Borderland is a land of complexity. Before the establishment and expansion of the British North Borneo Company in the late 19th century, the Tawau District was under the influence of sultanates in the region, i.e., Brunei, Sulu, and Bulungan in Kalimantan. In a map published by the British North Borneo Company in 1888, the territory under its control covered the entire Sebatik Island as well as Nunukan Island. The land borders were later fine-tuned several times after the Anglo-Dutch treaty was signed in 1891, with Sebatik Island politically dissected into two parts and Nunukan Island transferred to Kalimantan. This had changed the fate of the local people for generations, as the territorial arrangement was subsequently adopted by Malaysia and Indonesia after gaining independence from the colonists.