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 contin ...
, and is bounded by two islands;
Samar in the north and
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 ...
in the west. On the south of the bay is
Mindanao Island
Mindanao ( ) ( Jawi: مينداناو) is the second-largest island in the Philippines, after Luzon, and seventh-most populous island in the world. Located in the southern region of the archipelago, the island is part of an island group of t ...
, separated from Leyte by the
Surigao Strait.
Dinagat Island
Dinagat Island is an island located northeast of Mindanao in the Philippines.
Until December 2006, it was part of the province of Surigao del Norte
Surigao del Norte ( Surigaonon: ''Probinsya nan Surigao del Norte''; ceb, Amihanang Surigao; ...
partly encloses the gulf to the southeast, and the small
Homonhon Island
Homonhon Island is an island in the province of Eastern Samar, Philippines, on the east side of Leyte Gulf. The long island is part of the municipality of Guiuan, encompassing eight barangays: Bitaugan, Cagusu-an, Canawayon, Casuguran, Culasi, ...
and
Suluan Island
Suluan is an island barangay in the Philippines, in the municipality of Guiuan, Eastern Samar. It lies east of Leyte Gulf and west of Emden Deep. The inhabitants of the island were the first Filipinos to trade and interact with Ferdinand Magell ...
, 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,
Giporlos,
Guiuan
Guiuan ( ˆgiËŒwan; war, Bungto han Guiuan, fil, Bayan ng Guiuan), officially the Municipality of Guiuan, is a 2nd class municipality in the province of Eastern Samar, Philippines. It constitutes the southeastern extremity of Samar Island and ...
,
Lawaan,
Mercedes,
Quinapondan and
Salcedo. 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 Battle of Leyte Gulf ( fil, Labanan sa golpo ng Leyte, lit=Battle of Leyte gulf; ) was the largest naval battle of World War II and by some criteria the largest naval battle in history, with over 200,000 naval personnel involved. It was fou ...
, 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 vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...
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 vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...
the gulf was part of a large US Navy base
Leyte-Samar Naval Base.
In 2013,
Typhoon Haiyan stirred up a
storm surge in Leyte Gulf, resulting in massive loss of lives, agricultural land and property along
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 ...
's shores.
Fishing
Leyte Gulf is identified by the
Leyte State University 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 crab
Mud crab may refer to any crab that lives in or near mud, such as:
*'' Scylla serrata''
*'' Scylla tranquebarica''
*'' Scylla paramamosain''
*'' Scylla olivacea''
*Members of the family Panopeidae, such as '' Panopeus herbstii''
*Members of the ...
s in 1985. Fish harvest has been in decline in the gulf due to the use of
dynamite fishing
Blast fishing, fish bombing, dynamite fishing or grenade fishing is a destructive fishing practice using explosives to stun or kill schools of fish for easy collection. This often illegal practice is extremely destructive to the surrounding eco ...
.
Typhoon Haiyan 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