Gulf of Leyte
Coordinates: 10 ° 50 ′ 0 ″ N , 125 ° 25 ′ 0 ″ E
The Gulf of Leyte is part of the Philippine Sea , a western branch of the Pacific Ocean , and is comprised of the Philippine islands of Leyte and Samar .
geography
The gulf lies to the west of the Philippine Sea and is surrounded by the islands of Leyte to the west and Samar to the east. Both islands are separated from each other by a narrow waterway, the San Juanico Strait , which connects the Gulf of Leyte with the northwestern Bay of Carigara. To the south of the gulf is Mindanao Island , which is separated from Leyte Island by the Strait of Surigao . The northern part of the island of Dinagat marks the southeastern edge of the gulf, the island of Homonhon the eastern.
The main ports are Tacloban City , Dulag and Abuyog . The gulf has a north-south extension of about 140 km and an east-west width of about 90 km. An extension of 130 km and 60 km is also mentioned.
history
Homonhon Island is known as Ferdinand Magellan's first arrival point after he crossed the Pacific. Magellan arrived here on March 16, 1521 and stocked up on food and drinking water in the then unpopulated island after he and his expedition had previously discovered Guam and the Mariana Islands .
Between October 23 and October 26, 1944, the largest sea battle in history took place around the Gulf of Leyte. In the sea and air battle in the Gulf of Leyte , the US and Australian fought against Japanese sea units in various skirmishes over three days. Although none of these battles actually took place in the gulf, but only in the waters in its vicinity, the gulf forms the geographical center of the individual battle locations.
In 2013 the Gulf was hit by the super typhoon Haiyan and caused great damage to the neighboring islands of Leyte and Samar.
Individual evidence
- ↑ Local amplification of storm surge by Super Typhoon Haiyan in Leyte Gulf. In: Geophysical Research Letters. July 28, 2014, pp. 5106–5113, Volume 41 , accessed on March 21, 2016 (English, information according to Chapter 3: Local Amplification of Storm Surge).
- ^ C. Vann Woodward : The Battle for Leyte Gulf. The Incredible Story of World War II's Largest Naval Battle . Skyhorse, New York 2013, ISBN 978-1-60239-194-9 .
- ↑ Chaos caused by hurricane: Super typhoon "Haiyan" hits the Philippines. In: Spiegel online . November 8, 2013, accessed March 21, 2016 .
- ↑ Local amplification of storm surge by Super Typhoon Haiyan in Leyte Gulf. In: Geophysical Research Letters. July 28, 2014, SS 5106-5113, Volume 41 , accessed on March 21, 2016 (English).