| Leyte Gulf | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Motorizedoutrigger boats over Leyte Gulf in theEastern Samar town ofGuiuan, withManicani Island in the distance | |
.svg)  Leyte Gulf Location within the Philippines Show map of Visayas.svg) Leyte Gulf Leyte Gulf (Philippines) Show map of Philippines | |
| Location | Eastern Visayas |
| Coordinates | 10°50′00″N125°25′00″E / 10.8333°N 125.4167°E /10.8333; 125.4167 |
| Type | gulf |
| Etymology | Leyte |
| Part of | Philippine Sea |
| Settlements | |
Leyte Gulf, also known simply asthe Leyte, is agulf in theEastern Visayan region in thePhilippines. The bay is part of thePhilippine Sea of thePacific Ocean, and is bounded by two islands;Samar in the north andLeyte in the west. On the south of the bay isMindanao Island, separated from Leyte by theSurigao Strait.[1][2]Dinagat Island partly encloses the gulf to the southeast, and the smallHomonhon Island andSuluan 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.[2]
Several municipalities are situated on the coast of the gulf:Balangiga,Giporlos,Guiuan,Lawaan,Mercedes,Quinapondan andSalcedo. There are also eleven marine reserves in the gulf region.[3]
Leyte Gulf was also the scene of theBattle of Leyte Gulf, which extends to Surigao Strait during theBattle of Surigao Strait, the largest naval battle ofWorld War II and started the end ofJapanese occupation in the Philippines. DuringWorld War II the gulf was part of a large US Navy baseLeyte-Samar Naval Base.
In 2013,Typhoon Haiyan stirred up astorm surge in Leyte Gulf, resulting in massive loss of lives, agricultural land and property alongLeyte's shores.[4]
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Leyte Gulf is identified by theLeyte State University as one of the important fishing grounds of Leyte and Samar.[5] Like other rich fishing grounds such asMaqueda Bay andCarigara Bay, the gulf is known for abundant catches of anchovies, herring, shrimp and crabs.[6] It was also once one of the richest sources ofmud crabs in 1985.[7] Fish harvest has been in decline in the gulf due to the use ofdynamite fishing.[8]Typhoon Haiyan has damaged the hard coral cover within the gulf's area, further reducing the fish harvest.[9]
_assigned_to_Assault_Craft_Unit_Five_(ACU-5)_embarked_aboard_the_amphibious_assault_ship_USS_Essex_(LHD_2)_heads_to_the_island_of_Leyte.jpg) |  |  |
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