Samar & Leyte Islands

  

Samar-Leyte Islands

            The islands of Leyte and Samar are communally known as the Eastern Visayas Region VIII, comprising of six provinces such as: Samar (25 towns with Catbalogan as capital), Northern Samar (24 towns with Catarman as capital), Leyte (41 towns with Tacloban as the capital), Southern Leyte (18 towns with Maasin as the capital) and Biliran (8 towns with Naval as the capital). The regional capital is the City of Tacloban, where the regional offices of all government institutions are situated. Eastern Visayas has a total land area of 21,561.8 sq. km.

          Leyte is an island in the eastern Philippines, neighboring Samar Island. It is coated with abundantly wooded mountains. Most of the crops grewn in its fertile valleys are coconuts, rice, sugarcane and hemps. There are two provinces which devide the island: Leyte Province and Southern Leyte Province. The island's total area is 7,200 sq. km (2,800sq.mi).

          Samar Island is seperated on the northwest from the island of Luzon by San Bernardino Strait and Leyte on the south by San Juanico Stait and Leyte Gulf. Agricultural products are mainly rice, hemp, coconuts and sweet potatoes. Catbalogan  on the west coast is the major city. Samar Island has an area of 13,100 sq km (5,100 sq mi).