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NAVIGATION
Independent Republic of East Timor
East Timor Leste
INTRODUCTION
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Background:
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The Portuguese colony of Timor declared itself independent from Portugal on 28 November 1975 and was invaded and occupied by Indonesian forces nine days later. It was subsequently incorporated into Indonesia in July 1976 as the province of Timor Timur. A so-called campaign of pacification followed over the next two decades, during which time an estimated 100,000 to 250,000 individuals lost their lives. On 30 August 1999, in a UN-supervised popular referendum, the people of Timor Timur voted for independence from Indonesia. On 20 May 2002, East Timor was internationally recognized as an independent state and the world's newest democracy. |
GEOGRAPHY
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Location:
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Southeastern Asia, northwest of Australia in the Lesser Sunda Islands at the eastern end of the Indonesian archipelago; note - East Timor includes the eastern half of the island of Timor, the Oecussi (Ambeno) region on the northwest portion of the island of Timor, and the islands of Pulau Atauro and Pulau Jaco |
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Geographic coordinates:
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8 50 S, 125 55 E |
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Map references:
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Southeast Asia |
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Area:
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total: 15,007 sq km
land: NA sq km water: NA sq km |
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Area - comparative:
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slightly larger than Connecticut |
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Land boundaries:
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total: 228 km
border countries: Indonesia 228 km |
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Coastline:
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706 km |
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Maritime claims:
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contiguous zone: NA NM
extended fishing zone: NA NM territorial sea: NA NM exclusive fishing zone: NA NM continental shelf: NA NM exclusive economic zone: NA NM |
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Climate:
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tropical; hot, humid; distinct rainy and dry seasons |
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Terrain:
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mountainous |
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Elevation extremes:
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lowest point: Timor Sea, Savu Sea, and Banda Sea 0 m
highest point: Foho Tatamailau 2,963 m |
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Natural resources:
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gold, petroleum, natural gas, manganese, marble |
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Land use:
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arable land: NA%
other: NA% permanent crops: NA% |
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Irrigated land:
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1,065 sq km (est.) |
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Natural hazards:
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floods and landslides are common; earthquakes, tsunamis, tropical cyclones |
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Environment - current issues:
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widespread use of slash and burn agriculture has led to deforestation and soil erosion |
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Environment - international agreements:
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NA |
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Geography - note:
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Timor is the Malay word for "Orient"; the island of Timor is part of the Malay Archipelago and is the largest and easternmost of the Lesser Sunda Islands |
PEOPLE
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Population:
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952,618 (July 2002 est.)
note: other estimates range as low as 800,000 (2002 est.) |
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Age structure:
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NA |
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Population growth rate:
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7.26% (2002 est.) |
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Birth rate:
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28.07 births/1,000 population (2002 est.) |
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Death rate:
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6.52 deaths/1,000 population (2002 est.) |
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Net migration rate:
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51.07 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2002 est.) |
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Sex ratio:
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NA |
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Infant mortality rate:
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51.99 deaths/1,000 live births (2002 est.) |
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Life expectancy at birth:
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total population: 64.85 years
male: 62.64 years female: 67.17 years (2002 est.) |
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Total fertility rate:
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3.88 children born/woman (2002 est.) |
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HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
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NA |
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HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
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NA |
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HIV/AIDS - deaths:
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NA |
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Nationality:
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noun: Timorese
adjective: Timorese |
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Ethnic groups:
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Austronesian (Malayo-Polynesian), Papuan, small Chinese minority |
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Religions:
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Roman Catholic 90%, Muslim 4%, Protestant 3%, Hindu 0.5%, Buddhist, Animist (1992 est.) |
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Languages:
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Tetum (official), Portuguese (official), Indonesian, English
note: there are a total of about 16 indigenous languages, of which Tetum, Galole, Mambae, and Kemak are spoken by significant numbers of people |
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Literacy:
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definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 48% (2001) male: NA% female: NA% |