Leyte (province)

Leyte
Province
(from top: left to right) Leyte Provincial Capitol, Tacloban Bay, Lake Danao San Juanico Bridge, Kalanggaman Island and Calubian.
Flag of Leyte
Flag
Official seal of Leyte
Seal
Location in the Philippines
Location in the Philippines
OpenStreetMap
Map
Coordinates: 11°00′N 124°51′E / 11°N 124.85°E / 11; 124.85
CountryPhilippines
RegionEastern Visayas
Founded1735[1]
Capital
and largest city		Tacloban
Government
 • GovernorCarlos Jericho L. Petilla ( NPC)
 • Vice GovernorLeonardo M. Javier Jr. ( NPC)
 • LegislatureLeyte Provincial Board
Area
[2]
 • Total
6,313.33 km2 (2,437.59 sq mi)
 • Rank13th out of 81
 (excludes Tacloban City)
Highest elevation
(Alto Peak)
1,332 m (4,370 ft)
Population
 (2020 census)[3]
 • Total
1,776,847
 • Rank14th out of 81
 • Density280/km2 (730/sq mi)
  • Rank34th out of 81
 (excludes Tacloban City)
Demonym(s)Leytehanon
Leyteño (Spanish)
Divisions
 • Independent cities
2
 • Component cities
1
 • Municipalities
40
 • Barangays
 • DistrictsLegislative districts of Leyte (shared with Ormoc and Tacloban cities)
Time zoneUTC+8 (PST)
ZIP Code
6500–6542
IDD : area code +63 (0)53
ISO 3166 codePH-LEY
Spoken languages
Websitehttp://leyteprovince.gov.ph/

Leyte (also Northern Leyte; Waray: Norte san/Amihanan nga Leyte/Probinsya han Leyte; Cebuano: Amihanang Leyte; Tagalog: Hilagang Leyte), officially the Province of Leyte, is a province in the Philippines located in the Eastern Visayas region occupying the northern three-quarters of Leyte Island (with the remaining portion being the province of Southern Leyte). Its capital (and largest city) is the city of Tacloban, administered independently from the province, as well as the regional center of Eastern Visayas. Leyte is thus north of Southern Leyte, south of Biliran, and west of Samar Island. To the west across the Camotes Sea is the province of Cebu.

The historical name of the Philippines, "Las Islas Felipenas", named by Spanish explorer Ruy López de Villalobos in honor of Prince Philip of Spain, used to refer to the islands of Leyte and Samar only, until it was adopted to refer to the entire archipelago.[4]

The island of Leyte is known as Tandaya during the 16th century.[5]

Leyte is also known as the site of the largest naval battle in modern history, the Battle of Leyte Gulf, which took place during the Second World War.

Leyte is especially prone to typhoons because it geographically faces toward the Pacific Ocean. On 8 November 2013, the province was severely affected by Super Typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan). The typhoon, known internationally as Haiyan, and domestically referred to as Yolanda, killed thousands of people and garnered significant international media attention. Leyte suffered similar destruction and loss of life in 1991 from Tropical Storm Thelma.

  1. ^ Archdiocese of Palo Archived 2012-02-14 at the Wayback Machine Accessed August 24, 2013
  2. ^ "List of Provinces". Makati, Philippines. Archived from the original on 17 January 2013. Retrieved 12 June 2013.
  3. ^ Census of Population (2020). "Region VIII (Eastern Visayas)". Total Population by Province, City, Municipality and Barangay. Philippine Statistics Authority. Retrieved 8 July 2021.
  4. ^ Lancion, Conrado M. Jr. (1995). "The Provinces; Leyte". Fast Facts about Philippine Provinces. cartography by de Guzman, Rey (The 2000 Millenium ed.). Makati, Metro Manila, Philippines: Tahanan Books. p. 96. ISBN 971-630-037-9. Retrieved 26 December 2015.
  5. ^ "Leyte | island, Philippines". 20 June 2023.