View source for Leyte

{{short description|Island in the Philippines}}
{{for multi|the province|Leyte (province)|the municipality|Leyte, Leyte|other uses|Leyte (disambiguation)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2025}}
{{Infobox islands
| name                            = Leyte Island
| image                           = Leyte Island Red.png
| image_caption                   = Location of Leyte within the Philippines
| image_map                       = File:Map of Leyte - NARA - 55302608.jpg
| image_map_caption               = 1933 map of Leyte
| native_name                     = 
| native_name_link                = 
| location                        = [[Southeast Asia]]
| coordinates                     = {{coord|10|48|N|124|54|E|type:isle_region:PH|display=inline,title}}
| waterbody                       = {{unbulleted list | [[Bohol Sea]] | [[Camotes Sea]] | [[Canigao Channel]] | [[Carigara Bay]] | [[Leyte Gulf]] | [[Samar Sea]] | [[San Juanico Strait]] | [[Sogod Bay]] | [[Surigao Strait]] | [[Visayan Sea]] }}
| archipelago                     = [[Visayas]]
| area_km2                        = 7367.6
| area_footnotes                  = <ref>{{cite web |title=Islands by Land Area |url=http://islands.unep.ch/Tiarea.htm |work=Island Directory Tables |publisher=United Nations Environment Programme |access-date=12 June 2013 |archive-date=20 February 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180220003634/http://islands.unep.ch/Tiarea.htm |url-status=dead }}</ref>
| highest_mount                   = Alto Peak
| elevation_m                     = 1,332
| Country_heading                 = 
| country                         = [[Philippines]]
| country_admin_divisions_title   = Region
| country_admin_divisions         = [[Eastern Visayas]]
| country_admin_divisions_title_1 = Provinces
| country_admin_divisions_1       = {{unbulleted list | [[Leyte (province)|Leyte]] | [[Southern Leyte]] }}
| country_largest_city            = [[Tacloban City]]
| country_largest_city_population = 259,353
| population                      = 2,626,970 <!-- total of Leyte, Southern Leyte, and Tacloban -->
| population_as_of                = 2020
| population_footnotes            = {{PH census|2015}}
| density_km2                     = 324.2
| ethnic_groups                   = {{unbulleted list | [[Visayans]] ([[Cebuano people|Cebuano]], [[Waray people|Waray]]) }}
}}

'''Leyte''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|l|eɪ|t|i|,_|ˈ|l|eɪ|t|eɪ}} {{respell|LAY|tee|,_|LAY|tay}}, {{IPA|tl|ˈleite|lang}}) 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 the 2020 census.

Since the accessibility of land has been depleted, Leyte has provided countless number of migrants to [[Mindanao]].
Most inhabitants are farmers. Fishing is a supplementary activity. Rice and corn (maize) are the main food crops; cash crops include coconuts, abaca, tobacco, bananas, and sugarcane. There are some manganese deposits, and sandstone and limestone are quarried in the northwest.<ref>{{cite encyclopedia |title=Leyte &#124; island, Philippines |encyclopedia=Encyclopedia Britannica |url=https://www.britannica.com/place/Leyte |access-date=22 October 2018 |archive-date=7 April 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200407072048/https://www.britannica.com/place/Leyte |url-status=live }}</ref>

Politically, the island is divided into two [[Provinces of the Philippines|provinces]]: [[Leyte (province)|(Northern) Leyte]] and [[Southern Leyte]]. Territorially, Southern Leyte includes the island of [[Panaon Island|Panaon]] to its south. To the north of Leyte is the island province of [[Biliran]], a former sub-province of Leyte.

The major cities of Leyte are [[Tacloban]], on the eastern shore at the northwest corner of [[Leyte Gulf]], and [[Ormoc]], on the west coast.

Leyte today is notable for the [[geothermal power|geothermal]] electric power plants near Ormoc.

== History ==

=== Pre-colonial period ===
The island was known to 16th-century Spanish explorers as Tandaya. Its population grew rapidly after 1900, especially in the Leyte and Ormoc valleys. The island was once the location of ''Mairete'', a historic community which was ruled by Datu Ete. Before being colonized by Spain, the island was once home to indigenous animist [[Warays]] to the east and other indigenous animist Visayan groups to the west. In the early 17th Century Father Ignacio Alcina, recorded a local epic that a certain Datung Sumanga of Leyte courted the princess, Bugbung Humasanum of Bohol by raiding Imperial China, and upon their marriage, they were the precursors [[Dapitan Kingdom|of a kingdom there]].<ref name="discoverbohol.com">{{Cite web |url=http://www.discoverbohol.com/Features/Dauis-History-Part-1.htm |title=Discover Bohol |access-date=23 May 2024 |archive-date=19 September 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230919124551/http://www.discoverbohol.com/Features/Dauis-History-Part-1.htm |url-status=live }}</ref>

===Colonial period ===
Leyte was once labeled as ''Ceylon'' in early Spanish maps of the Philippines<ref name="Ocampo">{{cite book |last1=Ocampo |first1=Ambeth |title=Looking Back: Volume 1 |date=2012 |publisher=Anvil Publishing, Inc. |isbn=9789712736087 }}</ref> and in the 1700s, was home to 38 [[Spanish Filipino]] families and 7,678 native families.<ref name="Estadismo2">[https://ia601608.us.archive.org/10/items/bub_gb_ElhFAAAAYAAJ_2/bub_gb_ElhFAAAAYAAJ.pdf ESTADISMO DE LAS ISLAS FILIPINAS TOMO SEGUNDO By Joaquín Martínez de Zúñiga (Original Spanish)]</ref>{{rp|113}}

=== World War II ===
Leyte is most famous for its role in the [[Philippines Campaign (1944–45)|reconquest of the Philippines]] in [[Pacific War|World War II]]. The province was utilized by the Japanese as a hub for sexual slavery. Some sex slave sites included Tacloban and Burauen, where the Japanese kidnapped girls, teenagers, and young adults and forced them into becoming sex slaves under the brutal "[[comfort women]]" system.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.npr.org/2020/11/29/939811000/philippine-survivor-recounts-her-struggle-as-a-comfort-woman-for-wartime-japan |title=Philippine Survivor Recounts Her Struggle As A 'Comfort Woman' For Wartime Japan |newspaper=NPR.org |publisher=NPR |access-date=15 August 2021 |archive-date=16 November 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211116023658/https://www.npr.org/2020/11/29/939811000/philippine-survivor-recounts-her-struggle-as-a-comfort-woman-for-wartime-japan |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=9IsBB-RVTlQC&dq=comfort+gay+philippines+japan&pg=PR9 |title=The Other Empire: Literary Views of Japan from the Philippines, Singapore, and Malaysia |year=2008 |publisher=The University of the Philippines Press |isbn=9789715425629 |access-date=15 August 2021 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.awf.or.jp/e1/philippine-00.html |title=Women made to be Comfort Women - Philippines |access-date=14 April 2023 |archive-date=18 February 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230218032805/https://www.awf.or.jp/e1/philippine-00.html |url-status=live }}</ref> On 20 October 1944, General [[Douglas MacArthur]] waded ashore on Leyte, saying, "I have returned", but the [[Imperial Japanese forces|Japanese]] continued to resist strongly in the [[Battle of Leyte]]. The convergence of naval forces resulted in the four-day [[Battle of Leyte Gulf]], the [[largest naval battle in history]]. During World War II the island was part of a large US Navy base [[Leyte-Samar Naval Base]].

==Geography==
The island measures about {{convert|180|km}} north-south and about {{convert|65|km}} at its widest point. In the north it nearly joins the island of [[Samar]], separated by the [[San Juanico Strait]], which becomes as narrow as {{convert|2|km}} in some places. The island province of [[Biliran]] is also to the north of Leyte and is joined to Leyte island by a bridge across the narrow [[Biliran Strait]]. To the south, Leyte is separated from [[Mindanao]] by the [[Surigao Strait]]. To the east, Leyte is somewhat "set back" from the [[Philippine Sea]] of the [[Pacific Ocean]], Samar to the northeast and the [[Dinagat Islands]] to the southeast forming [[Leyte Gulf]]. To the west is the [[Camotes Sea]].{{citation needed|date=October 2021}}

Leyte is mostly heavily forested and mountainous, but the [[Leyte Valley]] in the northeast has much agriculture.

==Demographics==
{{Philippine Census |align=none
| title= Population of Leyte Island
| 1990= 1689756
| 2000= 1952496
| 2010= 2188295
| 2015= 2388519
| 2020= 2626970
| footnote= Source: National Statistics Office
}}

== Historical and other famous sites ==
[[File:Douglas MacArthur lands Leyte1.jpg|thumb|right|[[Battle of Leyte]]: General [[Douglas MacArthur]] and staff
land at [[Dulag, Leyte|Dulag]] Beach, Leyte, 20 October 1944.]]
[[File:Aerial view of San Juanico Bridge.jpg|thumb|[[San Juanico Bridge]] connecting [[Samar]] to Leyte]]

The Leyte provincial capitol is the seat of the provincial government where there is a mural depicting the [[First Mass in the Philippines]], believed to have happened in [[Limasawa]], and the landing of General [[Douglas MacArthur]].

The [[MacArthur Landing Memorial National Park]] in Red Beach, [[Palo, Leyte|Palo]], marks the 1944 landing by the American liberation forces. It also has a lagoon where a life-sized statue of Gen. MacArthur stands.

[[Mahagnao Volcano Natural Park]] Located in [[Burauen, Leyte|Burauen]], Leyte, about {{cvt|66|km}} from Tacloban City, the [[Mahagnao Volcano Natural Park]] attracts visitors with its lakes, craters, hot springs, multi-colored mud, virgin forests and lagoon. It was proclaimed as a national park in 1937. Like other regions in the Philippines, the area enjoys a temperate climate. It has an elevation of 1,200 meters above sea level and an area of 635 hectares, within the boundaries of Burauen, La Paz and McArthur towns.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://triptheislands.com/destinations/travel-info-for-the-mahagnao-volcano-national-park/ |title=Travel Info for the Mahagnao Volcano National Park |access-date=6 June 2020 |archive-date=6 June 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200606111138/https://triptheislands.com/destinations/travel-info-for-the-mahagnao-volcano-national-park/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

[[Lake Danao (Leyte)|Lake Danao]] is a guitar-shaped lake hemmed by the cloud-capped ''[[Anonang-Lobi Mountain Range|Anonang-Lobi]]'' mountain ranges.

Kalanggaman Island in [[Palompon, Leyte]] is a virgin island with pure white sand. The ecological atmosphere of the island had been preserved by the municipality.

The Sto. Nino Shrine and Heritage Museum boasts the painting of the fourteen stations of the cross done by Filipino artists and a bas-relief of the legend of the first Filipino man and woman (''Malakas'' and ''Maganda'').

The [[San Juanico Bridge]] is the longest bridge in the [[Philippines]].

Leyte Island is the birthplace of the [[Tinikling]] dance, popular throughout the Philippines.{{citation needed|date=August 2013}}

On Friday, 8 November 2013, [[Typhoon Haiyan|Super Typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan)]] destroyed 70-80% of the structures in its path on Leyte province. An estimated 10,000 people died and up to 620,000 people were displaced across the region.<ref name="Reuters-Haiyan">{{cite news |last1=Mogato |first1=Manuel |last2=Ng |first2=Roli |title=Philippines storm kills estimated 10,000, destruction hampers rescue efforts |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-philippines-typhoon-idUSBRE9A603Q20131110 |access-date=9 March 2016 |work=[[Reuters]] |date=10 November 2013 |archive-date=10 March 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160310070255/http://www.reuters.com/article/us-philippines-typhoon-idUSBRE9A603Q20131110 |url-status=live }}</ref>

Leyte was affected by [[Tropical Storm Megi (2022)]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Hope sparks for rescuers as sun finally shines in Leyte |url=https://mb.com.ph/2022/04/14/hope-sparks-for-rescuers-as-sun-finally-shines-in-leyte/ |access-date=14 April 2022 |website=Manila Bulletin |date=14 April 2022 |language=en-US |archive-date=14 April 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220414032542/https://mb.com.ph/2022/04/14/hope-sparks-for-rescuers-as-sun-finally-shines-in-leyte/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

== Infrastructure ==
=== Flood control ===
Leyte Tide Embankment Project was conceptualized as part of the program on rehabilitation from the aftermath of the [[Typhoon Haiyan|strongest typhoon]], to build safer cities/communities. The [[flood control]] shall cover a length of about 27.3 kilometers stretching from the shoreline of Barangay Diit, [[Tacloban]] City passing through the entire shoreline of the Municipality of [[Palo, Leyte]] and ending up to Barangay Ambao of [[Tanauan, Leyte]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.build.gov.ph/Home/Project_Details/54?Agency=DPWH |title=Leyte Tide Embankment Project |access-date=9 August 2019 |archive-date=3 August 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200803043350/http://www.build.gov.ph/Home/Project_Details/54?Agency=DPWH |url-status=dead }}</ref>

==In popular culture==

The 1959 Japanese film [[Fires on the Plain (1959 film)|''Nobi'' ("Fires on the Plain")]], though filmed in Japan, is set in Leyte in 1945.

The film was remade in 2014 under the [[Fires on the Plain (2014 film)|same name]]; this version was filmed in the Philippines.

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* {{Commons-inline|Leyte (island)}}
* {{Wikivoyage-inline|Leyte Island}}
* [http://www.tripadvisor.com/Travel-g298462-c6517/Leyte-Island:Philippines:Natural.Wonders.html Leyte Island – TA.com]

{{Islands of the Philippines}}

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Leyte| ]]
[[Category:Islands of Leyte (province)]]
[[Category:Islands of Southern Leyte]]