Leyte (province) in the context of Ruy López de Villalobos

Samar, officially the Province of Samar (Waray: Probinsya han Samar; Tagalog: Lalawigan ng Samar), or also known as Western Samar, is a province in the Philippines located in the Eastern Visayas region. Its capital is the city of Catbalogan while Calbayog is the most populous city in the province. It is bordered by Northern Samar, Eastern Samar, Leyte and 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 were created out of the historical province of Samar. In 1965, Northern and Eastern Samar were created.

Eastern Visayas (Waray: Sinirangan Kabisay-an; Cebuano: Sidlakang Kabisay-an; Tagalog: Silangang Kabisayaan; Filipino: Silangang Visayas), designated as Region VIII, is an administrative region in the Philippines. It consists of three main islands: Samar, Leyte, and Biliran. The region has six provinces: Biliran, Leyte, Northern Samar, Samar, Eastern Samar, Southern Leyte, one independent city, Ormoc, and one highly urbanized city, Tacloban (its regional center and largest city). The highly urbanized city of Tacloban is the sole regional center. These provinces and cities occupy the easternmost islands of the Visayas group of islands, hence the region's name.

Eastern Visayas faces the Philippine Sea to the east. The region's most famous landmark is the San Juanico Bridge, which links the islands of Samar and Leyte. As of 2020, the Eastern Visayas region has a population of 4,547,150 inhabitants, making it the least populous region in the Visayas.

Biliran, officially the Province of Biliran (Waray-Waray: Probinsya han Biliran; Cebuano: Lalawigan sa Biliran; Filipino: Lalawigan ng Biliran), is an island province in the Philippines located in the Eastern Visayas region (Region VIII). Biliran is one of the country's smallest and newest provinces. Formerly a sub-province of Leyte, it became an independent province in 1992.

Biliran lies less than a kilometer north of the island of Leyte. A bridge-causeway fixed link over Poro Island in the gateway town of Biliran connects the province to Leyte. Its capital is the municipality of Naval on the western coast of the island which is the most populous in the province.

Southern Leyte (Cebuano: Habagatang Leyte; Kabalian: Habagatan nga Leyte; Waray: Salatan nga Leyte; Tagalog: Timog Leyte), officially the Province of Southern Leyte, is a province in the Philippines located in the Eastern Visayas region. Its capital and largest city is Maasin. Southern Leyte comprised the third congressional district Leyte until it was made into an independent province in 1959. Southern Leyte includes Limasawa, an island to the south where the first Mass in Philippine soil is believed to have taken place and thus considered to be the birthplace of Christianity in the Philippines.

The province ranks as the second least populated in the region, after the province of Biliran. According to the 2020 census, the province has a population of 429,573.

Ormoc (IPA: [ʔoɾˈmok]), officially the City of Ormoc (Cebuano: Dakbayan sa Ormoc; Waray: Syudad han Ormoc; Filipino: Lungsod ng Ormoc), is an independent component city in the Eastern Visayas region of the Philippines. According to the 2024 census, it has a population of 238,545 inhabitants, making it the second most-populous city in the province of Leyte after the provincial capital of Tacloban. Ormoc City is the economic, cultural, commercial and transportation hub of western Leyte.

Ormoc is an independent component city, not subject to regulation from the Provincial Government of Leyte. However, the city is part of the 4th Congressional District of Leyte together with Albuera, Kananga, Merida, Palompon and Isabel, and statistically grouped under the province by the Philippine Statistics Authority. On November 8, 2013, the city was extensively damaged by Super Typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan), having previously suffered severe destruction and loss of life in 1991 from torrential flooding during Tropical Storm Thelma (Uring).

Tacloban (/tækˈloʊbən/ tak-LOH-ban; Tagalog pronunciation: [tɐkˈloban]), officially the City of Tacloban (Waray: Syudad han Tacloban; Filipino: Lungsod ng Tacloban), is a highly urbanized city on Leyte island in the Eastern Visayas region of the Philippines. According to the 2024 census, Tacloban has a population of 259,353, making it the most populous city in the Eastern Visayas. The city is located 360 miles (580 km) southeast of Manila.

Tacloban is the regional center of the Eastern Visayas region. It is also the largest city and capital of the province of Leyte, wherein it is geographically situated and grouped under the province by the Philippine Statistics Authority, but the city is governed and administered independently from it.