The Portuguese began to trade with the island of Timor in the early 16th century and colonized it in mid-century. Skirmishing with the Dutch in the region eventually resulted in an 1859 treaty in which Portugal ceded the western portion of the island. Imperial Japan occupied Timor-Leste from 1942 to 1945, but Portugal resumed colonial authority after the Japanese defeat in World War II. Timor-Leste declared itself independent from Portugal on 28 November 1975 and was invaded and occupied by Indonesian forces nine days later. It was incorporated into Indonesia in July 1976 as the province of Timor-Leste. An unsuccessful campaign of pacification followed over the next two decades, during which an estimated 100,000 to 250,000 individuals lost their lives. On 30 August 1999, in a UN-supervised popular referendum, an overwhelming majority of the people of Timor-Leste voted for independence from Indonesia. Between the referendum and the arrival of a multinational peacekeeping force in late September 1999, anti-independence Timorese militias - organized and supported by the Indonesian military - commenced a large-scale, scorched-earth campaign of retribution. The militias killed approximately 1,400 Timorese and forcibly pushed 300,000 people into western Timor as refugees. The majority of the country's infrastructure, including homes, irrigation systems, water supply systems, and schools, and nearly 100% of the country's electrical grid were destroyed. On 20 September 1999 the Australian-led peacekeeping troops of the International Force for East Timor (INTERFET) deployed to the country and brought the violence to an end. On 20 May 2002, Timor-Leste was internationally recognized as an independent state. In March of 2006, a military strike led to violence and a near breakdown of law and order. Over 2,000 Australian, New Zealand, and Portuguese police and peacekeepers deployed to Timor-Leste in late May. Although many of the peacekeepers were replaced by UN police officers, 850 Australian soldiers remained as of 1 January 2007.
Location
Southeastern Asia, northwest of Australia in the Lesser Sunda Islands at the eastern end of the Indonesian archipelago; note - Timor-Leste 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
Geographic coordinates
8 50 S, 125 55 E
Map references
Southeast Asia
Area
total
15,007 sq km
land
NA sq km
water
NA sq km
Area - comparative
slightly larger than Connecticut
Land boundaries
total
228 km
border countries
Indonesia 228 km
Coastline
706 km
Maritime claims
territorial sea
12 nm
contiguous zone
24 nm
exclusive fishing zone
200 nm
Climate
tropical; hot, humid; distinct rainy and dry seasons
Terrain
mountainous
Elevation extremes
lowest point
Timor Sea, Savu Sea, and Banda Sea 0 m
highest point
Foho Tatamailau 2,963 m
Natural resources
gold, petroleum, natural gas, manganese, marble
Land use
arable land
8.2%
permanent crops
4.57%
other
87.23% (2005)
Irrigated land
1,065 sq km (est.)
Natural hazards
floods and landslides are common; earthquakes, tsunamis, tropical cyclones
Environment - current issues
widespread use of slash and burn agriculture has led to deforestation and soil erosion
Environment - international agreements
party to: Climate Change, Desertification
Geography - note
Timor comes from the Malay word for "East"; the island of Timor is part of the Malay Archipelago and is the largest and easternmost of the Lesser Sunda Islands
Population
1,084,971
note: other estimates range as low as 800,000 (July 2007 est.)
Age structure
0-14 years
35.7% (male 196,825/female 190,454)
15-64 years
61.1% (male 337,816/female 325,094)
65 years and over
3.2% (male 16,823/female 17,959) (2007 est.)
Median age
total
21.1 years
male
21.2 years
female
21.1 years (2007 est.)
Population growth rate
2.059% (2007 est.)
Birth rate
26.77 births/1,000 population (2007 est.)
Death rate
6.19 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.)
Net migration rate
0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 est.)
Sex ratio
at birth
1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years
1.033 male(s)/female
15-64 years
1.039 male(s)/female
65 years and over
0.937 male(s)/female
total population
1.034 male(s)/female (2007 est.)
Infant mortality rate
total
44.46 deaths/1,000 live births
male
50.47 deaths/1,000 live births
female
38.14 deaths/1,000 live births (2007 est.)
Life expectancy at birth
total population
66.6 years
male
64.28 years
female
69.04 years (2007 est.)
Total fertility rate
3.45 children born/woman (2007 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate
NA
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS
NA
HIV/AIDS - deaths
NA
Nationality
noun
Timorese
adjective
Timorese
Ethnic groups
Austronesian (Malayo-Polynesian), Papuan, small Chinese minority
Religions
Roman Catholic 98%, Muslim 1%, Protestant 1% (2005)
Languages
Tetum (official), Portuguese (official), Indonesian, English
note: there are about 16 indigenous languages; Tetum, Galole, Mambae, and Kemak are spoken by significant numbers of people
Literacy
definition
age 15 and over can read and write
total population
58.6%
male
NA%
female
NA% (2002)
Country name
conventional long form
Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste
conventional short form
Timor-Leste
local long form
Republika Demokratika Timor Lorosa'e [Tetum]; Republica Democratica de Timor-Leste [Portuguese]
local short form
Timor Lorosa'e [Tetum]; Timor-Leste [Portuguese]
former
Portuguese Timor
Government type
republic
Capital
name
Dili
geographic coordinates
8 35 S, 125 36 E
time difference
UTC+9 (14 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
28 November 1975 (independence proclaimed from Portugal); note - 20 May 2002 is the official date of international recognition of Timor-Leste's independence from Indonesia
National holiday
Independence Day, 28 November (1975)
Constitution
22 March 2002 (based on the Portuguese model)
Legal system
UN-drafted legal system based on Indonesian law remains in place but are to be replaced by civil and penal codes based on Portuguese law; these have passed but have not been promulgated; has not accepted compulsury ICJ jurisdiction
Suffrage
17 years of age; universal
Executive branch
chief of state
President Jose RAMOS-HORTA (since 20 May 2007); note - the president plays a largely symbolic role but is able to veto legislation, dissolve parliament, and call national elections
head of government
Interim Prime Minister Estanislau da SILVA (since 19 May 2007); Deputy Prime Minister Rui Maria do ARAUJO (since 10 July 2006)
cabinet
Council of Ministers
elections
president elected by popular vote for a five-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held on 9 April 2007 with run-off on 8 May 2007 (next be be held in May 2012); following elections, president appoints leader of majority party or majority coalition as prime minister
election results
Jose RAMOS-HORTA elected president; percent of vote - Jose RAMOS-HORTA 69.2%, Francisco GUTTERES 30.8%
Legislative branch
unicameral National Parliament (number of seats can vary from 52 to 65; members elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms)
elections: last held on 30 June 2007 (next elections to be held in June 2012)
election results: percent of vote by party - FRETILIN 29%, CNRT 24.1%, ASDT-PSD 15.8%, PD 11.3%, PUN 4.5%, KOTA-PPT (Democratic Alliance) 3.2%, UNTERDIM 3.2%, others 8.9%; seats by party - FRETILIN 21, CNRT 18, ASDT-PSD 11, PD 8, PUN 3, KOTA-PPT 2, UNDERTIM 2
Judicial branch
Supreme Court of Justice - constitution calls for one judge to be appointed by National Parliament and rest appointed by Superior Council for Judiciary; note - until Supreme Court is established, Court of Appeals is highest court
Political parties and leaders
Democratic Party or PD [Fernando de ARAUJO]; National Congress for Timorese Reconstruction or CNRT [Xanana GUSMAO]; National Democratic Union of Timorese Resistance or UNDERTIM [Cornelio DA Conceicao GAMA]; National Unity Party or PUN [Fernanda BORGES]; People's Party of Timor or PPT [Jacob XAVIER]; Revolutionary Front of Independent Timor-Leste or FRETILIN [Francisco Guterres Lu OLO]; Social Democratic Association of Timor or ASDT [Francisco Xavier do AMARAL]; Social Democratic Party or PSD [Mario CARRASCALAO]; Sons of the Mountain Warriors or KOTA [Clementino dos Reis AMARAL] (also known as Association of Timorese Heroes)
US Department of State, 8250 Dili Place, Washington, DC 20521-8250
telephone
(670) 332-4684
FAX
(670) 331-3206
Flag description
red, with a black isosceles triangle (based on the hoist side) superimposed on a slightly longer yellow arrowhead that extends to the center of the flag; there is a white star in the center of the black triangle
Economy - overview
In late 1999, about 70% of the economic infrastructure of Timor-Leste was laid waste by Indonesian troops and anti-independence militias, and 300,000 people fled westward. Over the next three years, however, a massive international program, manned by 5,000 peacekeepers (8,000 at peak) and 1,300 police officers, led to substantial reconstruction in both urban and rural areas. By the end of 2005, all refugees either returned or resettled in Indonesia. The country faces great challenges in continuing the rebuilding of infrastructure, strengthening the infant civil administration, and generating jobs for young people entering the work force. The development of oil and gas resources in nearby waters has begun to supplement government revenues ahead of schedule and above expectations - the result of high petroleum prices - but the technology-intensive industry does little to create jobs for the unemployed, because there are no production facilities in Timor and the gas is piped to Australia. The parliament in June 2005 unanimously approved the creation of a Petroleum Fund to serve as a repository for all petroleum revenues and preserve the value of Timor-Leste's petroleum wealth for future generations. The mid-2006 outbreak of violence and civil unrest disrupted both private and public sector economic activity. Real non-oil GDP growth in 2006 is estimated to have been negative. The underlying economic policy challenge the country faces remains how best to use oil-and-gas wealth to lift the non-oil economy onto a higher growth path and reduce poverty.
GDP (purchasing power parity)
$370 million (2004 est.)
GDP (official exchange rate)
$349 million (2005)
GDP - real growth rate
1.8% (2005 est.)
GDP - per capita (PPP)
$800 (2005 est.)
GDP - composition by sector
agriculture
8.5%
industry
23.1%
services
68.4% (2004)
Labor force
NA
Labor force - by occupation
agriculture
NA%
industry
NA%
services
NA%
Unemployment rate
50% estimated; note - unemployment in urban areas reached 20%; data do not include underemployed (2001 est.)
Population below poverty line
42% (2003 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share
lowest 10%
NA%
highest 10%
NA%
Distribution of family income - Gini index
38 (2002 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices)
1.4% (2005)
Budget
revenues
$107.7 million
expenditures
$73 million; including capital expenditures of $NA (2004 est.)
coffee, sandalwood, marble; note - potential for oil and vanilla exports
Exports - partners
Indonesia 100% (2006)
Imports
$202 million (2004 est.)
Imports - commodities
food, gasoline, kerosene, machinery
Economic aid - recipient
$153 million (2004 est.)
Currency (code)
US dollar (USD)
Currency code
USD
Exchange rates
the US dollar is used
Fiscal year
1 July - 30 June
Telephones - main lines in use
NA
Telephone system
NA
Radio broadcast stations
at least 1 (East Timor has a state-run media oversight authority that overseas at least 1 radio station - frequency type NA)
Radios
NA
Television broadcast stations
1 (East Timor has a state-run media oversight authority that oversees at least 1 television station)
Televisions
NA
Internet country code
.tl; note - ICANN approved the change from .tp in January 2005
Internet hosts
68 (2006)
Internet Service Providers (ISPs)
NA
Internet users
1,000 (2004)
Airports
8 (2006)
Airports - with paved runways
total
3
2,438 to 3,047 m
1
1,524 to 2,437 m
1
914 to 1,523 m
1 (2006)
Airports - with unpaved runways
total
5
914 to 1,523 m
3
under 914 m
2 (2006)
Heliports
9 (2006)
Roadways
total
5,000 km
paved
2,500 km
unpaved
2,500 km (2005)
Ports and terminals
Dili
Military branches
Timor-Leste Defense Force (Forcas de Defesa de Timor-L'este, FDTL): Army, Navy (Armada) (2005)
Military service age and obligation
18 years of age for voluntary military service (2001)
Manpower available for military service
males age 18-49
235,198
females age 18-49
223,069 (2005 est.)
Manpower fit for military service
males age 18-49
179,422
females age 18-49
184,533 (2005 est.)
Manpower reaching military service age annually
males age 18-49
12,740
females age 18-49
12,438 (2005 est.)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP
NA
Disputes - international
Timor-Leste-Indonesia Boundary Committee has resolved all but a small portion of the land boundary, but discussions on maritime boundaries are stalemated over sovereignty of the uninhabited coral island of Pulau Batek/Fatu Sinai in the north and alignment with Australian claims in the south; many refugees who left Timor-Leste in 2003 still reside in Indonesia and refuse repatriation; Australia and Timor-Leste agreed in 2005 to defer the disputed portion of the boundary for 50 years and to split hydrocarbon revenues evenly outside the Joint Petroleum Development Area covered by the 2002 Timor Sea Treaty
