Eastern Samar
 |
|
| Basic data | |
|---|---|
| Region : | Eastern Visayas |
| Capital : | Borongan City |
| Population : | 467.160 August 1, 2015 census
|
| Population density : | 100 inhabitants per km² |
| Area : | 4,660.47 km² |
| PSGC : | 082600000 |
| Governor : | Conrado B. Nicart Jr. |
| structure | |
| - Highly urbanized cities | |
| - provincial cities | 1 |
| - municipalities | 22nd |
| - Barangays | 597 |
| - electoral districts | 1 |
| Location of the province in the Philippines | |
|
|
Coordinates: 11 ° 40 ′ N , 125 ° 24 ′ E Eastern Samar is a province of the Philippines in the east of the island of Samar and is politically assigned to the Eastern Visayas region (Region VIII).
The capital of the provincial government, Borongan , is located in the eastern part of the province on the Pacific coast.
geography
The province is surrounded by Samar Province in the west and Northern Samar in the north. To the east is the Philippine Sea , part of the Pacific Ocean, and to the south is the Gulf of Leyte .
The inland of the province is rough and hilly and covered with dense tropical vegetation, which is also criss-crossed by numerous rivers and streams as well as mountain ranges. The highest mountain ranges are located in the northwestern part and rise up to 783 m above sea level. Some narrow plains, on the other hand, stretch along the coasts and along the banks of the rivers and their tributaries. The broadest plain extends west of the village of Dolores near the southern bank of the Dolores River. Another smaller plain is within the municipal area of Quinapondan .
The largest island belonging to Eastern Samar is the island of Homonhon with an area of 105 km² , which is assigned to the municipality of Guiuan . Another island belonging to Guiuan is Suluan, which, like Homonhon, is located in the Gulf of Leyte .
The province has a total area of 4660.47 km².
Demographics and language
According to the 2007 census, a total of 405,114 people in 73,032 households live in the province. This makes it the 20th most populous province in the Philippines. The population density is 93.4 inhabitants per km².
The majority of the population use the Wáray-Wáray language . Other ethnic language groups resident in the province include Kapampangan with a share of 0.55%, Bisaya / Binisaya (0.43%), Cebuano (0.18%) and Tagalog (0.17%).
economy
The main product of Eastern Samar Province is copra and wood. Local agriculture supplies key crops such as corn, rice, sugar cane and various other vegetables.
Due to the extended coastline and the numerous rivers, fishing and fish farming is another important branch of the economy for the local population. In addition, tourism is becoming more and more important in the province.
Political structure
Eastern Samar is politically divided into a Component City and 22 independently administered municipalities. These are in turn subdivided into a total of 597 barangays (districts). Eastern Samar is still a Congress - district assigned.
city
Communities
history
The province of Eastern Samar includes the island of Homonhon , where on March 16, 1521 the Portuguese navigator Ferdinand Magellan, who is in Spanish service, landed for the first time in the Philippines to take in water and supplies.
In 1596, Jesuit missionaries moved from the west coast to the island of Samar and eventually set up mission centers in what is now the province.
The next historically very relevant event took place on September 28, 1901 during the Philippine-American War in the village of Balangiga . On that day, Filipino rebels and the villagers attacked the American garrison stationed in Balangiga, killing the majority of the soldiers and destroying the entire facility. This event went down in American and Filipino history as the Balangiga Massacre . In retaliation, US forces were ordered to turn Samar Island into a howling wilderness , causing many villages to be burned and thousands of Filipinos, including many civilians, killed. As a war trophy, the Balangiga church bells were dismantled by American troops and transported to the United States. To this day, this event remains a black mark in the Philippines' relations with the United States.
After Japanese forces occupied the Philippines in 1942 and held it under their control for three years, United States Army Rangers landed on October 17, 1944 on the islands of Suluan and Homonhon, which are part of today's Eastern Samar province. This marked the beginning of the reconquest of the archipelago by the Allied troops, which three days later began with the invasion of Leyte under the command of Gen. Douglas MacArthur started.
The former large province of Samar was finally divided into the three independent provinces of Eastern Samar, Northern Samar and Western Samar, today's Samar Province, on June 19, 1965 with Republic Act No. 4221 .
climate
The climatic conditions of the province fall under category "E" and are characterized by a monthly rainfall of at least 61 mm. Although the climate is characterized by rain and occasional periods of heavy rainfall every month, a rainy season can be defined, which extends from November to January and brings with it a predominant monsoon wind from the northeast . There is also a dry period from July to September, which in turn is characterized by westerly winds, locally known as Habagat .
The average number of rainy days is 190 days. The mean temperature is 26.8 ° C, with 22.9 ° C being the lower average and 30.8 ° C being the average maximum.
Attractions
- The Samar Natural Park
- Homonhon Island
- Guiuan's Kantican Island, also known as Pearl Island
- The Hamorawon spring near Borongan
- Sulangan Beach
- The church of La Inmaculada Concepcion was on the suggestion list of the Philippines for inclusion in the UNESCO World Heritage list , but was by the Typhoon Haiyan completely destroyed.