Samar (island)

Samar (island)

Panapukan Beach on Samar
Samar (island) Location within the Philippines
Geography
Coordinates	12°00′N 125°00′E / 12.000°N 125.000°E / 12.000; 125.000Coordinates: 12°00′N 125°00′E / 12.000°N 125.000°E / 12.000; 125.000
Archipelago	Visayas
Adjacent bodies of water	Leyte Gulf Philippine Sea Samar Sea San Bernardino Strait San Juanico Strait
Area	13,428.8 km2 (5,184.9 sq mi)
Area rank	63rd
Coastline	800.6 km (497.47 mi)
Highest elevation	850 m (2,790 ft)
Administration
Philippines
Region	Eastern Visayas
Provinces	Eastern Samar Northern Samar (Western) Samar
Largest settlement	Calbayog (pop. 172,778)
Demographics
Population	1,751,267 (2010)
Pop. density	130.4 /km2 (337.7 /sq mi)

Samar (/ˈsɑːmɑːr/ SAH-mar) is an island in the Visayas, within central Philippines and the third largest island in the country. The island is divided into three provinces: Samar province (the western two-fifths of the island of Samar), Northern Samar province, and Eastern Samar province. These three provinces, along with the provinces on the nearby islands of Leyte and Biliran are part of the Eastern Visayas region.

Samar is an easternmost island in Visayas. The island is separated from Leyte by the San Juanico Strait, which at its narrowest point is only about 2 kilometres (1.2 mi) across. This strait is crossed by the San Juanico Bridge. Samar lies southeast of the Bicol Peninsula on Luzon, the country's largest island; the San Bernardino Strait separates the two. To the south of Samar is the Leyte Gulf, the site of the Battle of Leyte Gulf, one of the most decisive naval battles during the Second World War. The gulf opens out into the Philippine Sea, found to the east of Samar and is part of the Pacific Ocean.