Santa Mesa

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Santa Mesa
Country Philippines
Region National Capital Region
City Manila
Congressional districts Part of the 6th district of Manila
Barangays 51
Area
  Total 676.0 km2 (261.01 sq mi)
Population (2007[1])
  Total 98,901

Santa Mesa (also Sta. Mesa) is one of the sixteen areas of Manila, the capital city of the Philippines. Santa Mesa is primarily a residential center with numerous commercial and educational institutions found within its precinct. Santa Mesa is bounded by several districts and cities. To its northeast is Quezon City, San Juan to its east, Mandaluyong to its southeast, the district Santa Ana to its south, Pandacan to its southwest and the district of Sampaloc to the northwest, from which it was partitioned after the district was placed under the jurisdiction of District 6. Santa Mesa thus acquired barangays from the former district, barangays 587-636. The area has a population of 98,901 as of 2007.[1]

Etymology

The name is derived from the name Santa Mesa de la Misericordia. The landowner of present-day Sta. Mesa during the Spanish colonial period offered an obra pía ("pious work"), and provided social services. Another possible derivation is from the Spanish for "Holy Mass".

History

Wounded soldiers during the Philippine-American War.

The town of Santa Mesa was situated in the alluvial deposits of Pasig and San Juan Rivers. It was owned by a religious order during the Spanish Era, and in this period Santa Mesa got its name. Santa Mesa is better known for its role in the Philippine–American War, in which the area became a battlefield. The conflict started when Pvt. William W. Grayson shot a Filipino soldier. In late 2003, the National Historical Commission of the Philippines discovered that the conflict did not happen on San Juan Bridge, but at the juncture of Sociego and Silencio Streets.

The town used to be small and manageable but expanded on all directions after World War II, where the town became the hospital to treat the wounded. The town was merged with Sampaloc and the combination merged with Manila, as districts. After the creation of the legislative districts of Manila, Santa Mesa was separated from Sampaloc after falling to the jurisdiction of District 6. Although the district itself was still considered to be a part of Sampaloc. Santa Mesa is also the home of the Polytechnic University of the Philippines and the main headquarters of the National Statistics Office of the Philippines. It was also once the location of the headquarter of DZRJ-AM. Santa Mesa received critical damage when Typhoon Ondoy, international name Ketsana battered the Philippines. Half of Santa Mesa was submerged, mostly the northeastern part facing the cities of San Juan and Mandaluyong.

Geography

Santa Mesa is located in the eastern part of the City of Manila, bordering (anticlockwise): the districts of Sampaloc in the north and west, Pandacan and Santa Ana in the south across the Pasig River; and the cities of San Juan to the east, Mandaluyong to the southeast and Quezon City in the north and northwest. Some of the natural variations in topography have been evened out due to its urbanisation.

Climate

Under the Köppen climate classification system, Santa Mesa and the rest of Manila features a tropical savanna climate that borders on a tropical monsoon climate. Together with the rest of the Philippines, Manila lies entirely within the tropics. Its proximity to the equator means that the temperature range is very small, rarely going lower than 20 °C and going higher than 38 °C. However, humidity levels are usually very high which makes it feel much warmer. It has a distinct, albeit relatively short dry season from January through April, and a relatively lengthy wet season from May through December.


Climate data for Manila, Philippines
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Average high °C (°F) 30.2
(86.4)
31.1
(88)
32.8
(91)
34.3
(93.7)
34.2
(93.6)
32.4
(90.3)
31.3
(88.3)
30.8
(87.4)
31.1
(88)
31.2
(88.2)
31.0
(87.8)
30.3
(86.5)
31.73
(89.1)
Daily mean °C (°F) 25.6
(78.1)
26.1
(79)
27.6
(81.7)
29.1
(84.4)
29.5
(85.1)
28.4
(83.1)
27.7
(81.9)
27.4
(81.3)
27.6
(81.7)
27.3
(81.1)
26.9
(80.4)
26.0
(78.8)
27.43
(81.38)
Average low °C (°F) 20.9
(69.6)
21.1
(70)
22.5
(72.5)
24.0
(75.2)
24.8
(76.6)
24.4
(75.9)
24.1
(75.4)
24.0
(75.2)
24.0
(75.2)
23.5
(74.3)
22.8
(73)
21.6
(70.9)
23.14
(73.65)
Precipitation mm (inches) 6.3
(0.248)
3.3
(0.13)
7.1
(0.28)
9.3
(0.366)
113.4
(4.465)
272.7
(10.736)
341.2
(13.433)
398.3
(15.681)
326.0
(12.835)
230.0
(9.055)
120.4
(4.74)
48.8
(1.921)
1,876.8
(73.89)
Avg. rainy days 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 7.0 14.0 16.0 19.0 17.0 13.0 9.0 5.0 104
Source: Hong Kong Observatory [2]

Sites of Interest

Entrance to the main campus of PUP, with the Obelisk and Luntiang Pilipinas in the background.

External links

Footnotes

  1. 1.0 1.1 "Final Results - 2007 Census of Population". Census population of the Philippines. Philippines: National Statistics Office. April 2008. Retrieved 28 August 2009. "Total Population and Annual Population Growth Rates by Region: Population Censuses 1995, 2000, and 2007" 
  2. "Climatological Information for Manila, Philippines". Hong Kong Observatory. Retrieved 10 October 2011. 

Coordinates: 14°36′N 121°01′E / 14.600°N 121.017°E / 14.600; 121.017

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