The word Samal was also known before because it was commonly used as a surname by dat The island was initially home to the Muslim Sama-Bajau people, though it was also settled by the animistic Mansakas and Mandayas from northern and eastern parts of Davao Region in the mainland.

On April 19, 2000, Air Philippines Flight 541 crashed in the city, killing all 131 people on board.

IGaCoS enjoys an evenly distributed rainfall throughout the year and a typhoon-free climate, which makes it ideal for agricultural production and tourism.

[14] Cebuano is the common language spoken of the people of Samal Island, followed by Isama, and Tausug.

Poverty Incidence of Samal Source: Philippine Statistics Authority[19][20][21][22][23][24][25][26] The city's economy depends greatly on its agricultural production.

Copra, mango, corn, vegetables, citrus, and fish are the major products of the island.

It has also numerous marine reefs and tranquil waters that lure tourists to visit them, especially on Talikud Island.

[27] Because of these, the Department of Tourism named it one of the best visiting islands in Mindanao and currently one of the fastest growing tourist destinations in the country.

Fish, pearls, and edible crustaceans such as shrimps, prawns, and crabs are the main aquatic consumable products in the city.

The center of city governance is located at Barangay Peñaplata, Samal District, situated at the west central coast of the island.

The modes of transportation on the island are motorcycles, tricycles or trikes, and bus and private car services offered by resorts.

Bus operators: Efforts to link Samal Island to mainland Mindanao via Davao City have been going on for decades.

One of the earliest records of government attempts to get the project going is a news item from the Mindanao Times dated January 18, 1979, with the headline titled “Bridge to Link City and Samal”.

Several years earlier, talk of a bridge surfaced when an aluminum plant was being planned to be built on Samal Island by an eight-nation consortium of giant corporations.