Darvel Bay or Lahad Datu Bay is a

bight The word is derived from Old English ''byht'' (“bend, angle, corner; bay, bight”). In modern English, bight may refer to: * Bight (geography), recess of a coast, bay, or other curved feature * Bight (knot), a curved section, slack part, or loo ...

(large bay) on the east side of

Sabah Sabah () is a state of Malaysia located in northern Borneo, in the region of East Malaysia. Sabah borders the Malaysian state of Sarawak to the southwest and the North Kalimantan province of Indonesia to the south. The Federal Territory o ...

Malaysia Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federation, federal constitutional monarchy consists of States and federal territories of Malaysia, thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two r ...

. It is the largest semi-enclosed bay on the east coast of Borneo and faces the Sulawesi Sea. Administratively, it is within

Tawau Division Tawau Division ( ms, Bahagian Tawau) is one of the five administrative sub-divisions of Sabah, Malaysia. It occupies a total of 14,905 square kilometres or 20% of Sabah's territory. The main towns include the capital of Tawau, Lahad Datu, Kunak ...

, with

Lahad Datu District The Lahad Datu District ( ms, Daerah Lahad Datu) is an administrative district in the Malaysian state of Sabah, part of the Tawau Division which includes the districts of Kunak, Lahad Datu, Semporna and Tawau. The capital of the district is in ...

on the north side,

Kunak District The Kunak District ( ms, Daerah Kunak) is an administrative district in the Malaysian state of Sabah, part of the Tawau Division which includes the districts of Kunak, Lahad Datu, Semporna and Tawau. The capital of the district is in Kunak Tow ...

in the middle and

Semporna District The Semporna District ( ms, Daerah Semporna) is an administrative district in the Malaysian state of Sabah, part of the Tawau Division which includes the districts of Kunak, Lahad Datu, Semporna and Tawau. The capital of the district is in Se ...

to the south of the bay.

Geography

Large parts of the shore of Darval Bay are mangrove swamps. Within the bay there are numerous islands, the largest, Timbun Mata Island, is located near the southern shore.

History

The area around Darvel Bay has been inhabited for over 20,000 years.Hutton, Wendy (1993) ''East Malaysia and Brunei'' Passport Books, Lincolnwood, Illinois, p. 77, The limestone caves on the mainland and on the islands were used for prehistoric burials. Darvel Bay was a traditional haunt for pirates up to the end of the 19th century. Among the most famous pirates was Datu Kudunding. The British operated the Darvel Bay Tobacco Plantations Ltd, in Lahad Datu District which was immortalized in the documentary film ''Urban Bioscope Expedition through Borneo'' by H. M. Lomas.Herbert, Stephen (2000) ''A History of Early Film'' Routledge, London, pp. 180–181,

Geography

History

Notes

Further reading