Southern Leyte (Cebuano:Habagatang Leyte) is a province of thePhilippines located in the Eastern Visayas region. Maasin City is the capital of the province. Southern Leyte was once a sub-province of Leyte before it was divided from the latter. Southern Leyte includes Limasawa, an island to the south where the first Roman Catholic Mass was held and considered to be the birthplace of Catholicism in the Philippines.[3]

The province ranks as the second least populated in the region. According to the 2010 census, the province has a population of 399,137[4]

Southern Leyte's geological features created several issues in the province after the flooding of the Subangdaku River and the 2006 mudslide inGuinsaugon. Organizations warned the province it was susceptible tonatural occurrences like landslides and floods.[5]

Southern Leyte contributes to the economy of the country. It forms an important part of the inter-island transportation system of the country, with ferries transporting people and goods between Liloan and Surigao del Nortein Mindanao. The province is well known for its quality abaca products and is the country's major producer of abaca fiber.