Tawi-Tawi | |||
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Province | |||
Province of Tawi-Tawi | |||
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Location in the Philippines |
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Coordinates: 5°12′00″N 120°05′00″E / 5.2°N 120.0833333°ECoordinates: 5°12′00″N 120°05′00″E / 5.2°N 120.0833333°E | |||
Country | Philippines | ||
Region | Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) | ||
Founded | September 11, 1973 | ||
Capital | Bongao | ||
Government | |||
• Type | Sangguniang Panlalawigan | ||
• Governor | Nurbert Sahali (Liberal Party) | ||
• Vice Governor | Tati Ahaja (Liberal Party) | ||
Area | |||
• Total | 1,087.40 km2 (419.85 sq mi) | ||
Area rank | 74th out of 81 | ||
Highest elevation (Bud Bongao) | 549 m (1,801 ft) | ||
Population (2015 census) | |||
• Total | 390,715 | ||
• Rank | 63rd out of 81 | ||
• Density | 360/km2 (930/sq mi) | ||
• Density rank | 18th out of 81 | ||
Divisions | |||
• Independent cities | 0 | ||
• Component cities | 0 | ||
• Municipalities | |||
• Barangays | 203 | ||
• Districts | Lone district of Tawi-Tawi | ||
Time zone | PHT (UTC+8) | ||
ZIP code | 7500–7509 | ||
IDD : area code | +63 (0)68 | ||
ISO 3166 code | PH-TAW | ||
Spoken languages |
Tawi-Tawi (Zamboangueño: Provincia de Tawi-Tawi) is an island province in the Philippines located in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM). The capital of Tawi-Tawi is Bongao, per Batas Pambansa Blg. 24 enacted on April 4, 1979.
It is the southernmost province of the country, sharing sea borders with the Malaysian state of Sabah and the Indonesian North Kalimantan province, both on the island of Borneo to the west. To the northeast lies the province of Sulu. Tawi-Tawi also covers some islands in the Sulu Sea to the northwest, the Cagayan de Tawi-Tawi Island and the Turtle Islands, just 20 kilometres (12 mi) away from Sabah.
Province was named after its main island. Tawi-Tawi is the Sinama form of jawi-jawi, Malay for "banyan tree;" the island is known for having an abundance of this tree. Early Spanish accounts give the name of the island as Tauitaui,Tavi-Tavi or Tavitavi.
Sibutu remained under Spanish rule until 1900.
The Tawi-Tawi anchorage was a major base for the Imperial Japanese Navy's Southwest Area Fleet during the Second World War.
Tawi-Tawi was previously part of the province of Sulu. On September 11, 1973, pursuant to Presidential Decree No. 302, the new province of Tawi-Tawi was officially created, separate from Sulu. The seat of the provincial government was initially designated as Bato-Bato in the municipality of Balimbing, but was moved to Bongao on April 4, 1979 by virtue of Batas Pambansa Blg. 24.