Manila Bay

 

nearly landlocked inlet of the South China Sea, SW Luzon, the Philippines. About 35 mi (56 km) wide at its broadest point and 30 mi (48 km) long, it is the best natural harbor in E Asia and one of the finest in the world. The city of Manila is on the eastern shore of the bay, and on the southeast is the city of Cavite, and a historic naval base. The entrance to Manila Bay (c.11 mi/18 km wide) is divided by the island of Corregidor into two channels; the northern channel, between Corregidor and Bataan peninsula, is only c.2 mi (3.2 km) wide. During the Spanish-American War, in the battle of Manila Bay (May 1, 1898), an American squadron under Commodore George Dewey destroyed the Spanish fleet off Cavite within a few hours. The Manila Bay area was the focus, during the early phase of World War II, of a desperate attempt to save the Philippines from Japanese conquest (see Bataan; Corregidor). In the Allied recovery of the Philippines (1944–45), many Japanese ships were sunk in the bay. The large U.S. naval base on Sangley Point was closed down in the early 1980s.

Manila Bay is one of the finest natural harbors in the world which serves the Port of Manila (on Luzon), in the Philippines. The entrance is 19 km wide and expands to a width of 48 km. Mariveles, in the province of Bataan, is an anchorage just inside the northern entrance and Sangley Point is the former location of Cavite Naval Base.

On either side of the bay are volcanic peaks topped with tropical foliage: 40 km to the north is the Bataan Peninsula and to the south is the province of Cavite.

Across the entrance to Manila Bay are several islands. The largest is Corregidor, which is 3 kilometers from Bataan and, along with the island of Caballo, separates the mouth of the bay into the North and South Channels. In the south channel is El Fraile Island and outside the entrance, and to the south, is Carabao Island. El Fraile, a rocky island some 4 acres (16,000 m²) in area, supports the massive concrete and steel ruins of Fort Drum, an island fortress constructed by the United States Army to defend the southern entrance of the bay. To the immediate north and south are additional harbors.

The bay was the setting for the Battle of Manila Bay in 1898 and the siege of Corregidor Island by invading Japanese forces in 1942.

See also

• Geography of the Philippines
• Battle of Manila Bay

External links

• Fort Drum:Concrete Battleship of the Philippines
• Manila Bay Photos

Coordinates: 14°31′N, 120°46′E

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