Tawau (), formerly known as Tawao, is the capital of the
Tawau District in Sabah, Malaysia. It is the third-largest city (or town)
[While Tawau have a population of more than 100,000 of which is considered city elsewhere in the world it is officially referred as "bandar" (town) in Malay language due to Malaysian law have multiple criteria for a town to be considered a city including a population of more than 500,000 (such as George Town, Penang), administrative centre of a state (such as ]Kuching
Kuching ( , ), officially the City of Kuching, is the capital and the most populous city in the States and federal territories of Malaysia, state of Sarawak in Malaysia. It is also the capital of Kuching Division. The city is on the Sarawak Ri ...
, a state capital of Sarawak
Sarawak ( , ) is a States and federal territories of Malaysia, state of Malaysia. It is the largest among the 13 states, with an area almost equal to that of Peninsular Malaysia. Sarawak is located in East Malaysia in northwest Borneo, and is ...
despite its smaller 300,000 population) and income of RM100 million. 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
Cowie Bay (Malay language, Malay: ''Teluk Cowie'') is a bay on the east coast of the island of Borneo. It is a part of the Malaysian States and federal territories of Malaysia, state of Sabah and flows into the Celebes Sea. Administratively, it b ...
[Cowie Bay in the early 19th century was known as Kalabakong Bay. It is also known as Sibuco Bay.] and shares a border with
North Kalimantan, Indonesia. The town had an estimated population , of 113,809,
while the whole municipality area had a population of 397,673 (including 47,466 in Kalabakan, subsequently split off to form a separate district).
[Above the official figures of the 2010 Census, there are a large number of illegal immigrants from Indonesia and the Philippines.(Goodlet, page 248 and page 299)] The municipal area had a population of 372,615 at the 2020 Census.
[Dept. of Statistics Malaysia (web).]
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
Sebatik Island (Indonesian language, Indonesian/Malay language, Malay: ''Pulau Sebatik'') is an island off the eastern coast of Borneo, Divided island, split between Indonesia and Malaysia. It is one of the 92 officially listed List of outlyi ...
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.
History

Like most of this part of Borneo, this area was once under the control of the
Bruneian Empire in the 15th century before being ceded to the
Sultanate of Sulu between the 17th and 18th centuries as a gift for helping the Bruneian forces during a
civil war
A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same Sovereign state, state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies.J ...
in Brunei. The name Tawao was used on nautical charts by 1857, and there is evidence of a settlement by 1879. The
East India Company
The East India Company (EIC) was an English, and later British, joint-stock company that was founded in 1600 and dissolved in 1874. It was formed to Indian Ocean trade, trade in the Indian Ocean region, initially with the East Indies (South A ...
had established a trading post in Borneo, though there was no significant activity by the Dutch on the east coast.
In 1846, Netherlands signed a treaty with the
Sultan of Bulungan, where the latter assured the Dutch control of the area.
When the Dutch began to operate in 1867, the Sultan married his son to the daughter of the Sultan of Tarakan. Around this time, the Dutch sphere of influence reached Tawao. They controlled the area north of Tawao, overlapping an area controlled by the
Sultan of Sulu.

In 1878, Sultanate of Sulu sold the southern part of his land bounded by the Sibuco River to an
Austro-Hungarian consul
Baron von Overbeck, who later tried to sell the territory to the
German Empire
The German Empire (),; ; World Book, Inc. ''The World Book dictionary, Volume 1''. World Book, Inc., 2003. p. 572. States that Deutsches Reich translates as "German Realm" and was a former official name of Germany. also referred to as Imperia ...
,
Austria-Hungary
Austria-Hungary, also referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the Dual Monarchy or the Habsburg Monarchy, was a multi-national constitutional monarchy in Central Europe#Before World War I, Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. A military ...
and the
Kingdom of Italy
The Kingdom of Italy (, ) was a unitary state that existed from 17 March 1861, when Victor Emmanuel II of Kingdom of Sardinia, Sardinia was proclamation of the Kingdom of Italy, proclaimed King of Italy, until 10 June 1946, when the monarchy wa ...
for use as a
penal colony but failed, leaving
Alfred Dent to manage and establish the North Borneo Provisional Association Ltd. The Provisional Association negotiated in the 1880s with the Dutch for a definition of a boundary between the area conferred by the Sultan of Sulu and the area that the Dutch claimed from Sultan of Bulungan to settle a dispute that arose from the unknown exact location of the real border between the territory that was held by the Sultanate of Sulu and the Sultanate of Bulungan.
Alexander Rankin Dunlop became the first
Resident for the settlement of Tawau. On 20 January 1891, a final agreement was reached on a line along 4° 10' north latitude – on the central division of the
Sebatik Island
Sebatik Island (Indonesian language, Indonesian/Malay language, Malay: ''Pulau Sebatik'') is an island off the eastern coast of Borneo, Divided island, split between Indonesia and Malaysia. It is one of the 92 officially listed List of outlyi ...
.
[The final contractual limit was indeed confirmed in 1912 by the joint boundary commission, and on 17 February 1913 by Dutch and British negotiators.] In the early 1890s, approximately 200 people lived in the Tawao settlement, mostly immigrants from Bulungan in Kalimantan, and some from Tawi-Tawi who had fled from
Dutch and
Spanish rule.
The settlement was renamed from Tawao to Tawau. Most of those who fled from the Dutch
colonisation continued trading with the Dutch.
In 1893, a British vessel S.S. ''Normanhurst'' sailed into Tawau with a cargo to trade. In 1898, the British built a settlement which later grew rapidly when the
North Borneo Chartered Company (BNBC) sponsored the migration of Chinese to Tawau.
On 16 December 1941, during World War II, the
Japanese invasion of Borneo began. After the first landing in
Miri, the Japanese moved along the coastline of Borneo from the oil fields of
Kuching
Kuching ( , ), officially the City of Kuching, is the capital and the most populous city in the States and federal territories of Malaysia, state of Sarawak in Malaysia. It is also the capital of Kuching Division. The city is on the Sarawak Ri ...
and towards
Jesselton. Life in Tawau continued as usual until 24 January 1942 when the Japanese were sighted off Batu Tinagat. The district officer Cole Adams and his assistant were expecting an attack at the shipyard but were instead arrested by the Japanese.
[Cole Adams spent 44 months in Japanese POW camps – first on the Berhala Island in Sandakan, later in Batu Lintang camp near Kuching – and died on the day of his liberation by the 9th Division of the Australian armed forces in September 1945.] The
Allies began counterattacking the Japanese in mid-1944 with the bombing of Tawau. From 13 April 1945, six massive air strikes were made on town, concentrating on the port facilities. The last and largest of these attacks was on 1 May 1945 when 19
Liberator bombers bombed Tawau until it was completely razed to the ground. After an unconditional surrender of the
37th Japanese Army under Lieutenant General
Masao Baba in mid-September at
Labuan, 1,100 Australian soldiers in Sandakan under the command of Lt. Col. JA England marched into the Japanese bases at Tawau. A total of 2,900 Japanese soldiers of the 370th battalion under Major Sugasaki Moriyuki were taken as prisoners of war and transferred to Jesselton.
At the end of the war, the town had been largely destroyed by bombing and fire; the Bell tower was the only intact pre-war structure. Tawau quickly recovered. Though almost all the shops were destroyed, a report by ''The British North Borneo Annual Report in 1947'' wrote that "the pre-war economy was largely made towards the end of 1947". In the first six months post-war, the British rebuilt 170 shops and commercial buildings. By 1 July 1947, subsidies for the purchase of rice and flour were introduced.
Indonesian confrontation

Due to its exposed location near the international border with
Indonesia
Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania, between the Indian Ocean, Indian and Pacific Ocean, Pacific oceans. Comprising over List of islands of Indonesia, 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, ...
, Tawau became the main point of the conflict during the confrontation. In preparation for the impending conflict,
Gurkhas were stationed in the town with other units including the "British No. 2 Special Boat Section" under Captain DW Mitchell.
Australian
River-class destroyer escorts were stationed in Cowie Bay and a
squadron of
F-86 Sabre
The North American F-86 Sabre, sometimes called the Sabrejet, is a transonic jet fighter aircraft. Produced by North American Aviation, the Sabre is best known as the United States' first swept-wing fighter that could counter the swept-wing Sov ...
aircraft flew over Tawau daily from
Labuan.
In October 1963, Indonesia moved their first battalion of the ''Korps Komando Operasi (KKO)'' from
Surabaya to Sebatik and opened several training camps near the border in eastern Kalimantan (now
North Kalimantan).
From 1 October to 16 December 1963, there were at least seven shootings along the border resulting in three Indonesians' deaths. On 7 December 1963, an Indonesian
Tupolev Tu-16 bomber flew over Tawau bay and bombed the town twice.
By mid-December 1963, Indonesian had sent a commando unit consisting of 128 volunteers and 35 regular soldiers to Sebatik.
Their aim was to take
Kalabakan, then invade Tawau and
Sandakan.
On 29 December 1963, the Indonesian unit attacked the 3rd
Royal Malay Regiment unit.
The Indonesians managed to throw several
grenades into the totally unprepared Malay Regiment's sleeping quarters.
The attack resulted in eight Malay soldiers being killed and nineteen wounded.
Malaysian armed police eventually drove the attackers north after a two-hour battle.
In 1964, the situation remained tense in Tawau. A group of eight Indonesians were detained while trying to poison the water supply of the town. On 12 May 1964, there was a bombing attempt on the Kong Fah cinema. At the end of January 1965, a night time
curfew was imposed in Tawau to prevent attackers from contacting the approximate 16,000 Indonesians living there. By the end of February 1965, 96 of the 128 Indonesian volunteers had been killed or captured, around 20 successfully retreated to Indonesia, and 12 remained at large.
On 28 June 1965, an attempt by Indonesian troops to invade eastern Sebatik was repelled by a heavy bombardment by Australian destroyer
HMAS ''Yarra''. In August 1965, an unknown assailant made an attempt to blow up a
high-tension electricity pylon while in September 1965, a logging truck was destroyed by a
land mine. The confrontation largely ended 12 August 1966, and in December there was a complete ceasefire in Tawau.
Government and international relations
Indonesia
Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania, between the Indian Ocean, Indian and Pacific Ocean, Pacific oceans. Comprising over List of islands of Indonesia, 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, ...
has a consulate in Tawau and the town has
twin town arrangements with
Zhangping, China and
Pare-Pare, Indonesia.

There are two members of parliament (MPs) representing the two
parliamentary constituencies in the district: Tawau (''P.190'') and
Kalabakan (''P.191''). The area is represented by six members of the
Sabah State Legislative Assembly representing the districts of: Balung; Apas; Sri Tanjung; Merotai; Tanjung Batu; and Sebatik.
The town is administered by the
Tawau Municipal Council (Majlis Perbandaran Tawau). , the President of Tawau Municipal Council is Pang Pick Lim or also known as Joseph Pang. The area under the jurisdiction of the Tawau District is the town area, surrounding populated area, of rural land and of adjacent sea area.
Security
Today, Tawau is one of the six districts involved in the eastern Sabah sea curfew that has been enforced since 19 July 2014 by the Malaysian government to repel
attacks from militant groups in southern Philippines.
Geography

Tawau is on the south-east coast of Sabah surround by the
Sulu Sea in the east,
Celebes Sea to the south and shares a border with
East Kalimantan (now
North Kalimantan).
The town is approximately 1,904 kilometres from the Malaysian capital,
Kuala Lumpur
Kuala Lumpur (KL), officially the Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur, is the capital city and a Federal Territories of Malaysia, federal territory of Malaysia. It is the largest city in the country, covering an area of with a census population ...
and is 540 kilometres south-east of Kota Kinabalu. The main town area is divided into three sections named Sabindo, Fajar and Tawau Lama (Old Tawau). Sabindo and Fajar are the main commercial areas while Tawau Lama is the original part of Tawau.
Almost 70% of the area surrounding Tawau is either high hills or mountainous.
Among the major peaks surrounding the Tawau includes
Mount Maria (1,067 metres),
Mount Magdalena (1,310 metres) and
Mount Lucia (1,201 metres).
The town is bordered by
Cowie Bay
Cowie Bay (Malay language, Malay: ''Teluk Cowie'') is a bay on the east coast of the island of Borneo. It is a part of the Malaysian States and federal territories of Malaysia, state of Sabah and flows into the Celebes Sea. Administratively, it b ...
towards the south. The bay is recorded as a home for several species of dolphin, including
Indo-Pacific humpback dolphin and
Irrawaddy dolphin.
The only volcano in Malaysia is located in Tawau. The Bombalai Volcano contains a 300-meter
crater that straddles to the south.
Climate
Tawau has a
tropical rainforest climate
A tropical rainforest climate or equatorial climate is a tropical climate sub-type usually found within 10 to 15 degrees latitude of the equator. There are some other areas at higher latitudes, such as the coast of southeast Florida, United States ...
under the
Köppen climate classification
The Köppen climate classification divides Earth climates into five main climate groups, with each group being divided based on patterns of seasonal precipitation and temperature. The five main groups are ''A'' (tropical), ''B'' (arid), ''C'' (te ...
. The climate is relatively hot and wet with average shade temperature about , with at noon and falling to around at night. The town sees precipitation throughout the year, with a tendency for November, December and January to be the wettest months, while February and March are the driest months. Tawau's mean rainfall varies from 1800 mm to 2500 mm.
Demography

The demographic landscape of Tawau, as highlighted in the Malaysian Census 2010 Report, portrays a rich tapestry of cultures and ethnicities. Initially boasting a population of 397,673, with a subsequent adjustment excluding 57,466 individuals in the
Kalabakan District, the municipality is a bustling port town situated in Malaysian Borneo.
Its proximity to
Indonesia
Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania, between the Indian Ocean, Indian and Pacific Ocean, Pacific oceans. Comprising over List of islands of Indonesia, 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, ...
and the
Philippines
The Philippines, officially the Republic of the Philippines, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. Located in the western Pacific Ocean, it consists of List of islands of the Philippines, 7,641 islands, with a tot ...
has significantly influenced its demographic makeup, setting it apart from other areas in Sabah.
The population of Tawau is notably diverse, resembling major urban centers in the eastern coast of
Kalimantan
Kalimantan (; ) is the Indonesian portion of the island of Borneo. It constitutes 73% of the island's area, and consists of the provinces of Central Kalimantan, East Kalimantan, North Kalimantan, South Kalimantan, and West Kalimantan. The non-Ind ...
, such as
Tarakan,
Samarinda, and
Balikpapan. The census reveals a melting pot of races and ethnicities, characterised by
intermarriages among various
groups and
nationalities.
Nationality
Non-Malaysian citizens constitute a majority in the town, numbering at 164,729 individuals. The non-Malaysian populace predominantly hails from Indonesia and the Philippines, originating from
Sulawesi
Sulawesi ( ), also known as Celebes ( ), is an island in Indonesia. One of the four Greater Sunda Islands, and the List of islands by area, world's 11th-largest island, it is situated east of Borneo, west of the Maluku Islands, and south of Min ...
,
Kalimantan
Kalimantan (; ) is the Indonesian portion of the island of Borneo. It constitutes 73% of the island's area, and consists of the provinces of Central Kalimantan, East Kalimantan, North Kalimantan, South Kalimantan, and West Kalimantan. The non-Ind ...
, the
Sulu Archipelago,
Mindanao
Mindanao ( ) is the List of islands of the Philippines, second-largest island in the Philippines, after Luzon, and List of islands by population, seventh-most populous island in the world. Located in the southern region of the archipelago, the ...
, and the
Visayas. Additionally, a small Pakistani community, primarily engaged in business ventures, contributes to the multicultural fabric of Tawau. Many non-citizen residents work and reside in plantations, with some having obtained Malaysian citizenship through
naturalisation. However, a significant portion continues to live without proper documentation, residing in
illegal settlements within the town.
Ethnicities
Among Malaysian citizens, Bumiputras represent a significant portion, including
Bugis,
Bajau,
Banjar,
Javanese,
Suluk,
Tidung,
Bulungan
Bulungan Regency, formerly known as Bulongan, is a Regencies of Indonesia, regency of North Kalimantan Province in Indonesia. It covers an area of 13,181.92 km2 and had a population of 112,663 at the 2010 CensusBiro Pusat Statistik, Jakarta, ...
, alongside smaller communities of
Kadazan-Dusun,
Murut,
Lun Bawang/Lundayeh,
Bruneian Malays,
Cocos Malays,
Kedayan,
Peninsula Malays,
Indians,
Iban and other smaller Bumiputera groups. The Bugis community formed as the largest ethnolinguistic group in Tawau.
In Tawau, the
Malaysian Chinese community shares a historical narrative akin to their counterparts in other regions of Sabah. These are predominantly
Hakkas, and their migration traces back to the British colonial era. Settling originally in agricultural zones around Apas Road, they have since become a prominent fixture in the town's fabric. Notably, intermarriages between Chinese and Kadazan-Dusun Muruts have fostered a distinctive
Sino-Native community. Additionally, marriages between Chinese individuals and
Torajans from Indonesia, as well as Filipinos, are prevalent. Beyond the Sabahan Chinese, Tawau also attracts Chinese immigrants from Peninsula Malaysia, Sarawak,
Indonesia
Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania, between the Indian Ocean, Indian and Pacific Ocean, Pacific oceans. Comprising over List of islands of Indonesia, 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, ...
and the
Philippines
The Philippines, officially the Republic of the Philippines, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. Located in the western Pacific Ocean, it consists of List of islands of the Philippines, 7,641 islands, with a tot ...
into its fold, contributing to its vibrant multicultural landscape.
Religion
Religiously, most Bumiputera populations in Tawau are
Muslims
Muslims () are people who adhere to Islam, a Monotheism, monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God ...
, with exceptions among the Kadazan-Dusuns, Lundayeh, and Muruts who mainly practice Christianity. Malaysian Chinese are predominantly Buddhists, with some practising Taoism or Christianity. Other religious groups, including Hindus, Sikhs, Animists, and secularists, also coexist within the town.
The majority of non-citizen inhabitants in Tawau adhere to Islam, with a significant minority belonging to the Christian faith. Among the Christian community, a sizeable proportion originates from Indonesia, mainly comprising ethnic
Toraja,
Florenese,
Timor
Timor (, , ) is an island at the southern end of Maritime Southeast Asia, in the north of the Timor Sea. The island is Indonesia–Timor-Leste border, divided between the sovereign states of Timor-Leste in the eastern part and Indonesia in the ...
ese, Chinese Indonesians,
Dayaks Indonesian, and Filipinos of Visayan and Zamboangueño descent.
File:Tawau Sabah Masjid-Al-Khauthar-02.jpg, Al-Kauthar Mosque, the largest mosque in Sabah.
File:Tawau Sabah St-Patricks-Anglican-Church-01.jpg, St. Patrick's, the Anglican
Anglicanism, also known as Episcopalianism in some countries, is a Western Christianity, Western Christian tradition which developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the ...
Church of Tawau
File:Tawau Sabah Holy-Trinity-Catholic-Church-03.jpg, The Holy Trinity Church, a Catholic
The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...
church in Tawau.
File:Pu Zhao Temple.jpg, Pu Zhao Temple, a Buddhist
Buddhism, also known as Buddhadharma and Dharmavinaya, is an Indian religion and List of philosophies, philosophical tradition based on Pre-sectarian Buddhism, teachings attributed to the Buddha, a wandering teacher who lived in the 6th or ...
lodge temple in Tawau.
File:Tawau Sabah ThirumuruganTemple-01.jpg, Thirumurugan Temple, a Hindu temple
A Hindu temple, also known as Mandir, Devasthanam, Pura, or Kovil, is a sacred place where Hindus worship and show their devotion to Hindu deities, deities through worship, sacrifice, and prayers. It is considered the house of the god to who ...
in Tawau.
File:Tawau Sabah Gurudwara-Sahib-Tawau-02.jpg, Gurdwara
A gurdwara or gurudwara () is a place of assembly and place of worship, worship in Sikhism, but its normal meaning is "place of guru" or "home of guru". Sikhism, Sikhs also refer to gurdwaras as ''Gurdwara Sahib''. People from all faiths and rel ...
Sahib Tawau, a Sikh
Sikhs (singular Sikh: or ; , ) are an ethnoreligious group who adhere to Sikhism, a religion that originated in the late 15th century in the Punjab region of the Indian subcontinent, based on the revelation of Guru Nanak. The term ''Si ...
temple in Tawau.
Languages
The residents of Tawau primarily communicate in
Malay, often with a distinct
Sabahan creole.
The Tawau version of Sabahan creole shares many similarities with the East Coast Sabahan Dialect and
Bahasa Indonesia spoken in North Kalimantan across the border. Among the younger generation, there's a noticeable
language shift towards speaking Sabahan Malay over their ancestral language.
The
Bugis language is also prevalent in Tawau due to a considerable population with Bugis ancestry. The main Bugis dialect spoken in the town is Bone, followed closely by Enrekang-Duri and other Bugis dialects.
Given that a significant portion of Tawau's Chinese population is Hakka Chinese,
Hakka Chinese is commonly spoken. Additionally, Tawau Chinese also utilise other Chinese dialects such as
Cantonese
Cantonese is the traditional prestige variety of Yue Chinese, a Sinitic language belonging to the Sino-Tibetan language family. It originated in the city of Guangzhou (formerly known as Canton) and its surrounding Pearl River Delta. While th ...
,
Hokkien
Hokkien ( , ) is a Varieties of Chinese, variety of the Southern Min group of Chinese language, Chinese languages. Native to and originating from the Minnan region in the southeastern part of Fujian in southeastern China, it is also referred ...
,
Teochew,
Hainan
Hainan is an island provinces of China, province and the southernmost province of China. It consists of the eponymous Hainan Island and various smaller islands in the South China Sea under the province's administration. The name literally mean ...
and other minority dialects.
The language of the east coast Bajau community bears resemblance to the
Sama language in the Philippines and Kalimantan, with borrowed words from the
Suluk language. Notably, the Bajau language on the east coast differs from the west coast Bajau, which has been influenced by
Malayic languages from
Brunei Malay.
Economy

As of 1993, there were 40 timber-processing plants and a number of
sawmill
A sawmill (saw mill, saw-mill) or lumber mill is a facility where logging, logs are cut into lumber. Modern sawmills use a motorized saw to cut logs lengthwise to make long pieces, and crosswise to length depending on standard or custom sizes ...
s. Tawau Port is a major export and import gateway for timber especially from North Kalimantan.
A
barter trade has been formalised between East Kalimantan (now North Kalimantan) and Sabah with the creation of Tawau Barter Trade Association (BATS) in 1993. The association handles the cash-based trade of raw materials from Indonesia, but in recent years has focussed on timber industry.
Other than timber, since British rule ended exports have traditionally been spices,
cocoa and tobacco.
Birds' nests are harvested at Baturong, Sengarung, Tepadung and
Madai Caves by the
Ida'an community. Tawau is one of the top cocoa producers in Malaysia, and the world together with
Ivory Coast
Ivory Coast, also known as Côte d'Ivoire and officially the Republic of Côte d'Ivoire, is a country on the southern coast of West Africa. Its capital city of Yamoussoukro is located in the centre of the country, while its largest List of ci ...
,
Ghana
Ghana, officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country in West Africa. It is situated along the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean to the south, and shares borders with Côte d’Ivoire to the west, Burkina Faso to the north, and Togo to t ...
and Indonesia. The town is the cocoa capital for both in Sabah and Malaysia. Cocoa production is mostly concentrated in the interior, north of the town, while
palm oil production is concentrated along the roads to Merotai, Brantian,
Semporna and
Kunak.
Both cocoa and palm oil are part of the large agriculture sector that has become the main income producer for the town.
Like in Sandakan, people in Tawau have always relied on the sea for their sustenance. Every day, hundreds of deep sea trawlers and tuckboats can be seen at the Cowie Bay. Barter trade also happens in the sea area around Tawau.
The Tawau marine zone are one of Sabah four marine zones, with the other been in Sandakan,
Kudat and the west coast. A great variety of high-grade fishes and all kinds of
crustaceans
Crustaceans (from Latin meaning: "those with shells" or "crusted ones") are invertebrate animals that constitute one group of Arthropod, arthropods that are traditionally a part of the subphylum Crustacea (), a large, diverse group of mainly aquat ...
were found in abundance in the sea and waterways around Tawau.
Prawn farming has become largest sea economic source for the district. The oldest and largest prawn farm were located in this area together with six frozen
shrimp processing plants.
Transportation
Land
Most of the town's roads are
state roads constructed and maintained by the state's
Public Works Department. A program began in 2012 to upgrade the town's roads and increase the amount of public parking. Most major internal roads are
dual-carriageways. The only highway route from Tawau connects: Tawau –
Semporna –
Kunak –
Lahad Datu –
Sandakan (part of the
Pan Borneo Highway)
Regular bus services and
taxis operate in the town. The town has long-distance, short-distance and local bus stations. The long-distance services connect Tawau to Lahad Datu, Sandakan,
Telupid,
Ranau, Simpang Sapi,
Kundasang, Kota Kinabalu,
Sipitang,
Beaufort,
Papar and Simpang Ranau. The short-distance services connect to destinations including as Sandakan and Semporna.
Air
Tawau Airport (TA) (ICAO Code: WBKW) is the second largest airport in the state of Sabah, Malaysia, following Kota Kinabalu International Airport. It connects the town to various
domestic destinations, including
Johor Bahru
Johor Bahru, abbreviated as JB, is the capital city of the Malaysian state of Johor. It is the core city of Johor Bahru District, Malaysia's second-largest district by population and the second-largest district economy. Covering an area of ...
,
Kota Kinabalu,
Kuala Lumpur
Kuala Lumpur (KL), officially the Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur, is the capital city and a Federal Territories of Malaysia, federal territory of Malaysia. It is the largest city in the country, covering an area of with a census population ...
and
Sandakan, with flights operated by
AirAsia,
Batik Air Malaysia,
Malaysia Airlines and
MASWings. Before the
COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...
, the airport also offered international regional flights several times per week, including routes to
Tarakan,
Indonesia
Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania, between the Indian Ocean, Indian and Pacific Ocean, Pacific oceans. Comprising over List of islands of Indonesia, 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, ...
, operated by MASWings, and to
Bandar Seri Begawan,
Brunei
Brunei, officially Brunei Darussalam, is a country in Southeast Asia, situated on the northern coast of the island of Borneo. Apart from its coastline on the South China Sea, it is completely surrounded by the Malaysian state of Sarawak, with ...
, via
RB Link. In 2024, international flights resumed, adding various new overseas destinations, including
Chengdu–Tianfu,
Nanjing
Nanjing or Nanking is the capital of Jiangsu, a province in East China. The city, which is located in the southwestern corner of the province, has 11 districts, an administrative area of , and a population of 9,423,400.
Situated in the Yang ...
,
Guangzhou
Guangzhou, Chinese postal romanization, previously romanized as Canton or Kwangchow, is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Guangdong Provinces of China, province in South China, southern China. Located on the Pearl River about nor ...
, and
Macau
Macau or Macao is a special administrative regions of China, special administrative region of the People's Republic of China (PRC). With a population of about people and a land area of , it is the most List of countries and dependencies by p ...
operated by Firefly and Batik Air.
Before 2001, Tawau was served by an older airport located on North Street (Jalan Utara). The airport's first flight took place in September 1953. During the 1960s, it handled small aircraft such as the
Fokker 27. In the 1980s, the runway was widened to accommodate
Boeing 737
The Boeing 737 is an American narrow-body aircraft, narrow-body aircraft produced by Boeing at its Boeing Renton Factory, Renton factory in Washington (state), Washington.
Developed to supplement the Boeing 727 on short and thin routes, the t ...
s. In the early 1970s, the airport began receiving scheduled international flights operated by
Bouraq Indonesia Airlines to Tarakan and Balikpapan, Indonesia. By the mid-1990s, international destinations expanded to include
Makassar
Makassar ( ), formerly Ujung Pandang ( ), is the capital of the Indonesian Provinces of Indonesia, province of South Sulawesi. It is the largest city in the region of Eastern Indonesia and the country's fifth-largest urban center after Jakarta, ...
served by
Merpati Nusantara Airlines.
The old airport experienced a fatal accident in 1995 when
Malaysia Airlines Flight 2133, a
Fokker 50, crashed due to pilot error during landing, resulting in 34 fatalities. Additionally, a
Cessna 208 Caravan crashed on takeoff in 1995, and a MAS Boeing 737-400 skidded off the runway in 2001, though neither of these incidents caused fatalities. The old airport was closed when the new Tawau Airport opened.
Sea
There are multiple daily passenger ferry service to the town's sea port, linking the town directly to
Sungai Nyamuk,
Nunukan and Tarakan in
North Kalimantan,
Indonesia
Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania, between the Indian Ocean, Indian and Pacific Ocean, Pacific oceans. Comprising over List of islands of Indonesia, 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, ...
as well as to
Bongao,
Tawi-Tawi in the
Philippines
The Philippines, officially the Republic of the Philippines, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. Located in the western Pacific Ocean, it consists of List of islands of the Philippines, 7,641 islands, with a tot ...
.
The maritime route has also being used for smuggling
subsidised goods
In economics, goods are anything that is good, usually in the sense that it provides welfare or utility to someone. Alan V. Deardorff, 2006. ''Terms Of Trade: Glossary of International Economics'', World Scientific. Online version: Deardorffs ...
from the town to certain parts in Indonesia, especially southern
Sebatik, by Indonesian smugglers as this area is highly dependent on Tawau.
Many Indonesians near the
international border choose to seek medical treatment in the town due to the lower cost and better facilities, compared to other Indonesian towns.
Public services
Tawau's court complex is on Dunlop Street. It contains the
High Court,
Sessions Court
A Sessions Court or even known as the Court of Sessions Judge is a court of law which exists in several Commonwealth countries. A Court of Session is the highest criminal court in a district and the court of first instance for trying serious of ...
, and the Magistrate Court.
Syariah Court is located at Abaca Street. The district police headquarters is on Tanjung Batu Street, and other police station are sited throughout the district including Wallace Bay, Bombalai, Bergosong, Kalabakan, Seri Indah and LTB Tawau.
Police substations (Pondok Polis) are found in Tass Bt. 17, Apas Parit, Merotai, Quin Hill, Balung Kokos, Titingan, Kinabutan and Burmas areas,
and the Tawau Prison is in the town centre.
Tawau has one
public hospital
A public hospital, or government hospital, is a hospital which is government owned and is predominantly funded by the government and operates predominantly off the money that is collected from taxpayers to fund healthcare initiatives. In almost al ...
, four public
health clinics, three maternal and child health clinics, seven village clinics, one mobile clinic and two
1Malaysia clinics.
Tawau Hospital, on Tanjung Batu Street, is the town's main hospital and an important healthcare facility for patients from Semporna, Lahad Datu, Kunak, and Sandakan. Indonesian patients near the border area also frequently visit the hospital. Tawau Specialist Polyclinics (TSPC) is a walk-in healthcare clinic that sees patients from Tawau and surrounding areas as well as patients from neighbouring Philippines and Indonesia. TSPC has a range of medical specialists, a medical laboratory and radiology services.
The hospital has undergone a series of modernisations since 1990 with the construction of specialist clinics,
Central Sterile Services Department (CSSD), new wards and operation theatres.
Tawau Specialist Hospital is the only
private hospital in the town. The Tawau Regional Library is one of three regional libraries in Sabah, the others are at
Keningau and
Sandakan. These libraries are operated by the Sabah State Library department. Some schools, colleges, or universities have private libraries.
There are many government or state
schools in and around the town.
Secondary schools include Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Kinabutan, Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Jalan Apas, Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Kabota, and Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Pasir Putih. The town has two private schools, called the Sabah Chinese High School (Sekolah Tinggi Cina Sabah) and Vision Secondary School (Sekolah Menengah Visi). Tawau has two of the three
A-Level education centres in the state of Sabah—the Institute of Science and Management (ISM) and Maktab Rendah Sains Mara Tawau. A teacher-training college called Tawau Teacher Training Institute is found in the town. For tertiary education the town has the Tawau Community College and GIATMARA Tawau, and campuses of two universities,
Universiti Teknologi MARA and
Open University Malaysia.
File:Tawau Sabah Regional-Library-Tawau-02.jpg, The Tawau Regional Library, one of the three regional libraries in Sabah.
File:Tawau Sabah Courthouse-02.jpg, The Tawau Court.
File:Tawau Sabah UITM-Tawau-03.jpg, Universiti Teknologi MARA campus in Tawau.
Culture and leisure
The Tawau International Cultural Festival is an annual event, first held in 2011, that has been promoted for its potential to attract tourists. The
Tawau Bell Tower in the town's park was built by the Japanese in 1921 shortly after
World War I
World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
to mark the
close allied relations between
Japan
Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...
and Great Britain.
Other historical attractions include the
Japanese War Cemetery, Confrontation Memorial, the Public Service Memorial and the Twin Town Memorial. Tawau is one of the top cocoa production centres in Malaysia. The Teck Guan Cocoa Museum has become one of the important historical attractions for the town since it was founded in the 1970s by Datuk Seri Panglima Hong Teck Guan. Varieties of cocoa products including chocolate jam and hot cocoa beverages are sold in the museum.
Tawau has nearby conservation areas and areas set aside for leisure. The
Tawau Hills National Park has picnic areas, a vast camping site, and cabins. It is from Tawau and is accessible by road. Bukit Gemok (also known as ''Fat Hill'') is an approximately hill about from the town. It is part of the Bukit Gemok Forest Reserve, which was declared a
forest reserve in 1984. Tawau Harbour is used as a transit point to islands near the town including
Sipadan,
Mabul,
Kapalai,
Mataking, and Indonesian islands including southern
Sebatik,
Tarakan and
Nunukan.
The main shopping area in Tawau is the Eastern Plaza located at Mile 1 on Kuhara Street. It was built in 2005, completed in 2008 and opened in May 2009. The complex has three levels of car parking with 476 covered and 49 surface parking bays. Sabindo Plaza was opened in January 1999 and is known as the first shopping centre built in Tawau. There is a
market that runs alongside Dunlop Street. The Tawau Tanjung Market was established in 1999. Since then, it has expanded to house 6,000 stalls and is known as the largest indoor market in Malaysia.
The town has a sport complex with badminton,
tennis
Tennis is a List of racket sports, racket sport that is played either individually against a single opponent (singles (tennis), singles) or between two teams of two players each (doubles (tennis), doubles). Each player uses a tennis racket st ...
, volleyball and
basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...
courts, and two stadiums for hockey and football. In 2014, Youth and Sports Minister Khairy Jamaluddin announced formation of a National Sports Institute (ISN) in Tawau. It will be the third sports satellite centre in Sabah once completed in 2015. A cross-border sporting event was held in 2014 between the town and
Nunukan in Indonesia. It has been proposed to be repeated annually to strengthen ties between the towns.
File:Tawau Sabah PublicServiceMemorial-And-Belfry-01.jpg, The Bell Tower (left) and the Public Service Memorial (right)
File:Tawau Sabah JapaneseCemetery-05.jpg, A monument in the Tawau Japanese War Memorial
File:Tawau Sabah Sabindo-Plaza-01.jpg, Sabindo Plaza, Tawau's first shopping centre.
File:Tawau Sabah MarkerHill-01.jpg, Tawau Marker Hill.
Notable residents
;Political
*
Chua Soon Bui: Malaysian politician
;Entertainment
*
Amber Chia: Malaysian model
*
Ayie Elham: A group member of
Floor 88, singer, actress
*
Firman Bansir: Winner of
Akademi Fantasia (season 11)
*
Faizul Sany: Winner of
Akademi Fantasia (season 10)
*
Pete Teo: Malaysian singer-songwriter, musician, film producer, music producer and actor
*
Rahima Orchient Yahya: Miss Malaysia, top 10 semi-finalist for Miss World 1994
*
Salma Asis: Winner of Mentor (season 5)
*
Muhammad Hairi Amin: ''(known as MK K-Clique)'' Malaysian rapper and actor
*
Lia Natalia: Malaysian actress
;Sports
*
Julamri Muhammad: Malaysian football player
*
Muhd Rafiuddin Rodin: Malaysian football player
*
Siswanto Haidi: Malaysian
cricket
Cricket is a Bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball game played between two Sports team, teams of eleven players on a cricket field, field, at the centre of which is a cricket pitch, pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two Bail (cr ...
player
*
Sumardi Hajalan: Malaysian football player
Notes
References
Literature
* Ken Goodlet: ''Tawau – The Making of a Tropical Community'', Opus Publications, 2010
External links
*
Tawau Municipal CouncilTawau InformationInfo Tawau & News
{{Authority control
Ports and harbours of Malaysia
Populated places established in 1893
1893 establishments in Asia
1898 establishments in the British Empire