Capul

Capul
Municipality of Capul
USS Essex passes Capul Island while passing through the San Bernardino Strait
Map of Northern Samar with Capul highlighted
OpenStreetMap
Capul
Location within the Philippines
Coordinates: 12°25′23″N 124°10′55″E / 12.423°N 124.182°E / 12.423; 124.182
CountryPhilippines
RegionEastern Visayas
ProvinceNorthern Samar
District 1st district
Barangays12 (see Barangays)
Government
  TypeSangguniang Bayan
  MayorTeresita S. Bandal
  Vice MayorJoselito C. Catucod
  RepresentativePaul R. Daza
  Councilors
List
  Electorate10,333 voters (2025)
Area
  Total
35.56 km2 (13.73 sq mi)
Elevation
73 m (240 ft)
Highest elevation
585 m (1,919 ft)
Lowest elevation
0 m (0 ft)
Population
 (2020 census)
  Total
12,323
  Density350/km2 (900/sq mi)
  Households
2,712
Demonym(s)Abaknon, Capuleño
Economy
  Income class5th municipal income class
  Poverty incidence
17.91
% (2021)
  Revenue97.8 million (2022)
  Assets207.6 million (2022)
  Expenditure79.7 million (2022)
  Liabilities22.65 million (2022)
Service provider
  ElectricityNorthern Samar Electric Cooperative (NORSAMELCO)
Time zoneUTC+8 (PST)
ZIP code
6408
PSGC
IDD:area code+63(0)55
Native languagesAbaknon
Waray
Tagalog
Websitewww.capul-nsamar.gov.ph

Capul, officially the Municipality of Capul (Waray: Bungto han Capul; Tagalog: Bayan ng Capul), is an island municipality in the province of Northern Samar, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 12,323 people.

The natives of Capul are known as the Abaknon or the Capuleño people. It is the only town in the province of Northern Samar with a distinct language, Inabaknon (also known as Capuleño, Abaknon Sama, or Capul Sinama), instead of Waray, the native language spoken by the locals of Samar island. Inabaknon is unique in it being only distantly related to the languages spoken in the entire Visayas and Luzon regions. Instead, it is classified by linguists as a Sama-Bajaw language.

A lighthouse was built on the island which served as a guidepost for the Acapulco-Manila galleon trade vessels passing through the treacherous waters of San Bernardino Strait. It also served as the capital of the former province of Samar from 1848 to 1852.