Тави-Тави: Южный остров Филиппин и его история.

Tawi Tawi, officially the Province of Tawi Tawi (Tausug: Wilaya' sin Tawi Tawi; Sinama: Jawi Jawi/Jauih Jauih; ), is an island province in the Philippines located in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM). The capital of Tawi Tawi is Bongao. It is the southernmost province of the country, sharing sea borders with the Malaysian state of Sabah and the Indonesian North Kalimantan province, both on the island of Borneo to the west. To the northeast lies the province of Sulu. Tawi Tawi also covers some islands in the Sulu Sea to the northwest, Cagayan de Tawi Tawi Island and the Turtle Islands, just away from Sabah. The municipalities comprising the current Tawi Tawi province were formerly under the jurisdiction of Sulu until 1973.

The province was named after its main island. Tawi Tawi is the Sinama form of jawi jawi, Malay for the banyan tree; the island is known for having an abundance of this tree. Early Spanish accounts give the name of the island as Tauitaui and Tavi Tavi or Tavitavi.

Evidence of human presence in Tawi tawi was carbon dated to be 6,810 BC to 3,190 B. C., signifying one of the earliest known evidence of human presence in Southeast Asia. The bones, jars, shells, and other artifacts and fossils were found in the Bolobok Rock Shelter Cave Archaeological Site, which has been declared as an Important Cultural Treasure by the government in 2017. Much of the Tawi tawi area was the center of Sama culture and arts for hundreds of years. Some islands are sites of centuries old traditional burial grounds featuring traditional Sama okil carvings of ancestors. In 1380, the first mosque in the Philippines, the Sheik Karimol Makhdum Mosque, was established by an Arab trader and missionary, Makhdum Karim. The area was heavily converted to Islam, especially when the Sultanate of Sulu in nearby Sulu province was founded. Although unlike the Tausug people, many Sama retained at least part of their ancient animist religions.

The province lies at the southwestern tip of the country, situated between the Sulu Sea in the north and the Celebes Sea in the south. The province is part of the Sulu Archipelago, and consists of Tawitawi Island and 106 surrounding islands and islets with a combined land area of The last island of the province at the edge of the Philippine Malaysia border is Panguan Island. The province has two seasons: dry and wet. The climate is generally moderate. The wettest months are from August to November. The other months of the year are generally dry with occasional rain showers.

The main island of Tawi Tawi supports many endemic species and subspecies of vertebrates, invertebrates and plants unique to this island, plus some that are only shared with Sulu Province. These include the Tawitawi brown dove, the Sulu hornbill and the Sulu bleeding heart, although this latter species may already be extinct. The rapid expansion of human settlements into forested areas together with clearance for agriculture in the last few decades has dramatically reduced the available habitat for most of the endemic species, many of which are now considered 'Critically Endangered' by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.

The population of Tawi Tawi in the 2020 census was 440,276 people, with a density of .

Most of the people in Tawi Tawi belong to the Sama cultural group.

The Tausug language is the lingua franca of Tawi Tawi, as in the case of the rest of the provinces in the Sulu Archipelago. Another prevailing local language, Sama, is spoken in varied tones and accents with the major ones being Sinama Sibutu (spoken mainly in the Sibutu Sitangkai Region), Sinama Simunul (concentrated in Simunul Manuk Mangkaw Islands), Sinama Kapoan (spoken in the South Ubian Tandubas and Sapa Sapa Regions) and Sinama Banguingui (concentrated in Buan Island and spoken by Banguingui people). Chavacano, Cebuano, and Yakan are also spoken, as are the official languages of Filipino and English. Many locals and barter traders can also speak Sabah Malay. Many can also speak Cebuano because of the mass influx of Visayan settlers to Mindanao, since Tausug is a related Visayan language.

Almost all (99%) of the population of Tawi Tawi is Muslim, with a minority of Christians (0.7%). A majority of Tawi Tawi's Muslim population practice Sunni Islam of the Shafi'i tradition, as taught by Arab, Persian, Indian Muslim, Chinese Muslim and Malaccan missionaries from the 14th century onwards. The oldest mosque in the Philippines, the Sheik Karimol Makdum Mosque, can be found in Simunul, Tawi Tawi. Relatively newer Islamic sects, mostly brought by returning veterans of the Afghan wars and missionaries from Pakistan's stricter Sufi traditions, referred to as the Tableegh, have been active in propagating what they believe to be a "purer" Islamic way of life and worship. A very small number who have since married into Iranian or Iraqi families have converted to Shiite Islam. Majority of Tawi Tawi Christians are Roman Catholic, they are under the jurisdiction of Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Zamboanga through its suffragan Apostolic Vicariate of Jolo/Diocese of Jolo. Non Catholic Christians include Evangelicals, Jesus Miracle Crusade, Episcopalian, and Iglesia ni Cristo (INC), Mormons, Seventh day Adventists, Jehovah's Witnesses, and a number of other Protestant denominations. Only the most recent Chinese immigrants adhere to Buddhism or Taoism, while most of the older Chinese families have acculturated and have either converted to Islam while retaining most of their Chinese beliefs.

Agriculture, fishing, and agar agar (seaweeds) farming are the leading source of livelihood of the people of Tawi Tawi, with quite a number engaged in the barter trade business. Copra is the top agricultural product, followed by root crops, fruits, and vegetables.

Sanga Sanga Airport, the main airport of the province, is located in the municipality of Bongao. Recently, Philippine Airlines and Bangsamoro Government launches the inaugural flight of the first ever regional air connectivity on June 9, 2022, from Cotabato City, the regions seat and capital. Meanwhile, Cebu Pacific began operating a daily flight from Zamboanga City to Tawi Tawi Province on October 14, 2011, utilizing its 150 seater Airbus A319 aircraft. Philippine Airlines (operated by PAL Express) also started operating flights to and from Zamboanga City on December 15, 2019. A sea connection to other parts of the Philippine archipelago as well as an international route to Semporna, Malaysia is available from Bongao.