Leyte (IPA: lɛɪte, officially the Municipality of Leyte ( war, Bungto han Leyte; tl, Bayan ng Leyte), is a 4th class

municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality'' may also mean the go ...

in the

province A province is almost always an administrative division within a country or state. The term derives from the ancient Roman '' provincia'', which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire's territorial possessions ou ...

Leyte Leyte ( ) is an island in the Visayas group of islands in the Philippines. It is eighth-largest and sixth-most populous island in the Philippines, with a total population of 2,626,970 as of 2020 census. Since the accessibility of land has be ...

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 ...

. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 40,397 people.

History

There are several versions as to how the place got its name. One of these relates that according to tradition, toward the west of the present town of

Carigara Carigara (), officially the Municipality of Carigara ( war, Bungto han Carigara; tl, Bayan ng Carigara), is a 2nd class municipality in the province of Leyte, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 54,656 people. The ...

, was a village ruled by Datu Ete. When the Augustinian Fathers heard of the region, they went to the place in order to Christianize the natives. They sailed by boat towards a small bay that swelled into a big river. Disembarking at a small village near the bank of the river, the friars asked the natives for direction. The natives, not knowing the language, answered, "Hira Ete" - which means, "the place belonged to Ete." The friars thought the natives meant that the name of the place was called Hiraete, hence their communications with their superiors referred to the place as Hiraite.

Geography

Barangays

Leyte is politically subdivided into 30

barangay A barangay (; abbreviated as Brgy. or Bgy.), historically referred to as barrio (abbreviated as Bo.), is the smallest administrative division in the Philippines and is the native Filipino term for a village, district, or ward. In metropolita ...

Climate

Demographics

In the 2020 census, the population of Leyte was 40,397 people, with a density of .

Economy

References

External links

Official website
* Philippine Standard Geographic Codebr>Philippine Census InformationLocal Governance Performance Management System
Municipalities of Leyte (province) {{EVisayas-geo-stub