,296	72.14	1,348.7
Masantol, Pampanga	50,984	48.25	1,056.6
Pampanga Subtotal	148,280	120.39	1,231.6
Antipolo City	633,971	306.10	2,071.12
Cainta, Rizal	289,833	26.81	10,810.63
San Mateo, Rizal	184,860	55.09	3,355.60
Taytay, Rizal	262,485	38.80	6,765.08
Angono, Rizal	97,209	26.22	3,707.44
Binangonan, Rizal	238,931	66.34	3,601.61
Rodriguez, Rizal	223,594	172.85	1,293.57
Cardona, Rizal	44,942	28.56	1,573.6
Morong, Rizal	50,538	37.58	1,344.8
Teresa, Rizal	44,436	18.61	2,387.7
Rizal Subtotal	2,070,799	776.96	2,665.2
Totals of contiguous localities*	21,419,785	4,863.21	4,404.45

Notes:

• This city is included because its current population is projected to exceed 1,000 people per square km and completely surrounded by localities that match these criteria, as well as possibility of an undercount.
• Localities densities of 1,000 people/km2 in a contiguous 1,000+ people/km2 density zone with Metro Manila

Table 2

Localities not contiguous with Metro Manila's 1000+ people/km2 density zone, but with a density over 1000:

Locality	Population (2010 Census figures)	Area (km²)	Density (per km²)
Taal, Batangas	39,120	28.2	1,729.1
Santa Teresita, Batangas	16,891	16.3	1,036.2
San Nicolas, Batangas	19,046	14.3	1,331.8
Mendez, Cavite	26,757	20.7	1,292.6
Victoria, Laguna	33,829	22.35	1,513.6
Pagsanjan, Laguna	35,944	26.36	1,363.6
Pila, Laguna	44,227	31.2	1,417.5
Santa Cruz, Laguna	101,914	38.59	2,640.9
Guagua, Pampanga	104,284	31.19	3,343.5
Angeles, Pampanga	314,493	66.16	4,753.52
Mabalacat, Pampanga	203,307	165.8	1,226.22
Magalang, Pampanga	98,595	97.32	1,013.1
Mexico, Pampanga	141,298	117.41	1,203.5
Santa Ana, Pampanga	49,756	39.84	1,248.9
Santa Rita, Pampanga	36,723	29.76	1,233.9
San Fernando, Pampanga	269,365	67.74	3,977
Totals	1,132,242	647.42	2,058

See also

• Mega Manila
• Urban Luzon