Samar (province)
Samar, officially the Province of Samar (Waray: Probinsya han Samar; Tagalog: Lalawigan ng Samar), formerly named Western Samar, is a province in the Philippines located in the Eastern Visayas region. Its capital is the city of Catbalogan. It is bordered by Northern Samar, Eastern Samar, Leyte and Leyte Gulf, and includes several islands in the Samar Sea. Samar is connected to the island of Leyte via the San Juanico Bridge.
Samar | |
|---|---|
| Province of Samar | |
(from top: left to right) San Juanico Bridge, Tarangnan town, Talalora Bay, San Pedro Bay, Rocks of Marabut and Calbayog. | |
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Flag Seal | |
| Nickname: The Caving Capital Province of the Philippines | |
Location in the Philippines | |
OpenStreetMap | |
| Coordinates: 11°50′N 125°00′E | |
| Country | Philippines |
| Region | Eastern Visayas |
| Founded | June 19, 1965 |
| Capital | Catbalogan |
| Largest city | Calbayog |
| Government | |
| • Type | Sangguniang Panlalawigan |
| • Governor | Sharee Ann T. Tan (NP) |
| • Vice Governor | Arnold V. Tan (NP) |
| • Legislature | Samar Provincial Board |
| Area | |
| • Total | 6,048.03 km2 (2,335.16 sq mi) |
| • Rank | 10th out of 81 |
| Highest elevation (Mount Huraw) | 890 m (2,920 ft) |
| Population (2020 census) | |
| • Total | 793,183 |
| • Rank | 39th out of 81 |
| • Density | 130/km2 (340/sq mi) |
| • Rank | 64th out of 81 |
| Divisions | |
| • Independent cities | 0 |
| • Component cities | |
| • Municipalities | |
| • Barangays | 951 |
| • Districts | Legislative districts of Samar |
| Time zone | UTC+8 (PHT) |
| ZIP Code | 6700–6725 |
| IDD : area code | +63 (0)55 |
| ISO 3166 code | PH-WSA |
| Spoken languages | |
| Highway routes | |
| Website | samar |
In 1768, Leyte and modern Samar were created out of the historical province of Samar. In 1965, Northern and Eastern Samar were created.
Fishing and agriculture are the major economic activities in the province.
On 8 November 2013, the province was significantly damaged by Typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan), particularly the towns of Basey, Marabut and Santa Rita.