Tawi-Tawi
Tawi-Tawi, officially the Province of Tawi-Tawi (Tausug: Wilaya' sin Tawi-Tawi; Sinama: Jawi Jawi/Jauih Jauih; Tagalog: Lalawigan ng Tawi-Tawi), is an island province in the Philippines located in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM). The capital of Tawi-Tawi is Bongao.
Tawi-Tawi | |
|---|---|
| Province of Tawi-Tawi | |
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Flag Seal | |
Location in the Philippines | |
OpenStreetMap | |
| Coordinates: 5°12′00″N 120°05′00″E | |
| Country | Philippines |
| Region | Bangsamoro |
| Founded | September 11, 1973 |
| Capital and largest municipality | Bongao |
| Government | |
| • Type | Sangguniang Panlalawigan |
| • Governor | Yshmael I. Sali (TOP) |
| • Vice Governor | Al-Syed A. Sali (TOP) |
| • Representative | Dimszar M. Sali (NUP) |
| Area | |
| • Total | 1,087.40 km2 (419.85 sq mi) |
| • Rank | 74th out of 81 |
| Highest elevation (Mount Sibangkat) | 552 m (1,811 ft) |
| Population (2020 census) | |
| • Total | 440,276 |
| • Rank | 62nd out of 81 |
| • Density | 400/km2 (1,000/sq mi) |
| • Rank | 18th out of 81 |
| Divisions | |
| • Independent cities | 0 |
| • Component cities | 0 |
| • Municipalities | |
| • Barangays | 203 |
| • Districts | Legislative district of Tawi-Tawi |
| Time zone | UTC+8 (PHT) |
| ZIP code | 7500–7509 |
| IDD : area code | +63 (0)68 |
| ISO 3166 code | PH-TAW |
| Spoken languages | |
| Income classification | 3rd class |
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, Cagayan de Tawi-Tawi Island and the Turtle Islands, just 20 kilometres (12 mi) away from Sabah.
The municipalities comprising the current Tawi-Tawi province were formerly under the jurisdiction of Sulu until 1973.