Sitangkai, officially the Municipality of Sitangkai (Tagalog: Bayan ng 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.^[3]

Quick Facts سيتڠكاي, Country ...

Sitangkai سيتڠكاي
Municipality
Core district of Sitangkai
Flag
Nickname:  Venice of the South
Map of Tawi-Tawi with Sitangkai highlighted
OpenStreetMap
Sitangkai Location within the Philippines
Coordinates: 4°39′42″N 119°23′31″E
Country	Philippines
Region	Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao
Province	Tawi-Tawi
District	Lone district
Founded	August 26, 1959
Barangays	9 (see Barangays)
Government  [1]
• Type	Sangguniang Bayan
• Mayor	Tiblan C. Ahaja
• Vice Mayor	Serbin C. Ahaja
• Representative	Dimszar M. Sali
• Municipal Council	Members Allan K. Ahaja Myca Shara B. Nawang Joeben C. Attang Abdel Yamani K. Ahaja Bryan S. Hapas Jadzlee B. Pianah Merilyn A. Joe Aldimar A. Awadi
• Electorate	25,806 voters (2022)
Area [2]
• Total	792.00 km2 (305.79 sq mi)
Elevation	1.0 m (3.3 ft)
Highest elevation	200 m (700 ft)
Lowest elevation	0 m (0 ft)
Population  (2020 census)[3]
• Total	37,319
• Density	47/km2 (120/sq mi)
• Households	6,842
Economy
• Income class	1st municipal income class
• Poverty incidence	24.03 % (2018)[4]
• Revenue	₱ 265.9 million (2020)
• Assets	₱ 213.1 million (2020)
• Expenditure	₱ 258.9 million (2020)
• Liabilities	₱ 0.4235 million (2020)
Service provider
• Electricity	Tawi Tawi Electric Cooperative (TAWELCO)
Time zone	UTC+8 (PST)
ZIP code	7506
PSGC	157005000
IDD : area code	+63 (0)68
Native languages	Sama Tagalog Sabah Malay
Website	www.sitangkai.gov.ph

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It is the southernmost place in the Philippines and is very close to Malaysia and Indonesia.

It is called the "Venice of the South"^[5] due to the use of boats as primary transportation, although footbridges connect one house to another. The major sources of livelihood are fishing and farming, although there is very sparse agricultural land available.

This town is the southernmost town in the whole archipelago, and this town is the southernmost town in the province of Tawi-Tawi.

The historical Sitangkai group of islands comprises the islands, areas, and barangays of the present Sitangkai and Sibutu municipalities. The islands had been at the crossroads of the sea trade route and were a traditional enclave of the Bajau and Sama people who for centuries had peacefully lived off fishing and trading. The Kadatuan and Kasalipan (Salip/ arabic; Sharif) of Sitangkai and Sibutu were descended from the royalties of Sulu, Sabah, and Sarawak. Historical personalities such as the Datu Iskandar of Sibutu and the Datu Halon of Sitangkai was descended from the Datu Baginda Putih, Datu Baginda Hitam, and the feared Datu Kurunding of Lahat Datu from Borneo (now part of the Malaysian and Indonesian states). In the early 1900s, a man named Lailuddin ibn Jalaluddin from the area of Nunukan, Parang, Sulu was noted to be the first Tausūg to settle in Sitangkai, bringing with him his clan, wealth, and slaves. Together with his sons and nephews, they settled, intermarried, and made alliances with the local traditional leaders and inhabitants. During World War II, Sitangkai and Sibutu, being closer to British Borneo, was targeted by patrols and occasional raids by Japanese Imperial soldiers. Sitangkai nowadays is still a jump off port for traditional traders from Sulu, Zamboanga, mainland Tawi-Tawi going to Sabah and Borneo.

Twenty municipal districts of the then-undivided Sulu, including Sitangkai, were converted into municipalities effective "as of July 1, 1958", by virtue of Executive Order No. 355 issued by President Carlos P. Garcia on August 26, 1959.^[7] On October 21, 2006, with the ratification of Muslim Mindanao Autonomy Act No. 197, 16 of its 25 barangays were transferred to the newly created municipality of Sibutu, all of which were located on Sibutu Island.

Sitangkai is often referred to as the "Venice of the South" with boats being the primary mode of transportation within the town. Its location as the southernmost town in the Philippines makes the town as a trading port for transporting goods to and from neighboring Malaysia.^[13]

Poverty Incidence of Sitangkai

Graphs are unavailable due to technical issues. There is more info on Phabricator and on MediaWiki.org.

Source: Philippine Statistics Authority^{[14]
[15][16][17][18]}

As of 2021, there is no hospital in Sitangkai.^[13]