Malaysia being a natural hub in itself, the places within the country are quite attractive and appealing. One such city in the Malaysian state of Sabah is Tawau, the third largest city to be precise. The city is surrounded by nature all around, where half of it is bordered by hills and mountains; the other half has seas grazing along the land. With agriculture being the major occupation of the people living in Tawau, this town is covered with lush, green foliage and one look from above; the city will appear as being wrapped up in a green coat. With this widespread greenery on the land of Tawau, the ambiance of the city is cool, calm and mostly peaceful, spreading the vibes of serenity and solicitude.
Life in Tawau is quite simple, people are mostly engaged in cultivation or timber sawmill. Also, a part of the population sustains through the seas, aquaculture. Half of the land is covered with cocoa and oil palm plantations, both being the leading crops that are being cultivated in Tawau. With cocoa being on the priority list, the city is the leading producer of this crop in both Sabah and Malaysia. The 40 sawmill that is located along the northern border brings a lot of fortunes to the people of Tawau.
Apart from this, fisheries are another important site to behold in the city itself since water seems to be the silent angel in disguise for the people. As the city is surrounded by the Sulu Sea in the east, the Celebes Sea to the south of the Cowai bay, one can experience and revel in the divinity of seashores. These water bodies provide the fourth most important marine zone in Sabah and hence, it is expected that the civilians of Tawau be engaged in fishing. In fact, prawn cultivation is one of the leading businesses beside cocoa.
Coming to the history of the city, it is believed that Tawau was once under the control of Bruneian Empire as being a part of the Borneo colony. In the heart of the city, there are places, which have a direct resemblance to the the-then British culture, and hence they have become a tourist attraction. Most of the historical sites refer back to the world wars, for example, the Japanese, signifying the alliance between Japan and Great Britain, constructed the Tawau Bell Tower in 1921.
Another major tourist site is the Tech Guan Cocoa Museum, which signifies Tawau to be the leading cocoa producer in the country. The Dunlop Street market houses 6000 stalls and is known as the largest Malaysian inland market.
HISTORY OF TAWAU
Formerly, the city was named as Tawao and then it was changed to Tawau. However, the history of the town is quite a long story, hovering above the Sultanate kingdom of Sulu and the Dutch kingdom. As Tawau was a British colony, the East India Company ruled the province until there was a dispute between the Dutch residents and the Sultanate of Sulu. In 1891, a borderline was drawn between the two kingdoms, thereby establishing the town of Tawau.