Sibutu, officially the Municipality of Sibutu, is a

municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality'' may also mean the go ...

in the

province A province is almost always an administrative division within a country or sovereign state, state. The term derives from the ancient Roman ''Roman province, provincia'', which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire ...

Tawi-Tawi Tawi-Tawi, officially the Province of Tawi-Tawi ( tl, Lalawigan ng 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 M ...

Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 34,243 people.

History

Due to an administrative error in the

Treaty of Paris Treaty of Paris may refer to one of many treaties signed in Paris, France: Treaties 1200s and 1300s * Treaty of Paris (1229), which ended the Albigensian Crusade * Treaty of Paris (1259), between Henry III of England and Louis IX of France * Trea ...

, while the remainder of the Philippines was ceded to the United States, Sibutu and Cagayán de Sulu were retained under Spanish Sovereignty until they were formally ceded to the United States upon the ratification of the Treaty of Washington on March 23, 1901. The municipality was created out of

Sitangkai, Tawi-Tawi Sitangkai, officially the Municipality of Sitangkai, is a 1st class municipality in the province of Tawi-Tawi, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 37,319 people. It is the southernmost place in the Philippines and ...

, by virtue of ''Muslim Mindanao Autonomy Act No. 197'', which was subsequently ratified in a

plebiscite A referendum (plural: referendums or less commonly referenda) is a direct vote by the electorate on a proposal, law, or political issue. This is in contrast to an issue being voted on by a representative. This may result in the adoption of a ...

held on October 21, 2006.MMA Act No. 197 : An Act Creating the Municipality of Sibutu in the Province of Tawi-Tawi

Geography

It lies about east of the coast 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 borders the Malaysian state of Sarawak to the southwest and the North Kalimantan province of Indone ...

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 ...

. The municipality covers the main island of Sibutu as well as four small uninhabited islands south of the main island, which are, from north to south: Sicolan Calch Island, Sicolan Island, Sicolan Islet, and

Saluag Island Saluag Island is located in the Province of Tawi-Tawi, in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, Philippines. Its length is 1.6 kilometres. The island belongs administratively to the municipality of Sibutu and is the southernmost island of th ...

, the latter being the southernmost island of the Philippines. Sibutu Island is 50 km.or 31 miles away from Sabah state. People living in Sibutu Island are mostly boat builders. The people also sell seaweeds, firewood and stones. Sibutu Island has an area is . It is an important site for

nature conservation Nature conservation is the moral philosophy and conservation movement focused on protecting species from extinction, maintaining and restoring habitats, enhancing ecosystem services, and protecting biological diversity. A range of values unde ...

.Danielsen, Finn & Treadaway, Colin G., 2004: Priority conservation areas for butterflies (Lepidoptera: Rhopalocera) in the Philippine Islands. Animal Conservation, 7, 79-92.

Barangays

Sibutu is politically subdivided into 16

barangay A barangay (; abbreviated as Brgy. or Bgy.), historically referred to as barrio (abbreviated as Bo.), is the smallest administrative division in the Philippines and is the native Filipino term for a village, district, or ward. In metropolitan ...

s. * Ambutong Sapal * Datu Amilhamja Jaafar * Hadji Imam Bidin * Hadji Mohtar Sulayman * Hadji Taha * Imam Hadji Mohammad * Nunukan * Sheik Makdum * Sibutu (Poblacion) * Talisay * Tandu Banak * Tandu Owak * Taungoh * Tongehat * Tongsibalo * Ungus-ungus

Climate

Demographics

Economy

References

External links

Sibutu Profile at PhilAtlas.com
* Philippine Standard Geographic Code
Sibutu Profile at the DTI Cities and Municipalities Competitive Index

NSCB: newly created provinces, municipalities, barangays, converted city
Accessed on March 9, 2006. {{Islands of the Philippines Municipalities of Tawi-Tawi Islands of Tawi-Tawi Island municipalities in the Philippines