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Semporna () is the capital of the Semporna District in the Tawau Division of Sabah, Malaysia. Its population was estimated to be around 35,301 in 2010.
The federal constituency represented in the Dewan Rakyat is Semporna.
Including other parts of eastern Sabah, this area was ruled by the Sultanate of Sulu before being handed over to the British North Borneo Chartered Company in 1876 by agreement. From that time on the area came under permanent British administration. Other western powers, including the Dutch, tried to conquer this area in June 1876 but were repelled by the British presence here.
This area also was long a main landing point for Pirate. Very few people lived on the coasts for fear of these marauders, as they roamed the seas, kidnapping, raiding and killing. Action by Sir James Brooke, and other western colonial powers such as the Dutch and Spanish, managed to successfully combat the pirates over the course of the 1800s. Upon the advent of the Chartered Company in the early 1880s, only one pirate stronghold remained at Omadal Island, which was defeated by HMS Zephyr in 1886. By mid 1887, a trading station on the southern side of the entrance to Darvel Bay was established. With pirates having recently destroyed the settlement of Maimbung in Sulu, some of the Chinese merchants there asked for permission to settle in the Company's territory, under the rule of law and its resulting security. Semporna was the site of a small-scale migration of Chavacano speakers from Zamboanga City, fleeing the Malaysia-funded Moro Conflict between Muslim rebels and the Philippine government. These Chavacanos speak a Creole of Mexican-Spanish and are partially descended from Peruvian settlers mixed with indigenous Filipinos "SECOND BOOK OF THE SECOND PART OF THE CONQUESTS OF THE FILIPINAS ISLANDS, AND CHRONICLE OF THE RELIGIOUS OF OUR FATHER, ST. AUGUSTINE" (Zamboanga City History) "He (Governor Don Sebastían Hurtado de Corcuera) brought a great reënforcements of soldiers, many of them from Perú, as he made his voyage to Acapulco from that kingdom." from the former Rajahnate of Sanmalan. Reading Song-Ming Records on the Pre-colonial History of the Philippines By Kansai University
There are thousands of Bajau Laut (also known as Sea Gypsies or Pala'u) people live on the sea around Semporna. They are one of the few nomadic seaborne peoples of the world, and spend most of their lives on boats, making a livelihood from the coral reefs in the area. For some Bajau Laut people, the only time that their bodies spend any extended time on land is when they are buried after death.
Additionally, there are also large segments of populations Bajau Darat (Land Bajaus) in Semporna. They are nonmigrating, inhabiting the coastal areas and many adopted a land-based economy.
Among other large ethnic community in Semporna being the Suluk people. As in many places in Sabah and southern Philippines, the intermarriage between the Bajaus and Suluks are highly common in Semporna. Many of the Suluks and Bajaus in Semporna having a close family ties with their kins across the border in the Sulu Archipelago and Mindanao.
Other main ethnic minority populations in Semporna are the Filipino people and Chinese community. The majority of Chinese people in Semporna are from the Hakka people ethnic group.
Semporna is also home to the only Chavacano-speaking community in Malaysia. Semporna's Chavacano speakers are refugees (or descendants of refugees) who fled the Moro conflict of the Philippines. A large number of these refugees live in Malaysia illegally.
Semporna is the gateway to diving in world-renowned island paradises like Sipadan, Mabul, Kapalai, Mataking Island, Sibuan, Mantabuan, Siamil and Pom Pom among others. Visitors to Semporna are mainly sunseekers looking for relaxation or watersports activities such as scuba diving or snorkelling.
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