Samar is the third-largest island in the Philippines at approximately 13,080 km², forming the eastern fringe of the Visayas and taking the direct Pacific typhoon approach that the western islands are shielded from. The island is divided into three provinces: Western Samar (Catbalogan as capital), Eastern Samar (Borongan), and Northern Samar (Catarman). The Samar Island Natural Park covers significant primary rainforest in the interior — one of the last remaining lowland old-growth forests in the Visayas. The San Juanico Bridge connects the island’s southwestern tip to Leyte.
Relevant to bp/ct scope primarily as geographic context for the Bohol Sea / Pacific weather systems, and as the point of Typhoon Haiyan’s first landfall (Guiuan, Eastern Samar, 8 November 2013). Reference stub.