Samar (province)

Samar, formerly named as Western Samar, is a province in the Philippines located on Samar Island in Eastern Visayas. Its capital is Catbalogan City. It is bordered by Northern Samar, Eastern Samar, Leyte and the Leyte Gulf, and includes several islands in the Samar Sea. Samar is connected to the island of Leyte via the San Juanico Bridge.In 1768, Leyte and modern Samar was created out of the historical province of Samar. In 1965, Northern and Eastern Samar were created.Fishing and agriculture are the major economic activities in the province.On 8 November 2013, the province was significantly damaged by Typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan), particularly at the towns of Basey and Marabut.EtymologySamar is said to be derived from Samad, the Visayan word for "wound" or "cut", describing the rough physical features of the land which is rugged and deeply dissected by streams.