Tacloban (English: /təkˈloʊbɒn/ tək-loh-bahn; Waray-Waray and Tagalog: [tɐkˈloban]) officially the City of Tacloban (Waray-Waray: Syudad han Tacloban, Tagalog: Lungsod ng Tacloban) is the capital and seat of government of the Region of Eastern Visayas (Region VIII), Philippines. It is approximately 360 miles (580 km) southeast of Manila. It was the first city in Region VIII to become a "Highly Urbanized City" and is the largest city in terms of population in Eastern Visayas.[5] It is also the regional center of the Eastern Visayas, being the main gateway by air to the region. Tacloban was briefly the capital of the Philippines, from 20 October 1944 to 27 February 1945.
In an extensive survey conducted by the Asian Institute of Management Policy Center and released in July 2010, Tacloban City was ranked among the top ten most competitive cities in the Philippines. Tacloban ranked fifth overall, and second in the emerging cities category.[6]
On 8 November 2013, the city was largely destroyed by Super Typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan), having previously suffered similar destruction and loss of life in 1897 and 1912.[7]