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Liquiçá district, East Timor
Liquiçá is one of the districts of East Timor, situated on the northern coast of East island.
Image: Natália Carrascalão Antunes
 

___ Timor-Leste

East Timor Flag
Flag of East Timor
Location map of East Timor. Where in Asia is Timor-Leste (East Timor)?
Location map of East Timor

 
A virtual guide to Timor-Leste, also known as East Timor. The relative new nation is situated in the eastern half of the island of Timor, at the eastern 'end' of the Lesser Sunda Islands, north of the Timor Sea and Australia. The country is bordered by Indonesia in west and the Savu Sea in north.


The country occupies an area of 14,874 km², including the islands of Pulau Acrobat and Paula Jaco, compared it is about half the size of Belgium, or slightly larger than the Bahamas.

The nation has a population of 1.2 million people (in 2015), capital and largest city is Dili, spoken languages are Tetuma and Portuguese (both official), Indonesian, English.

Timor Loro Sa'e | Timor-Leste | East Timor

Country Profile



Background:
The population in 1975, when the Portuguese left, was 680,000 - 97% Timorese (including mestizos), 2% Chinese, under 1% Portuguese. (The population today is about 1.16 million people - 78% Timorese, 2% Chinese, 20% Indonesian.
East Timor has a common boundary with West Timor, which is part of Indonesia, the former Dutch East Indies.

For centuries the East Timorese had been farmers, living in scattered hamlets and eating what they grew. Only a few coastal East Timorese were fishermen. Trading and shop keeping had for generations been in the hands of the Chinese.

East Timor is extremely mountainous, so the majority of East Timorese had always lived in isolation, far from cities, foreign influences and - formal education, tied to their fields and animistic practices. In spite of centuries of Catholic missionary work by the Portuguese, in 1975 animists still numbered as much as 72 % of the population. The local Timorese kings still played an important part in their lives and allegiances, whilst interference from Portuguese administrators and military was almost non-existent. (Source: Timor Today)

In 2016 Australia is forced to take part in conciliation at the Hague over a disputed maritime boundary in relation to an area that contains an estimated $40bn worth of oil and gas. Rich Australia has resisted negotiating a permanent border until 2056 at the earliest.

related countries: Australia, Indonesia, Japan, Portugal
 

Official Name:
Republika Demokratika Timor Loro Sa'e [Tetum]
Republica Democratica de Timor-Leste [Portuguese]
short form: Timor Loro Sa'e [Tetum]; Timor-Leste [Portuguese]
conventional long form: Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste
conventional short form: East Timor

ISO Country Code: .tl, tls (.tp has been phased out)

Time:
Local Time = UTC +9h
Actual Time: Mon-Mar-18  06:07

Country Calling Code: +670

Capital City: Dili

Other Cities: Baucau, Dare.


Government:
Type: Parliamentary democracy.
Independence: 28 November 1975 (from Portugal).
Restoration of independence: 20 May 2002. (from Indonesia)
Constitution: March 2002.

Geography:
Location: Southeast Asia, on the southernmost edge of the Indonesian archipelago, northwest of Australia.
Area: 14,874 km² (5,742 sq. mi.)
Terrain: Mountainous.
Highest point: Foho Tatamailau 2,963 m

Climate: Tropical; hot, semi-arid; rainy and dry seasons.

People:
Nationality: Timorese.
Population: 1.2 million (in 2015)
Religion: Catholic 96 %.
Languages: Portuguese, Tetum (official); English, Bahasa Indonesia (working languages).
Literacy: 41%.

Natural resources: Gold, petroleum, natural gas, manganese, marble.

Agriculture products: Coffee, rice, corn, cassava, sweet potatoes, soybeans, cabbage, mangoes, bananas, vanilla.

Industries: Printing, soap manufacturing, handicrafts, woven cloth.

Exports partners: Indonesia 100% (2005)
Exports - commodities: Coffee, sandalwood, marble; note - potential for oil and vanilla exports.

Currency: US dollar (USD)

Source: Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation, Timor-Leste and other.

Note: External links will open in a new browser window.

Official Sites of Timor-Leste


Government of Timor-Leste
The official Timor-Leste government website.

Prime Minister and Cabinet, Timor-Leste Goverment
The Official Website.

Ministério dos Negócios Estrangeiros e Cooperação
East Timor Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation.

TL Directorate of Statistics
Statistics Timor-Leste.

Diplomatic Missions:
Permanent Mission of Timor-Leste to UN
Page shows just contact details for the Permanent Mission of Timor-Leste to the United Nations.
Timor-Leste's Embassies
List of Embassies of Timor-Leste abroad.
Missions in Timor-Leste
List of foreign missions and international organisation in Timor-Leste.

UNTAET
The United Nations Transitional Administration in East Timor


Maps

Map of East Timor
Relief map of Timor-Leste.
Google Earth Google Earth Timor-Leste
Searchable map and satellite view of Timor-Leste.
Google Earth Google Earth Dili
Searchable map and satellite view of Timor-Leste's capital city.

Map of Southeast Asia
Map of the Southeast Asia region.
profile Map of Asia
Reference Map of Asia.
 

News

According to BBC, radio is the most popular medium and there are several community radios on air. There are a handful of daily and weekly press titles but a low rate of literacy limits readership. The UN telecom body lists East Timor as being among the world's 10 least-connected nations.

Diario Nacional
Timor Leste (in Tetum).
Suara Timor Lorosae
East Timor National Newspaper (in Tetum and Portuguese).

Guide Post
Translated to English news from East Timor.


TV/Radio
RTTL Radio-Televisão Timor Leste


International News Sources
BBC News Country Profile: East Timor
With links to Timor-Leste related news and background information.
East Timor Action Network/U.S. Homepage
Provides up-to-date news.
Reuters AlertNet - East Timor nation-building
Reuters news.
The Guardian: East Timor
The Guardian with news on Timor-Leste.

Human Rights
Amnesty International: Timor-Leste
Amnesty International Reports.
Human Rights Watch: Timor-Leste
Background Briefings.

Press freedom
Reporters sans frontières - Timor-Leste
Annual report about Press freedom in the country.
 

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Arts & Culture


Culture of Timor-Leste
Information about the cultural background of Timor-Leste.

Jose Ramos-Horta
Page of the 1996 Nobel Laureate, cited for his "work towards a just and peaceful solution to the conflict in East Timor".
 

Business & Economy


Banking and Payments Authority of Timor-Leste
BPA's primary objective is the regulation of the monetary and financial system of the country.

Timor Invest
Timor-Leste Macau Office Website for investment.


Petroleum companies investing in Timor-Leste
ConocoPhillips
The lead investing company developing the Bayu-Undan oil and gas field which lies wholly within the Timor Sea Treaty Area.
Woodside Australian Energy
The lead investing company which expects to develop the Greater Sunrise field.
Shell
A member of the Greater Sunrise partnership.
Osaka Gas
Member of the Greater Sunrise Partnership.
 
 
 
Areia Branca, seen from Cristo Rei near Dili
View of Timor Leste's coast (Areia Branca), seen from Cristo Rei near Dili.
Image: J.P. Esperança

Travel and Tour Consumer Information


Destination Timor-Leste - Travel and Tour Guides


Discover East Timor: accommodation, hotels, attractions, and much more.

Turismo Timor-Leste
Discover the World's Newest Nation - the official tourism website of Timor-Leste.

Discover Dili
Discover East Timor.
The Unofficial Guide to East Timor
Comprehensive tourism guide to Timor-Leste.
Travel Guide: Timor - Leste
Travel and tourism information for East Timor.  

Hotels
Hotel Esplanada
Dili East Timor.
Hotel Timor
The reference hotel in Timor-Leste.
 
 

Education


National University of East Timor
The leading institution of higher education in East Timor.

Dili International School
A private, non-profit institution and an English-language school situated in Dili.

Education International
Education International is monitoring the situation in Timor-Leste as the fledgling country plunged into chaos since the beginning of the unrest on 24 April. EI is concerned about the extent the unrest has affected teachers and children.
 
 

Issues TL


La'o Hamutuk
East Timor Institute for Reconstruction Monitoring and Analysis.

East Timor & Indonesia Action Network (ETAN)
NGO, founded in November 1991 to support genuine self-determination and human rights for the people of East Timor, site with news and information on current events in Timor-Leste.

TAPOL, the Indonesia Human Rights Campaign
TAPOL; English language authority on the human rights situation in Indonesia and East Timor.
 
 

History


History of Timor-Leste
Brief History of Timor-Leste.
East Timor Revisited
Ford and Kissinger gave green light to Indonesia's invasion of East Timor, background information by The National Security Archive.
The obscure history of East Timor
TimorNet offers you an inside look at East Timor in all it's facets.

Recent History
The Age
Australia, Article: East Timor's celebrates as a nation is born.
PBS' Online NewsHour: East Timor Independence
PBS page about East Timors Independence.
 
 

Search

The World-Wide Web Virtual Library
The World-Wide Web Virtual Library: East Timor.

Open Directory: East Timor


Sources and additional Information about Timor-Leste

BBC Country Profile: East Timor

GlobalEDGE: East Timor

The Heritage Foundation: East Timor

Human Rights Watch: East Timor

OEC: East Timor

Wikipedia: East Timor

The World Factbook -- East Timor


UNICEF: Timor-Leste

WHO: Timor-Leste
 
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