Population: 429,573 (as of 2020 Census)

Land Area: 1,801.46 square kilometers

Capital: Maasin City

Population: 87,446

Land Area: 211.71 square kilometers

Independent City: None

A province of the Philippines located in the Eastern Visayas region. Maasin City is the capital of the province. Southern Leyte was once part of Leyte province before it was made into a separate province by virtue of RA No. 2227. The new province was inaugurated on July 1,1960. Southern Leyte includes Limasawa, an island to the south where the first Christian Mass was held and considered to be the birthplace of Christianity in the Philippines.

Southern Leyte is one of the 6 provinces of Region 8 or Eastern Visayas Region. It is bounded on the north by Leyte Province, on the south by Mindanao Sea, on the east by the Pacific Ocean and on the west by Visayas Sea.

It is composed of 1 Congressional District; 1 city, 18 municipalities, and 500 barangays, 255 of which are coastal barangays and 245 non-coastal barangays.

It has 5 urban barangays which are located in Maasin City (4) and Sogod (1); the rest of the barangays (495) are classified as rural barangays.

The population of Southern Leyte in the 2020 census was 429,573 people,  with a density of 240 inhabitants per square kilometre or 620 inhabitants per square mile.

Southern Leyte ranked fifth in terms of population among the six provinces in Eastern Visayas with 9.98 percent of the 3.6 million persons of the region. On the contrary, it was the fastest-growing province in the region. 

Administrative divisions

In 2000, Maasin was converted into a city as capital of Southern Leyte. The remaining component municipality classes range from 2nd to 5th level in the province. 

Sogod municipality which is the center of trade, commerce and industry among municipalities within the Sogod Bay is a 2nd class municipality. 

Hinunangan, which holds the distinction as the "Rice Granary of the Province" for its vast plain land that is entirely planted with rice, Liloan, Malitbog, Saint Bernard, and Macrohon, are in the 4th level. 

The remaining municipalities—Anahawan, Hinundayan, Libagon, Padre Burgos, Pintuyan, San Francisco, San Juan (formerly Cabalian), San Ricardo, Silago, Tomas Oppus and Limasawa, a component island to the south—are under 5th level.

TOTAL POPULATION AND POPULATION GROWTH

As of 2020, Southern Leyte has a total population of 429,573 . For a period of 50 years from 1960 to 2010, the population of Southern Leyte has doubled its number.

ECONOMIC ACTIVITIES OF THE PEOPLE

The province abounds with many sorts of mineral resources, including such metallic minerals as gold, copper, iron, lead and zinc, and such non-metallic ones as clay, limestone and marble. It has 334 hectares of land planted with red woods.

The major industries are agriculture, fishery and handicraft making. The main agricultural products are copra, abaca fibre, banana, rice, corn, fruits, vegetable, livestock raising and poultry meat, etc.. The main marine products include tuna, flying fish, mackerel, shells and lobster, etc.. The main handicraft products are ceramics, and items made of abaca, coconut and bamboo.

Tourism

Some 200,000 tourists visit Southern Leyte each year.

Domestic tourism is mostly those wishing to enjoy the sandy beaches, hotels and resorts along the coastline. Significant numbers also visit for religious festivals such as Sinulog and Limasawa

Most international travellers visit Southern Leyte for reef diving and snorkeling, from just outside Maasin City, all the way around Sogod Bay via Padre Burgos. There are also an increasing number of non-divers who come to see the whale sharks between October and April.

In recent years there has been a drive to promote tourism in the region. There is a new Zoo and Wildlife Park in Barangay Danao in Maasin City. Not far from Sogod is a zip line over the tallest bridge in the Philippines.

With this increase in numbers, there is a selection of new hotels along the coast.

Transportation

The road network of Southern Leyte consists of major arterial highways that link the province to Leyte, passing through two major outlets. On the western part is the Maasin-Mahaplag-Baybay and the central part by the MahaplagSogod road via the Maharlika Highway. On the eastern part of the province, the opening of the new AbuyogSilago Roads provides fast and convenient travel to the eastern towns of Southern Leyte. Maharlika road contributes to the development of the province.

Southern Leyte has a total of 11 seaports, two of which are declared as national ports, the Maasin and Liloan ports, and the 10 are municipal ports. Of these 10 ports, five are operational: Maasin, Liloan, Saint Bernard, San Juan and Sogod. By sea, travel to Cebu from Maasin port takes an average of six hours and a maximum of two hours. A ferryboat from Liloan to Surigao takes three hours.

The province has only one existing airport, Panan-awan Airport located in Maasin City. At present, however, the airport does not service any commercial flight. It has no terminal and can only accommodate aircraft for general aviation weighing 12,000 pounds (5,400 kg) and below at daytime. It is considered a feeder airport with a total runway length of 1,200 metres (3,900 ft) and width of 30 metres (98 ft).

Geography

Southern Leyte occupies the southern quarter of the island of Leyte. It is bounded by the province of Leyte to the north, by Surigao Strait to the east, Bohol Sea to the south, and Canigao Channel, across from Bohol, to the west. Its total land area is 1,798.61 square kilometres (694.45 sq mi). The central portion of the province is dominated by the Sogod Bay, a long bay that cuts deep into the island.

Topography

Southern Leyte is characterized by relatively flat lands along the coastal areas where population centers lie, but rugged mountains towards the interior.

Climate

Southern Leyte has two types of climate according to the Coronas Classification. These are Type II and Type IV.

Type II is characterized by the absence of dry season with a very pronounced maximum rain period occurring from November to January. This type prevails in the eastern half of the province.  On the other hand, Type IV has a rainfall that is more or less evenly distributed throughout the year. This type prevails in the western part of the province.

Language

The native language is a Boholano dialect variant of Cebuano. Waray is sometimes spoken (concentrated in some barrios near Waray speaking towns such as Abuyog and Mahaplag), while Tagalog and English are used as second languages. Kinabalian, a type of "rare, unique language", is spoken alongside Cebuano in the towns of San Juan and Anahawan.

Religion

Limasawa, an island municipality to the south, is believed to be the site of the first Christian mass in Philippine soil and the birthplace of Christianity in the Philippines, when Ferdinand Magellan, a Portuguese navigator and explorer landed on March 28, 1521. The first Holy Sacrifice of the Mass was held on March 31, 1521, led by Friar Pedro de Valderrama, the chaplain of Ferdinand Magellan during the expedition. The mass marked the start of Christian propagation.

Fiesta, a Spanish term meaning "festivity", is celebrated in the province with prayer, food, drinking, dance and music. Every barangay of every town in the province has its own celebration date. For instance, Hinunangan celebrates a town fiesta on the 29 June with the Saint Peter and Saint Paul Fluvial boat parade the day before. The kuratsa – a courtship dance-drama – highlights every occasion.

The province also holds its own festivals. "Sinulog sa malitbog" is an annual religious street pageant in Malitbog to pay homage to the Holy Child Jesus (Santo Niño), the town's patron saint. Similarly, the historic and religious coming of the Spaniards is commemorated every 31 March in Limasawa with a cultural presentation and anniversary program dubbed "Sinugdan", meaning "beginning." Other festivals held in the province to highlight events are the Pagkamugna Festival and Pabulhon Festival in Maasin City, Karomata Festival in Beunavista, Pintuyan, Tangka-tangka Festival in Tangkaan, Padre Burgos and Manhaon Festival in Macrohon.