Also known as: Lalawigan ng Tawi-Tawi
Tawi-Tawi is a province in Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM). Population 483K (PSA 2024 census), 0 cities + 11 municipalities, 203 barangays total, land area 3,626.55 km². Provincial capital: Bongao.
Tawi-Tawi is a province in Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM). Its capital is Bongao.
Tawi-Tawi had 482,645 residents in the 2024 census (PSA 2024 Census of Population (POPCEN 2024), reference date July 1, 2024). That is the most recent official count. There is no 2026 census result, so any 2026 population figure is an estimate.
Tawi-Tawi covers 3,626.55 km², per the PSA Philippine Statistical Yearbook figure used on this page.
Tawi-Tawi has 0 component cities and 11 municipalities (11 LGUs under the province), per PSA's Philippine Standard Geographic Code (2Q 2026), and 203 barangays.
Tawi-Tawi has no component cities. Its 11 municipalities are Bongao, Languyan, Mapun, Panglima Sugala, Sapa-Sapa, Sibutu, Simunul, Sitangkai, South Ubian, Tandubas and Turtle Islands.
Tawi-Tawi is the Philippines' southernmost province, with several of its islands close to Malaysia's Sabah state, and has zero chartered cities across its 11 island municipalities. It was created on September 27, 1973 by Presidential Decree No. 302, separating eight municipalities from Sulu province. The Sama-Bajau people are the province's dominant Indigenous group, historically seafaring and predominantly Muslim.
Key industries: Seaweed farming (the Philippines' top-producing province), Fishing, Coconut/copra
Tawi-Tawi holds a distinctive place in Philippine religious history: the Sheikh Karimul Makhdum Mosque in Simunul, traditionally dated to 1380 AD, is considered the first and oldest mosque in the Philippines. The province also hosts the Philippine half of the Turtle Islands Wildlife Sanctuary, established through a Philippines-Malaysia agreement in 1996 as the world's first transboundary protected area for marine turtles. A 2024 EU- and BARMM-backed hybrid solar microgrid project now powers seaweed processing for an estimated 15,000 farmers, addressing real industry challenges from disease and price slumps.
Key industries: Seaweed farming (the Philippines' top-producing province), Fishing, Coconut/copra
More on the regulatory framework: CLUP explainer · RA 7160 explainer · SGLG explainer · full glossary. Working a CLUP review cycle? Run the CLUP readiness self-check or see CLUP compliance monitoring.
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