Tawi-Tawi
Tawi-Tawi タウイタウイ |
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| Motto: 風林火山 "Fuurin Kazan" Wind, Forest, Fire, Mountain |
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| Anthem: 国を越えて "Kuni wo Koete" (en:Across the Land) |
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 Map of Tawi-tawi
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| Status | Overseas Territory of Nakama | |||||
| Capital and largest city | Bongao | |||||
| Official languages | Nakamaese Sama |
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| Government | Devolved representative democratic parliamentary dependency under a constitutional monarchy | |||||
| - | Emperor | Wakahito | ||||
| - | Governor | Baharoodeen Zulfikar | ||||
| Significant Historical Dates | ||||||
| - | Manila Agreement | 11 April 1899 | ||||
| - | Returned to Nakama | 17 November 1947 | ||||
| Area | ||||||
| - | Total | 1,087 km2 420 sq mi |
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| Population | ||||||
| - | 2019 estimate | 585,715 | ||||
| - | 2016 census | 568,201 | ||||
| - | Density | 535/km2 1,385.6/sq mi |
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| GDP (PPP) | 2019 estimate | |||||
| - | Total | $33.6 Million | ||||
| - | Per capita | $28,290 | ||||
| HDI | 0.826 very high |
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| Currency | Nakamaese Yen (¥) |
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| Time zone | Tawi Time (UTC+8) | |||||
| Drives on the | left | |||||
Tawi-Tawi (タウイタウイ, Tawui-Tawui) is an overseas territory of Nakama located at the Southwestern end of Sulu Archipelago. It has area of 1,087 km2 and is bordered to the north by Philippines, west by Malaysia and South by Indonesia
History[edit | edit source]
Spanish period and prior[edit | edit source]
Spanish-American War[edit | edit source]
Kurahashi Overseas Territory[edit | edit source]
World War 2 and Imperial Japan[edit | edit source]
The collapse of Kurahashi Shogunate after Third Kurahashi-Japan War caused its government to exist as government in exile on its external territory. Initially Tawi-tawi was the capital of it until fall of it in Late 1941 which forced it to move into Shortland.
Tawi-tawi was conquered by Imperial Japan on Late 1941 following the attack on nearby Philippines. 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.
On April 2, 1945, the 2nd Battalion of the U.S. 163rd Regiment, 41st Division (formerly the Montana National Guard) landed at Sanga Sanga and Bongao started the allied liberation of Tawi-tawi and Sulu Archipelago.
Postwar[edit | edit source]
By the end of war Tawi-tawi was occupied by United States until it is returned to Nakama in 1947. Nakama granted greater autonomy of Tawi-Tawi and its self governing power on 1965. The islands grow into one of major tourism spot for Nakamaese and foreigners. Nakamaese government incentives local to expand its fishing and tourism industry to boost local economy and creating self sustaining system.
The nearby conflict on Sulu Archipelago since 1969 affecting the security of the region. While Tawi-tawi relatively stable to neighboring areas its still subjects to several conflicts and minor terror however nothing major taking place on Tawi-tawi. The most notable one was in 2013
Governance[edit | edit source]
Geography[edit | edit source]
Economy[edit | edit source]
Demographics[edit | edit source]
The population of Tawi-Tawi in the 2016 census was 585,715.
Most of the people in Tawi-Tawi belong to the Sama cultural group with 91% of its population consist of Sama people. Minorities includes Nakamaese 4%, Tausug 3% and Moro 2%