Darvel Bay or Lahad Datu Bay is a bight (large bay) on the east side of

Sabah Sabah () is a States and federal territories of Malaysia, state of Malaysia located in northern Borneo, in the region of East Malaysia. Sabah has land borders with the Malaysian state of Sarawak to the southwest and Indonesia's North Kalima ...

Malaysia Malaysia is a country in Southeast Asia. Featuring the Tanjung Piai, southernmost point of continental Eurasia, it is a federation, federal constitutional monarchy consisting of States and federal territories of Malaysia, 13 states and thre ...

. 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 () 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 and Semporna. Tawau ...

, with Lahad Datu District on the north side,

Kunak District The Kunak District () 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 Town. Prior to its ...

in the middle and Semporna District 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