Nepedia
Back to Discover
Fluent Reader
🗺️

Tacloban

geography Maturity 11-13 Next article →

Tacloban is a busy city in the Philippines.

Philippine Island - Leyte - NARA - 68155994
Philippine Island - Leyte - NARA - 68155994

It sits on the northeastern tip of Leyte island. The city faces the water of Cancabato Bay. It is also near the San Juanico Strait. This strait separates Leyte from Samar island.

San Juanico Bridge 2
San Juanico Bridge 2

Tacloban is a very important place in the Eastern Visayas region. It is the largest city and the capital of Leyte province. Even though it is part of the province, the city is governed on its own. As of the 2024 census, 259,353 people live in the city. This makes it the most populous city in the whole region.

The name Tacloban has a very interesting origin. Long ago, the area was known as Kankabatok. This name came from the first people who lived there, called the Kabatok.

Tacloban City Hall (Magsaysay Blvd., Tacloban, Leyte; 09-08-2022)
Tacloban City Hall (Magsaysay Blvd., Tacloban, Leyte; 09-08-2022)

Later, the name changed because of local fishermen. They used a bamboo tray called a "taklub" to catch crabs and shrimp.

TAKLUB
TAKLUB

When people asked where they were going, they said "tarakluban." This meant the place where they used the taklub. Eventually, this became the name we use today.

History has brought many big changes to the city. In the early 1900s, the port was opened to world trade. This helped the city grow as a center for schools and business. During World War II, Japanese forces occupied the city for two years. This was a very dark and difficult time for the people. However, Filipino and American troops eventually arrived to liberate the area.

Madonna of Japan in the Kanfuraw Hill, Tacloban01
Madonna of Japan in the Kanfuraw Hill, Tacloban01

In 1944, Tacloban even served as the temporary capital of the Philippines. This happened when General Douglas MacArthur arrived to fulfill his famous promise.

The weather in Tacloban is warm and wet all year. It has a tropical rainforest climate. This means there is no dry season at all. Rainfall is heavy and happens very often throughout the year. The average daytime temperature stays around 32 degrees Celsius. The warmest month is usually May. The coolest months are January and February. Because there are many cyclones in the area, the weather can change quickly. The city gets about 2,673 millimeters of rain every year.

Tacloban is a city that shows great strength. In November 2013, a huge typhoon named Haiyan hit the city.

Tacloban Typhoon Haiyan 2013-11-14
Tacloban Typhoon Haiyan 2013-11-14

The storm caused massive destruction to buildings and homes. Many people lost their lives during this event. A few years later, Pope Francis visited the city in 2015.

Pope Francis Tacloban 17
Pope Francis Tacloban 17

He visited the Daniel Z. Romualdez Airport to hold a mass for the people. This visit was a special moment for those living in the city.

421 words

Where will your curiosity go next?

Keep exploring at your chosen reading level.

🖼️ Images & Media (13)
File:TAKLUB.JPG
TAKLUB.JPG
File:Philippine Island - Leyte - NARA - 68155994.jpg
Philippine Island - Leyte - NARA - 68155994.jpg
File:Madonna of Japan in the Kanfuraw Hill, Tacloban01.JPG
Madonna of Japan in the Kanfuraw Hill,...
File:Tacloban Typhoon Haiyan 2013-11-14.jpg
Tacloban Typhoon Haiyan 2013-11-14.jpg
File:Pope Francis Tacloban 17.jpg
Pope Francis Tacloban 17.jpg
File:Tacloban City Hall (Magsaysay Blvd., Tacloban, Leyte; 09-08-2022).jpg
Tacloban City Hall (Magsaysay Blvd.,...
File:Ph seal Tacloban.png
Ph seal Tacloban.png
File:PIN-KAS6.JPG
PIN-KAS6.JPG
File:Astrodome Tacloban City.JPG
Astrodome Tacloban City.JPG
File:Balyuan Park.jpg
Balyuan Park.jpg
File:Tacloban_DZR_Airport_Terminal_2023-11-17.jpg
Tacloban_DZR_Airport_Terminal_2023-11-17.jpg
File:San Juanico Bridge 2.JPG
San Juanico Bridge 2.JPG

+ 1 more

More to explore

✨ What else?

Related topics you might enjoy

🔬 Go deeper

More advanced topics to explore

🪜 Step back

Simpler topics to build understanding

What is Nepedia?

A free, ad-free encyclopedia for children. Every article is written at five reading levels, so the same page works for a five-year-old and a fifteen-year-old — use the level switcher above to see this one change. No account needed to read.