Northern Samar
—  Province  —
Flag Seal
Map of the Philippines with Northern Samar highlighted
Coordinates: 12°20′N 124°40′E / 12.333°N 124.667°E / 12.333; 124.667Coordinates: 12°20′N 124°40′E / 12.333°N 124.667°E / 12.333; 124.667
Country	Philippines
Region	Eastern Visayas (Region VIII)
Founded	June 19, 1965
Capital	Catarman
Government
• Governor	Paul R. Daza (Liberal)
• 1st District Representative	Raul A. Daza (Liberal)
• 2nd District Representative	Emil L. Ong (NUP)
Area
• Total	3,692.93 km2 (1,425.85 sq mi)
Area rank	37th out of 80
Population (2010)
• Total	589,013
• Rank	44th out of 80
• Density	160/km2 (410/sq mi)
• Density rank	50th out of 80
Divisions
• Independent cities	0
• Component cities	0
• Municipalities	24
• Barangays	569
• Districts	1st and 2nd districts of Samar
Time zone	PHT (UTC+8)
ZIP Code
Spoken languages	Waray-Waray, Cebuano, Inabaknon, Tagalog, English

Northern Samar (Filipino:Hilagang Samar) is a province of the Philippines located in the Eastern Visayas region. Its capital is Catarman and is located at the northern portion of the island of Samar. Bordering the province to the south are the provinces of Samar and Eastern Samar. To the northwest, across the San Bernardino Strait is Sorsogon; to the east is the Philippine Sea and to the west is Samar Sea.

  People and culture

The People

The people of Northern Samar were previously called the "Ibabaonons". Generally, they are members of the "Waray" or "Waray-waray" or "Waraynon", the people of Eastern Visayas or Samar-Leyte region. To distinguish themselves from the Westehanon (people from Samar) and Estehanon (from Eastern Samar) when Samar Island was split into three provinces in 1965, and the Leyteños (the people from the Leyte Island), they now call themselves as "Nortehanon".

Languages/Dialects Spoken

Majority of the people in the province of Northern Samar speak the Norte Samarnon, a variation of Waray-Waray. About 4.5 percent of the population, especially in the island towns, speak Cebuano, while a minority speaks Inabaknon, a unique dialect said to be one of the most preserved languages to date. This is the native tongue of the populace in the island town of Capul.

Norte Samarnon usually is further subclassified into Balicuatro, Central and Pacific speakers.

Tagalog and English are also widely understood in Northern Samar.

Religions

The communities of this province are predominantly Catholic. Other religious groups are Iglesia ni Cristo, Philippine Independent Catholic Church (Aglipayan), Seventh-Day Adventists, Jehovah’s Witnesses, Church of Latter-Day Saints and other Christian sects. A small number of population are Muslim.

  Tourism

Northern Samar has a lot of tourism potentials that are still undiscovered and unknown by many tourists. You can find famous old churches, beautiful falls, rivers, caves, virgin forests, beaches, and other secret places.

Three of these “secret” places are the island Municipalities of Biri, Capul and Dalupirit (San Antonio), all off the coast of Northern Samar.

Remote and desolate, and definitely off the normal tourist track, forgotten Northern Samar evokes powerful images.

Among the last frontiers in the country, its rugged coastline of limestone cliffs along the Pacific Ocean is a historical landmark. During the Spanish colonial era, Samar island was the first Philippine landfall seen by the Manila galleons as they approached the end of their long voyage from Acapulco.

Entering the waters of the Philippine archipelago, the galleons called at the fortified island of Capul off Samar, offered thanks for a safe crossing at the Jesuit church, and then negotiated the rough waters of narrow San Bernardino Strait toward Manila, their final destination.

Capul also became the last stop on Philippine soil of the departing galleons before the long, often treacherous trans-Pacific sail to Acapulco in Mexico.

  Geography

Geography

Northern Samar is one of the three provinces comprising Samar Island (the other two are Samar and Eastern Samar provinces). It is bounded by the Pacific Ocean on the east, the San Bernardino Strait on the north, Samar Sea on the west, and the Samar and Eastern Samar provinces on the south. It ranks thirty-seventh (37th) in size among the 80 provinces of the Philippines and accounts for practically 1.2 percent of the total land area of the country. It is located at the eastern edge of the Archipelago with an area of 349,800 hectares. About 52 percent of the total land area is covered by forest and 42 percent is classified as alienable and disposable.

Socio-Demographic Situation

Northern Samar is classified as second class province. Based on the 2010 National Census, the province has a total population of 589,013.

Catarman is the capital town of the province where most political and economic activities take place. It is the seat of administration and the center of trade and commerce as well as industry.

The province is considered a very rural area with 65% of its people residing in the countryside.

Topography

Northern Samar has a very rugged terrain with restricted pocket plains and valleys. River valleys are low-lying and are often interrupted by hills, while the remaining portion is rolling, hilly, and mountainous. The interior of the mainland consists of highly dissected hills and mountain peaks. Low-lying hills are found between the coastal plains of Palapag, the river valley of Gamay, and Catubig Valley.

Climate

Northern Samar falls under the intermediate type climate, which has no distinct dry and wet seasons. The rainiest months are October to January, while the driest is the month of May.

  Political

Northern Samar is divided into three (3) major geographical areas, namely: Balicuatro area, Central area, and Pacific area including Catubig Valley – the province’s rice granary. It comprises 24 towns or municipalities with 569 registered barangays. The province is divided into two legislative districts, the first district, covering the Balicuatro and most part of the Central Area, and the second district, covering the some part of the Central Area, the Pacific Area and the Catubig Valley:

  Municipalities

  Physical

Northern Samar is bounded on the north by the San Bernardino Strait, on the east by the Pacific Ocean, on the west by the Samar Sea, on the southwest by Western Samar and on the southeast by Eastern Samar. Its total land area is 3,692.93 km².

The province is composed largely of low and extremely rugged hills and small lowland areas. It also has small and discontinuous areas along the coasts and its rivers are usually accompanied by alluvial plains and valleys. The province is endowed with relatively rich and fertile soil that most crops can grow on it.

  History

Between 1599 and 1605, the Jesuits established a mission residence in Palapag among the Ibabao populace. These missionaries stayed until the late 17th century when they were expelled from the Philippines and were replaced by the Franciscans.

As the San Bernardino Strait was along the route of the Spanish galleons plying between Manila and Acapulco, Mexico, a royal port was established in Palapag where the richly laden Manila galleons were protected from unfavorable winds and troubled seas.

In the early year of the 16th century, shipbuilders were drafted from Palapag to the Cavite shipyards for the construction of galleons and vessels for the conservation of defense of the island. It was also at this time that these recruits ignited the Sumoroy insurrection, which signaled a general uprising against Spain in the Visayas and Mindanao. The insurrection simultaneously flared northward to Albay and southward to the northern coasts of Mindanao and then Cebu. It took over a year before the Spaniards were able to subdue the rebellion.

Later in 1898, when the Americans landed on the beach of Catarman, they organized a revolutionary army led by General Vicente Lukban who fought the invaders armed with cannons and rifles with only bolos and "paltiks". Although defeated, they, however, continued to harass the Americans through guerilla warfare.

During World War II, the people of Northern Samar organized a platoon of volunteers supported by voluntary contributions. The contingent became a part of the Philippine National Guards in Manila. The province also helped the government by purchasing a considerable amount of bonds floated to finance the National Commission for Independence, then organized by Manuel L. Quezon after a coalition of the Nacionalista and Democrata parties was formed.

Congressman Eladio T. Balite of Northern Samar and Felipe J. Abrigo of Eastern Samar, authored Republic Act 4221 which was approved by Congress in 1963. The law, ratified in a plebiscite on November 9, 1965, divided Samar into three, namely, Northern Samar, Eastern Samar and Western Samar. The first provincial officials of Northern Samar were elected on November 14, 1967 and on January 1, 1968, they officially assumed office.

  External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Northern Samar

• Official Website of the Provincial Government of Northern Samar
• Official Webpage of the Sangguniang Panlalawigan of the Province of Northern Samar
• Official Webpage of the Liga ng mga Barangay sa Pilipinas, Northern Samar Provincial Federation
• Official Webpage of the Office of the Secretary to the Sangguniang Panlalawigan of the Province of Northern Samar
• Philippine Standard Geographic Code
• 1995 Philippine Census Information
• 2000 Philippine Census Information
• 2007 Philippine Census Information (1)
• 2007 Philippine Census Information (2)
• Local Governance Performance Management System
• Governor's Report 2001-2012

	Sorsogon / San Bernardino Strait	Philippine Sea
	Masbate / Samar Sea		Philippine Sea
		Northern Samar
		Samar	Eastern Samar

Province of Northern Samar Municipalities Allen Biri Bobon Capul Catarman Catubig Gamay Laoang Lapinig Las Navas Lavezares Lope de Vega Mapanas Mondragon Palapag Pambujan Rosario San Antonio San Isidro San Jose San Roque San Vicente Silvino Lobos Victoria

Eastern Visayas (Region VIII) Regional Center Tacloban Provinces Biliran Eastern Samar Leyte Northern Samar Samar Southern Leyte Highly Urbanized City Tacloban Independent Component City Ormoc Component Cities Baybay Borongan Calbayog Catbalogan Maasin Provincial Capitals Borongan Catarman Catbalogan Maasin Naval Tacloban Municipalities Abuyog Alangalang Albuera Allen Almagro Almeria Anahawan Arteche Babatngon Balangiga Balangkayan Barugo Basey Bato Biliran Biri Bobon Bontoc Burauen Cabucgayan Caibiran Calbiga Calubian Can-avid Capoocan Capul Carigara Catarman Catubig Culaba Dagami Daram Dolores Dular Gamay Gandara General MacArthur Giporlos Guiuan Hernani Hilongos Hinabangan Hindang Hinunangan Hinundayan Inopacan Isabel Jaro Javier Jiabong Jipapad Julita Kananga Kawayan La Paz Laoang Lapinig Las Navas Lavezares Lawaan Leyte Libagon Liloan Limasawa Llorente Lope de Vega MacArthur Macrohon Mahaplag Malitbog Mapanas Marabut Maripipi Maslog Matag-ob Matalom Matuguinao Maydolong Mayorga Mercedes Merida Mondragon Motiong Naval Oras Padre Burgos Pagsanghan Palapag Palo Palompon Pambujan Paranas Pastrana Pinabacdao Pintuyan Quinapondan Rosario Saint Bernard Salcedo San Antonio San Francisco San Isidro (Leyte) San Isidro (Northern Samar) San Jorge San Jose San Jose de Buan San Juan San Julian San Miguel San Policarpo San Ricardo San Roque San Sebastian San Vicente Santa Fe Santa Margarita Santa Rita Santo Niño Silago Silvino Lobos Sogod Sulat Tabango Tabontabon Taft Tagapul-an Talalora Tanauan Tarangnan Tolosa Tomas Oppus Tunga Victoria Villaba Villareal Zumarraga Visayas, Republic of the Philippines

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