Semporna

Semporna is the capital of the Semporna District in the Tawau Division of Sabah, Malaysia, with a population estimated at around 35,301 in 2010. It was founded soon after the British North Borneo Chartered Company established Sandakan and was initially settled by Chinese traders, most of them fleeing Spanish attacks on the Sulu Sultanate. Before it was called Semporna the area was known as Tong Talun in the Bajau language, meaning at the end of the forest, and Governor Treacher renamed it Labuan Semporna, Malay for perfect anchorage, before the word Labuan was dropped. The town lies at the tip of the Semporna Peninsula around Darvel Bay.