Tawau

Tawau Tawao
Town and district capital
Bandar Tawau
Other transcription(s)
• Jawi	تاواو‎
• Chinese	斗湖 (Simplified) 鬥湖 (Traditional) Dǒuhú (Hanyu Pinyin)
• Tamil	தவாவ் Tavāv (Transliteration)
From top, left to right: City sign, Aerial view towards the town center, Aerial view towards Cowie Bay
Seal
Motto:  Bumi Peladang
Location of Tawau in Sabah
Tawau    Tawau in    Sabah Show map of Sabah Tawau    Tawau in    Malaysia Show map of Malaysia Tawau Tawau (Asia) Show map of Asia Tawau Tawau (Earth) Show map of Earth
Coordinates: 04°15′30″N 117°53′40″E / 4.25833°N 117.89444°E / 4.25833; 117.89444
Country	Malaysia
State	Sabah
Division	Tawau
District	Tawau
Bruneian Empire	15th century–1658
Sultanate of Sulu	1658–1882
Sultanate of Bulungan	1750
Founded	1893
Settled by North Borneo Chartered Company	1898
Municipality	1 January 1982
Government
• Council President	Pang Pick Lim @ Joseph
Area
• Town	55.9 km2 (21.6 sq mi)
• Municipality	2,240 km2 (860 sq mi)
Elevation [1]	8 m (26 ft)
Population  (2020 Census)
• Municipality	372,615
Time zone	UTC+8 (MST)
• Summer (DST)	Not observed
Postal code	91000
Area code(s)	089
Vehicle registration	ET (1967-1980), ST (1980-2018), SW (2019-Present)
Website	mpt.sabah.gov.my

Tawau (Malaysian: [ˈta wau]), formerly known as Tawao, is the capital of the Tawau District in Sabah, Malaysia. It is the third-largest city in Sabah, after Kota Kinabalu and Sandakan. It is located on the Semporna Peninsula in the southeast coast of the state in the administrative centre of Tawau Division, which is bordered by the Sulu Sea to the east, the Celebes Sea to the south at Cowie Bay^{[note 1]} and shares a border with North Kalimantan, Indonesia. The town had an estimated population as of 2010^[update], of 113,809,^[2] while the whole municipality area had a population of 397,673 (including 47,466 in Kalabakan, subsequently split off to form a separate district).^{[2][note 2]} The municipal area had a population of 372,615 at the 2020 Census.^[3]

Before the founding of Tawau, the region around it was the subject of dispute between the British and Dutch spheres of influence. In 1893, the first British merchant vessel sailed into Tawau, marking the opening of the town's seaport. In 1898, the British set up a settlement in Tawau. The North Borneo Chartered Company (BNBC) accelerated growth of the settlement's population by encouraging the immigration of Chinese. Consequent to the Japanese occupation of North Borneo, the Allied forces bombed the town in mid-1944, razing it to the ground. After the Japanese surrender in 1945, 2,900 Japanese soldiers in Tawau became prisoners of war and were transferred to Jesselton. Tawau was rebuilt after the war, and by the end of 1947, the economy was restored to its pre-war status. Tawau was also the main point of conflict during the Indonesia–Malaysia confrontation from 1963 to 1966. During that period, it was garrisoned by the British Special Boat Section, and guarded by Australian Destroyers and combat aircraft. In December 1963, Tawau was bombed twice by Indonesia and shootings occurred across the Tawau-Sebatik Island international border. Indonesians were found trying to poison the town's water supply. In January 1965, a curfew was imposed to prevent Indonesian attackers from making contact with Indonesians living in the town. While in June 1965, another attempted invasion by the Indonesian forces was repelled by bombardment by an Australian destroyer. Military conflict finally ended in December 1966.

Among the tourist attractions in Tawau are: the Tawau International Cultural Festival, Tawau Bell Tower, Japanese War Cemetery, Confrontation Memorial, Teck Guan Cocoa Museum, Tawau Hills National Park, Bukit Gemok, and Tawau Tanjung Markets. The main economic activities of the town are: timber, cocoa, oil palm plantations, and prawn farming.

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