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East Timor
Quick Overview:
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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Area:
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total: 15,007 sq km land: NA sq km water: NA sq km |
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Land boundaries:
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total: 228 km border countries: Indonesia 228 km |
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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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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 |
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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Population growth rate:
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7.26% (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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HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
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NA |
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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 |
Country name:
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conventional long form: Democratic Republic of East Timor conventional short form: East Timor local short form: Timor Lorosa'e [Tetum]; Timor-Leste [Portuguese] former: Portuguese Timor local long form: Republika Demokratika Timor Lorosa'e [Tetum]; Republica Democratica de Timor-Leste [Portuguese] |
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Government type:
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republic |
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Capital:
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Dili |
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Administrative divisions:
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13 administrative districts; Aileu, Ainaro, Baucau, Bobonaro (Maliana), Cova-Lima (Suai), Dili, Ermera, Lautem (Los Palos), Liquica, Manatuto, Manufahi (Same), Oecussi (Ambeno), Viqueque |
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Independence:
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28 November 1975 (date of proclamation of independence from Portugal); note - 20 May 2002 is the official date of international recognition of East Timor's independence from Indonesia |
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National holiday:
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Independence Day, 28 November (1975) |
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Constitution:
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22 March 2002 (based on the Portuguese model) |
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Legal system:
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NA |
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Political parties and leaders:
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Associacao Social-Democrata Timorense or ASDT [Francisco Xavier do AMARAL]; Christian Democratic Party of Timor or PDC [Antonio XIMENES]; Christian Democratic Union of Timor or UDC [Vicente da Silva GUTERRES]; Democratic Pary or PD [Fernando de ARAUJO]; Maubere Democratic Party or PDM [leader NA]; People's Party of Timor or PPT [Jacob XAVIER]; Revolutionary Front of Independent East Timor or FRETILIN [Lu OLO]; Social Democrat Party of East Timor or PSD [Mario CARRASCALAO]; Socialist Party of Timor or PST [leader NA]; Sons of the Mountain Warriors (also known as Association of Timorese Heroes) or KOTA [Clementino dos Reis AMARAL]; Timor Democratic Union or UDT [Joao CARRASCALAO]; Timor Labor Party or TRABALHISTA [Paulo Freitas DA SILVA]; Timorese Nationalist Party or PNT [Abilio ARAUJO]; Timorese Popular Democratic Association or APODETI [Frederico Almeida Santos COSTA] |
GDP:
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purchasing power parity - $415 million (2001 est.) |
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GDP - real growth rate:
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18% (2001 est.) |
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Inflation rate (consumer prices):
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NA% |
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Unemployment rate:
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50% (including underemployment) |
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Industries:
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printing, soap manufacturing, handicrafts, woven cloth |
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Industrial production growth rate:
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8.5% |
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Electricity - production:
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NA kWh |
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Agriculture - products:
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coffee, rice, maize, cassava, sweet potatoes, soybeans, cabbage, mangoes, bananas, vanilla |
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Exports:
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$8 million (2001 est.) |
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Exports - commodities:
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coffee, sandalwood, marble; note - the potential for oil and vanilla exports |
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Currency:
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US dollar (USD) |
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Currency code:
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USD |
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Fiscal year:
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1 July - 30 June |
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