Tawi-Tawi
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2000 census—322,317 (17th smallest)
Density—296 per km² (21st highest)
Highly urbanized cities—0
Component cities—0
Municipalities—10
Barangays—203
Congressional districts—1
Tawi-Tawi is an island province of the Philippines located in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM). The capital of Tawi-Tawi is Panglima Sugala and the province is the southernmost in the country. To the northeast lies the province of Sulu and to the west is Sabah in Malaysia. 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 kilometers away from Sabah.
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[edit] Demographics
Most of the people in Tawi-Tawi belong either to the Sama tribe of which the Badjao (also called "Sama Dilaut") are a sub-group or the Tausug tribe. Many of the people maintain daily commerce with Sabah, since it is only 14 kilometers away.
[edit] Language
The prevailing language is the indigenous Bahasa Sinama which is widely used in varied tones and accents. This variety led to the development of Sinama dialects. The major ones are Sinama Sibutu (spoken mainly in the Sibutu-Sitangkai Region), Sinama Simunul (concentrated in Simunul-Manuk-Mangkaw Islands), Sinama Kapoan (spoken in the South Ubian-Tandubas and Sapa-Sapa Regions) and Sinama Banguingui(concentrated in Buan Island and spoken by Banguingui people).
The Tausug language is also spoken, as are English and Filipino (Tagalog). Many local locals and barter traders can speak Malay and Indonesian.
[edit] Economy
Agriculture, fishing, and agar-agar 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 produce, followed by root crops, fruits, and vegetables.
[edit] Geography
[edit] Political
Tawitawi is subdivided into 10 municipalities.
- Bongao - Is the microcosm of religious and cultural diversity.
- Languyan
- Mapun (Cagayan De Tawi-Tawi)
- Panglima Sugala (Balimbing)
- Sapa-Sapa
- Simunul - Site of Oldest Mosque in the Philippines and home of the revered Sheikh Makdum one of the early pioneers in the spread of the Islamic religion.
- Sitangkai - "Venice of the South"
- South Ubian
- Tandubas
- Turtle Islands
Most of the municipalities are located on the islands in the Sulu Archipelago. Two of them, Mapun, and Turtle Islands lie in the Sulu Sea. The municipalities are further subdivided into 203 barangays.
[edit] Physical
Tawi-Tawi lies at the southwestern tip of the country. Irregular in shape, with splashes of white sandy beaches and rock-bound coasts, the province has 107 islands and islets with a combined land area of 462 square miles.
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.
[edit] History
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 established in Bongao.
The name of Tawi-Tawi is a projection of the Malay word "jaui" meaning "far." Prehistoric travelers from the Asian mainland would repeat the word as "jaui-jaui" to mean "far away" because of the distance of the islands from the continent of Asia. The word "Tawi-Tawi" was picked up to later become the official name of the province.
[edit] External links
Bongao • Languyan • Mapun • Panglima Sugala • Sapa-Sapa • Sibutu • Simunul • Sitangkai • South Ubian • Tandubas • Turtle Islands
Basilan • Lanao del Sur • Maguindanao • Shariff Kabunsuan • Sulu • Tawi-Tawi
