| General Note |
- General note - Separated on the south-west by the narrow strait of San Juanico from the island of Leyte and on the northeast by the San Bernandino Strait from Sorsogon, the province of Samar covers an area of 13,576 square kilometers. Located between 130° 31'' 20" and 132° 10'' 27" latitude east, of the median and between 10° 53'' 4" and 12° 37'' 10" north, it consists of the mainland of Samar and 146 other small and mountainous adjacent islands, e.g., Capul, Viri, Lauang, Catalaban, Homonhon, Soloan, Paranan, Buat, Dalupiri, etc. Due to this uneven coastal lines, the province has several strategic ports. Older authors refer to the islands as Tendeya, Achan of even Filipina. Due to the nonnegotiable mountain ranges that divide the island, the Spanish colonizers divided the islands into Ibabao and Samar, eastern and western coasts respectively, Suluan, one of the islets, carries the distinction of being the first Philippine island to be sighted by Magellan on March 16, 1521. The Portuguese navigator and his Spanish crew landed in Homonhon in the following day. At the time Samar was known as Ibabao (the name given its eastern coast), it formed a part of the old province of Cebu. It was declared a separate political unit later only to be united with Leyte to form another province with Carigara as capital in 1735. In 1768, Samar was again given an independent provincial status and it continued to have such since then. The royal decree of July 31, 1768 transformed the province into a politico-military unit until the end of the Spanish regime. Located in the typhoon belt, Samar suffers from typhoons during August and September. The absence of good roads and the rough terrains account for the sparse population of the province, i.e., an estimated population density of 1.22 persons per hectare (1969). The waters surrounding the province abound in fish, nacar shells, pearls, and amber among many others. Inland aquarrial resources, while largely underdeveloped, also provide the province with substantial income. The pattern of Samar''s economy can be said to be agricultural, though. Coconut and, abaca, which the province cultivate in commercial quantities. When the Spanish Crown divided the islands into religious residences, the province was made a part of the Jesuit mission. The order started administering Samar in 1596 but the Franciscans took over on October 17, 1768, when the former was expelled from all Spanish colonies.
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