Tawi-Tawi

Province was named after its main island. Tawi-Tawi is the Sinama form of jawi-jawi, Malay for "banyan tree;"[5] the island is known for having an abundance of this tree.[6] Early Spanish accounts give the name of the island as Tauitaui,[7] Tavi-Tavi or Tavitavi.[8]

Evidence of human presence in Tawi-tawi was carbon-dated to be 6,810 BC to 3,190 BC, signifying one of the earliest known evidence of human presence in Southeast Asia. The bones, jars, shells, and other artifacts and fossils were found in the Bolobok Rock Shelter Cave Archaeological Site, which has been declared as an Important Cultural Treasure by the government in 2017.[9]

Much of the Tawi-tawi area was the center of Sama culture and arts for hundreds of years. Some islands are sites of centuries-old traditional burial grounds featuring traditional Sama okil carvings of ancestors.[10][11]

In 1380, the first mosque in the Philippines, the Sheik Karimol Makhdum Mosque, was established by an Arab trader and missionary, Makhdum Karim. The area was heavily converted to Islam, especially when the Sultanate of Sulu in nearby Sulu province was founded. Although unlike the Tausug people, many Sama retained at least part of their ancient animist religions.[12]

As early as January 28, 1761, Sultan Muizz ud-Din entered into an agreement with Alexander Dalrymple of the British East India Company for commercial and economic concessions. The subsequent treaties with Muizz ud-Din on September 12, 1762 and with Sultan Azim ud-Din, claimant to the Sultanate and a prisoner of the British in Manila, on February 23, 1763, confirmed these British claims. However, on March 5, 1775, Datu Teteng annihilated the British troops in Balambangan. Since then, the Muslims not only fought the British soldiers but also the Spanish troops. After the brother of Sultan Aliyud-Din I captured the Spanish ship San Jose in Tawi-Tawi, the British forces withdrew from Balambangan in 1805.[13]

On January 28, 1878, Baron von Overbeck, representing the British North Borneo Company, signed a treaty with Sultan Jamalul Alam for the lease of the Sultan's land in Borneo at an annual rent of 5,000 Mexican dollars. The Germans also asked for commercial concessions. Due to foreign encroachments, the Spaniards constructed a naval base at Tata'an and built garrisons in Bongao and Siasi.[13]

On March 7, 1885, Spain, Britain and Germany signed a protocol in Madrid whereby Spain relinquished all her claims to the offshore lands in Borneo, granted freedom of trade and navigation in Sulu, and Britain and Germany recognized Spanish sovereignty over Balabac and Cagayan de Sulu. However, the British diplomatically continued to pay the annual rents for Sabah (Sultan's land in Borneo) to Harun ar-Rashid.[13]

During the Philippine Revolution of 1896, the mutiny of the 68th Regiment at Busbus, Jolo implicated Tagalog soldiers. The Muslims, however, retained their own views on independence and freedom.[13]

When the American forces occupied Jolo on May 19, 1899, they established garrisons at Bongao and Siasi after the Muslims wiped out the Spanish garrison in Tata'an, Tawi-Tawi. In 1900, the United States entered into a treaty with Spain whereby Sibutu and Cagayan de Sulu were ceded to the former for $100,000. The Sultanate continued to receive the rentals for Sabah until 1946 when the British North Borneo Company sold its rights to the British Crown.[13]

During World War II, the calm but exposed waters around the islands were used by the Imperial Japanese Navy as a major fleet anchorage due to its proximity to the oilfields of Borneo. Japanese forces however did not develop any facilities on the islands leaving the anchorage without an airfield, which allowed American submarines to track the movements of the Japanese fleet at the exposed anchorage.[14] After the Japanese Imperial Forces occupied Tawi-Tawi, guerilla forces were organized under Lts. Konglamtio and Alejandro Tresperes in Siasi and Tawi-Tawi. These units were under the Sulu Command led by Lt. Col. Alejandro Suarez. The Command aided the American Liberation Forces at Sanga-Sanga Island on April 2, 1945.[13]

On October 16, 1947, the offshore lands of Borneo—Taganak, Bakkungan, Bayaua, Sibauang and Lihiman Islands—were turned over to the Philippines by the British North Borneo government. The unveiling ceremonies of the marker in Taganak Island on June 26, 1948 were attended by M.G. Combe, representing Great Britain, former President Diosdado Macapagal for the Philippines, Princess Tarhata Kiram for the Sultanate, and Governor Kalinangan Calauag for Sulu.[13]

Bud Bongao, a 250-hectare (2.5 km²) mountain-forest and sacred mountain of Tawi-Tawi

The province lies at the southwestern tip of the country, situated between the Sulu Sea in the north and the Celebes Sea in the south. The province is part of the Sulu Archipelago, and consists of Tawitawi Island and 106 surrounding islands and islets with a combined land area of 1,087.4 square kilometres (419.8 square miles).[1] Tawitawi Island itself has an area of 580.5 square kilometres (224.1 square miles).[19] The last island of the province at the edge of the Philippine-Malaysia border is Panguan Island.

The province has two seasons: dry and wet. The climate is generally moderate. The wettest months are from August to November. The other months of the year are generally dry with occasional rain showers.[20]

Administrative divisions

Political map of Tawi-Tawi

Tawi-Tawi comprises 11 municipalities, all encompassed by two legislative districts and further subdivided into 203 barangays.[21]

• Bongao — the capital of the province
• Languyan — created by President Marcos for rebel leader Hadjiril Matba who joined the government in the 1970s
• Mapun — Tawi-Tawi's northernmost municipality, formerly Cagayan de Tawi-Tawi or Cagayan de Sulu
• Panglima Sugala — formerly known as Balimbing. However, in the EDSA Revolution, the word "balimbing" acquired a derogatory meaning associated with turncoatism due to the fruit's many sides. It is the former capital of the province.
• Sapa-Sapa
• Sibutu — home to the descendants of Malay royalty in Borneo and not necessarily associated with the Sulu royalty
• Simunul — site of oldest mosque in the Philippines and home of Sheikh Makdum, one of the early pioneers spreading Islam in the country
• Sitangkai — southernmost municipality in the country.
• South Ubian
• Tandubas
• Turtle Islands — a turtle sanctuary and protected area

Most of the municipalities are located on the islands in the Sulu Archipelago. Two of them, Mapun, and Turtle Islands lie within the Sulu Sea.

†  Provincial capital Municipality [i] Population ±% p.a. Area[21] Density (2015) Barangay (2015) [3] (2010) [22] km2 sq mi /km2 /sq mi Bongao † 25.7% 100,527 79,362 +4.60% 365.95 141.29 270 700 35 Languyan 8.6% 33,494 42,690 −4.51% 581.20 224.40 58 150 20 Mapun 6.8% 26,597 24,168 +1.84% 181.29 70.00 150 390 15 Panglima Sugala [ii] 11.3% 44,184 38,704 +2.55% 416.66 160.87 110 280 17 Sapa-Sapa 7.9% 30,917 28,781 +1.37% 235.61 90.97 130 340 23 Sibutu 7.8% 30,387 28,532 +1.21% — — — — 16 Simunul 8.0% 31,223 34,538 −1.90% 167.25 64.58 190 490 15 Sitangkai 8.5% 33,334 30,514 +1.70% 792.00 305.79 42 110 9 South Ubian 6.6% 25,935 27,741 −1.27% 272.04 105.04 95 250 31 Tandubas 7.5% 29,390 27,748 +1.10% 552.05 213.15 53 140 20 Turtle Islands 1.2% 4,727 3,772 +4.39% 62.50 24.13 76 200 2 Total 390,715 366,550 +1.22% —[iii] —[iii] —[iii] —[iii] 203 ^ The globe  icon marks the town center. ^ the Philippine Statistical Authority still labels the municipality as the capital,[21] despite BP 24 having designated Bongao as such.[4] ^ Total population area and density (sum of all component municipalities: 3,626.55 km2 or 362,655 ha)[23] is inconclusive as it conflicts with the figures given by the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries - Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao website (1,087.40 km2 or 108,740 ha).[24] Dashes (—) in cells indicate unavailable information.

The population of Tawi-Tawi in the 2015 census was 390,715 people, [26] with a density of 360 inhabitants per square kilometre or 930 inhabitants per square mile.

Agriculture, fishing, and agar-agar (seaweeds) farming are the leading source of livelihood of the people of Tawi-Tawi, with quite a number engaged in the barter trade business. Copra is the top agricultural product, followed by root crops, fruits, and vegetables.

Sanga-Sanga Airport, the main airport of the province, is located in the municipality of Bongao.

Cebu Pacific began operating a daily flight from Zamboanga City to Tawi-Tawi Province on October 14, 2011, utilizing its 150-seater Airbus A319 aircraft. Philippine Airlines (operated by PAL Express) also started operating flights to and from Zamboanga City on December 15, 2019.[35]

A sea connection to other parts of the Philippine archipelago as well as an international route to Semporna, Malaysia is available from Bongao.

• Andulinang Island
• Mardanas Island
• Panguan Island
• Panampangan Island

• Media related to Tawi-Tawi at Wikimedia Commons
• Geographic data related to Tawi-Tawi at OpenStreetMap