Leyte Gulf, also known simply as the Leyte, is a gulf in the Eastern Visayan region in the Philippines. The bay is part of the Philippine Sea of the Pacific Ocean, 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. Dinagat Island 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 130 km (81 mi) north-south, and 60 km (37 mi) east-west.
Motorized outrigger boats over Leyte Gulf in the Eastern Samar town of Guiuan, with Manicani Island in the distance
Leyte Gulf fisherfolks unloading their catch in the Guiuan Integrated Transport Terminal
A man fishing in Leyte Gulf at twilight in Marabut
US Navy over Leyte Gulf for disaster relief efforts on the aftermath of the 2006 landslide in Guinsaugon, Saint Bernard, Southern Leyte
Samar is the third-largest and seventh-most populous island in the Philippines, with a total population of 1,909,537 as of the 2020 census. It is located in the eastern Visayas, which are in the central Philippines. The island is divided into three provinces: Samar, Northern Samar, and Eastern Samar. These three provinces, along with the provinces on the nearby islands of Leyte and Biliran, are part of the Eastern Visayas region.
Samar island satellite image captured by Sentinel-2 in 2016
