Timor-Leste

I

Introduction

Timor-Leste (formerly East Timor), democratic republic in South East Asia, forming the eastern half of the island of Timor. It is bordered on the north by the Wetar Strait and on the south by the Timor Sea. The western half of the island belongs to the Republic of Indonesia and is part of East Nusa Tenggara Province. Timor-Leste was a Portuguese colony from the early 16th century until 1975 and was claimed as a province of Indonesia from 1976 to 1999. In August 1999 the East Timorese population voted to become an independent nation, and the territory was subsequently placed under the administration of the United Nations (UN) during the period of transition to complete independence. Timor-Leste declared its independence on May 20, 2002. Dili is the country’s largest city, and capital.

II

Land and Climate

Timor-Leste covers 14,874 sq km (5,743 sq mi).and includes the main eastern side of Timor, the enclave of Oe-Cusse (Ocussi Ambeno) in West Timor, and some small islands. It has a mountainous terrain; Tata Mailau (2,950 m/9,679 ft), in the west, is the highest peak. Many rivers flow from the mountains through the coastal plains. The climate is hot with monsoon rains falling between December and March. Daily temperatures range from highs of 30° to 34° C (86° to 93° F) to lows of 20° to 23° C (68° to 73° F). The hottest period falls between October and December. On the southern side of the island, the foothills of the mountains are covered in acacia and eucalyptus trees, but the north coast is arid, with a severe dry season.

III

Population

Following the vote for independence in August 1999, significant rioting took place in Timor-Leste, and many people fled the territory. As a result, it is difficult to establish how many people are currently living in Timor-Leste. In 1996, while the territory was still under Indonesian control, Timor-Leste had an estimated population of 859,700. In 1999 the UN estimated that the territory had a population of around 920,000. Prior to the riots, Dili had almost 62,000 inhabitants, and the next largest town, Lautem, had 17,850. There is only one major road through the territory. It links the island’s main townships along the northern coast, east from Dili.

Many East Timorese people are descendants of the Tetum people who first inhabited the central region of the island. These people speak the Tetum language (an Austronesian language, also known as “Tetun”). Other smaller ethnic groups, many with their own languages from the same family, live in small, scattered communities. Many East Timorese continue to follow their traditional animist beliefs, but Roman Catholicism is the religion of 91.4 per cent of the population. Although Islam and Hinduism have significant followings in many parts of the Malay Archipelago, including Indonesia, neither religion is well established in Timor-Leste. It is estimated that in the region of 50 per cent of the population are illiterate.

During the riots that followed the independence vote in August 1999, Dili, the main port city, was severely damaged and many of its buildings, including the large Roman Catholic cathedral, were destroyed or damaged. Although some rebuilding began after the riots, there were few remaining buildings of significance in the city.

IV

Economy

Timor-Leste has few natural resources and is one of the poorest countries in the world. Commercially produced crops include coffee, coconuts, cloves, and cacao. Many rural people still practise slash-and-burn agriculture (also called shifting cultivation), using simple tools to grow their principal crops of coffee, rice, maize, and candlenut. Commercial forestry is viable in some areas. Australian-funded oil exploration has indicated that there may be good prospects for oil deposits off Timor-Leste’s coast and in 2002 the two countries signed a treaty dividing between them the natural gas and oil resources of the Timor Sea. The official currency is the US dollar; the Australian dollar and the Indonesian rupiah, both previously used, no longer serve as legal tender. There is an international airport at Dili. Since independence there have been public radio and television services and the sector is expected to grow rapidly. Two daily newspapers are published in Dili.