Leyte (
pronounced /'le?ti/ in English) is an
island in the
Visayas group of the
Philippines.
The island measures about 180 km (110 mi) north-south and about 65 km (40 mi) at its widest point. In the north it nearly joins Samar, separated by the San Juanico Strait, which becomes as narrow as 2 km (1.2 mi) in some places. The island province of Biliran is also to the north of Leyte and is joined to Leyte island by a bridge across the narrow Biliran Strait. To the south Leyte is separated from Mindanao by the Surigao Strait. To the east, Leyte is somewhat "set back" from the Philippine Sea of the Pacific Ocean, Samar to the northeast and Dinagat to the southeast forming the Leyte Gulf. To the west are Cebu and Bohol.
Leyte is mostly heavily forested and mountainous, but the Leyte Valley in the northeast has much agriculture.
Politically, the island is divided into two provinces Leyte and Southern Leyte. Southern Leyte is in the south and includes the island of Panaon, while the province of Biliran, a separate island which used to be a part of Leyte province, is to the north.
