Leyte Gulf is a
gulf in the
Eastern Visayan region in the
Philippines
The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no),
* bik, Republika kan Filipinas
* ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas
* cbk, República de Filipinas
* hil, Republ ...
. The bay is part of the
Philippine Sea of the
Pacific Ocean
The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean (or, depending on definition, to Antarctica) in the south, and is bounded by the contine ...
, and is bounded by two islands;
Samar in the north and
Leyte in the west. On the south of the bay is
Mindanao Island, separated from Leyte by the
Surigao Strait
Surigao Strait (Filipino: ''Kipot ng Surigaw'') is a strait in the southern Philippines, between the Bohol Sea and the Leyte Gulf of the Philippine Sea.
Geography
It is located between the regions of Visayas and Mindanao. It lies between northern ...
.
partly encloses the gulf to the southeast, and the small
Homonhon Island and
Suluan Island, sit astride the eastern entrance to the Gulf. It is approximately north-south, and east-west.
Several municipalities are situated on the coast of the gulf:
Balangiga
Balangiga (IPA: Œbalaŋˈhɪga, officially the Municipality of Balangiga ( war, Bungto han Balangiga; tl, Bayan ng Balangiga), is a 4th class municipality in the province of Eastern Samar, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a ...
,
Giporlos,
Guiuan,
Lawaan,
Mercedes
Mercedes may refer to:
People
* Mercedes (name), a Spanish feminine name, including a list of people and fictional characters with the given name or last name
Automobile-related
* Mercedes (marque), the pre-1926 brand name of German automobile m ...
,
Quinapondan
Quinapondan (IPA: ŒkinÉˈpondan, officially the Municipality of Quinapondan ( war, Bungto han Quinapondan; tl, Bayan ng Quinapondan), is a 5th class municipality in the province of Eastern Samar, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it h ...
and
Salcedo
Salcedo is a Spanish name meaning "of or relating to the Willow, Willow Tree".
Sapcedo or Salzedo may refer to:
Places
*Hermanas Mirabal Province (formerly called Salcedo), Dominican Republic
*Salcedo, Dominican Republic, the capital of the Herma ...
. There are also eleven marine reserves in the gulf region.
History
Leyte Gulf was also the scene of the
Battle of Leyte Gulf, which extends to Surigao Strait during the
Battle of Surigao Strait, the largest naval battle of
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...
and started the end of
Japanese occupation in the Philippines. During
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...
the gulf was part of a large US Navy base
Leyte-Samar Naval Base.
In 2013,
Typhoon Haiyan
Typhoon Haiyan, known in the Philippines as Super Typhoon Yolanda, was one of the most powerful tropical cyclones ever recorded. On making landfall, Haiyan devastated portions of Southeast Asia, particularly the Philippines. It is one of the ...
stirred up a
storm surge in Leyte Gulf, resulting in massive loss of lives, agricultural land and property along
Leyte's shores.
Fishing
Leyte Gulf is identified by the
Leyte State University
Visayas State University (VSU; fil, Pamantasang Pampamahalaan ng Visayas) is a university located in the city of Baybay, province of Leyte, Philippines. The five-campus VSU has eight colleges, three institutes and one school. Located in the ...
as one of the important fishing grounds of Leyte and Samar. Like other rich fishing grounds such as
Maqueda Bay and
Carigara Bay, the gulf is known for abundant catches of anchovies, herring, shrimp and crabs. It was also once one of the richest sources of
mud crabs in 1985. Fish harvest has been in decline in the gulf due to the use of
dynamite fishing.
Typhoon Haiyan
Typhoon Haiyan, known in the Philippines as Super Typhoon Yolanda, was one of the most powerful tropical cyclones ever recorded. On making landfall, Haiyan devastated portions of Southeast Asia, particularly the Philippines. It is one of the ...
has damaged the hard coral cover within the gulf's area, further reducing the fish harvest.
Gallery
Notes
{{Authority control
Gulfs of the Philippines
Landforms of Leyte (province)
Landforms of Samar (province)
Landforms of Eastern Samar