Facts about limasawa

Answer: Limasawa, small island of historic importance near the island of Leyte, east-central Philippines. Located about 4 miles (6 km) off the southern tip of the island of Leyte just outside the mouth of Sogod Bay, Limasawa rises to about 700 feet (200 m). On this island, Ferdinand Magellan first made extended contact with Filipino natives on March 28, 1521. There also the first Roman Catholic mass was celebrated (March 31, 1521) in the Philippines. The island is inhabited by Visayan peoples who practice subsistence agriculture and fishing.

Limasawa, officially the Municipality of Limasawa, is a 6th class municipality in the province of Southern Leyte, Philippines. According to the 2015 census, it has a population of 6,061 people.[3]

At the request of the residents of the island of Limasawa, the six barangays that comprise that island were detached and separated from the municipality of Padre Burgos through Presidential Decree No. 1549, signed by then President Ferdinand Marcos on June 11, 1978, and constituted as the Municipality of Limasawa.[5] The island, also known as Sarangani Island, is located south of Leyte, in the Mindanao or Bohol Sea. It is about 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) long from north to south and is the smallest municipality in the province, in both area and population.

Limasawa is famous as it is believed to be the site of the first mass in Philippine soil[6], officiated on Easter Sunday of March 31, 1521 by Father Pedro de Valderrama under the fleet of Ferdinand Magellan. The island is one of the early Pacific contact sites between the East and the West.