Introduction

 

Background: 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 East Timor from 1942 to 1945, but Portugal resumed colonial authority after the Japanese defeat in World War II. East Timor 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 East Timor. 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 East Timor 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 1,300 Timorese and forcibly pushed 300,000 people into West 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, East Timor was internationally recognized as an independent state.

 

Geography

 

Location: 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

 

Geographic coordinates: 8 50 S, 125 55 E

 

Map references: Southeast Asia

 

Area: total: 15,007 sq km; land: NA; water: NA

 

Area - comparative: slightly larger than Connecticut

 

Land boundaries: total: 228 km; border countries: Indonesia 228 km

 

Coastline: 706 km

 

Maritime claims: territorial sea: NA; exclusive economic zone: NA

continental shelf: NA; exclusive fishing zone: NA

 

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: 4.71%; permanent crops: 0.67%; other: 94.62% (2001)

 

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: NA

 

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

 

People

 

Population: 1,040,880

note: other estimates range as low as 800,000 (July 2005 est.)

 

Age structure: 0-14 years: 37.1% (male 196,108/female 189,753); 15-64 years: 59.9% (male 318,173/female 305,479); 65 years and over: 3% (male 15,353/female 16,014) (2005 est.)

 

Median age: total: 20.41 years; male: 20.46 years; female: 20.35 years (2005 est.)

 

Population growth rate: 2.09% (2005 est.)

 

Birth rate: 27.19 births/1,000 population (2005 est.)

 

Death rate: 6.3 deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.)

 

Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 est.)

 

Sex ratio: at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female; under 15 years: 1.03 male(s)/female; 15-64 years: 1.04 male(s)/female; 65 years and over: 0.96 male(s)/female; total population: 1.04 male(s)/female (2005 est.)

 

Infant mortality rate: total: 47.41 deaths/1,000 live births; male: 53.71 deaths/1,000 live births; female: 40.8 deaths/1,000 live births (2005 est.)

 

Life expectancy at birth: total population: 65.9 years; male: 63.63 years; female: 68.29 years (2005 est.)

 

Total fertility rate: 3.61 children born/woman (2005 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 90%, Muslim 4%, Protestant 3%, Hindu 0.5%, Buddhist, Animist (1992 est.)

 

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% (2002)

 

Government

 

Country name: conventional long form: Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste

conventional short form: East Timor; 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: Dili

 

Administrative divisions: 13 administrative districts; Aileu, Ainaro, Baucau, Bobonaro (Maliana), Cova-Lima (Suai), Dili, Ermera, Lautem (Los Palos), Liquica, Manatuto, Manufahi (Same), Oecussi (Ambeno), Viqueque

 

Independence: 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

 

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 will be replaced by civil and penal codes based on Portuguese law (2004)

Suffrage: 17 years of age; universal

 

Executive branch: chief of state: President Kay Rala Xanana GUSMAO (since 20 May 2002); note - the president plays a largely symbolic role but is able to veto some legislation; he formerly used the name Jose Alexandre GUSMAO

head of government: Prime Minister Mari Bin Amude ALKATIRI (since 20 May 2002)

cabinet: Council of Ministers; elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term; election last held 14 April 2002 (next to be held in April 2007); after the first legislative elections, the leader of the majority party was appointed prime minister by the president, suggesting a precedent for the future; election results: Kay Rala Xanana GUSMAO elected president; percent of vote - Kay Rala Xanana GUSMAO 82.7%, Francisco Xavier do AMARAL 17.3%

 

Legislative branch: unicameral National Parliament (number of seats can vary, minimum requirement of 52 and a maximum of 65 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms); note - for its first term of office, the National Parliament is comprised of 88 members on an exceptional basis

elections: (next to be held August 2006); direct elections for national parliament were never held; elected delegates to the national convention named themselves legislators instead of having elections; hence the exceptional numbers for this term of the national parliament.

election results: percent of vote by party - FRETILIN 57.37%, PD 8.72%, PSD 8.18%, ASDT 7.84%, UDT 2.36%, PNT 2.21%, KOTA 2.13%, PPT 2.01%, PDC 1.98%, PST 1.78%, independents/other 5.42%; seats by party - FRETILIN 55, PD 7, PSD 6, ASDT 6, PDC 2, UDT 2, KOTA 2, PNT 2, PPT 2, UDC/PDC 1, PST 1, PL 1, independent 1

 

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

 

Economy

 

Economy - overview: In late 1999, about 70% of the economic infrastructure of East Timor 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 2003, all but about 30,000 of the refugees had returned. Growth was held back in 2003 by extensive drought and the gradual winding down of the international presence. The country faces great challenges in continuing the rebuilding of infrastructure, strengthening the infant civil administration, and generating jobs for young people entering the workforce. One promising long-term project is the planned development of oil and gas resources in nearby waters, which have begun to supplement government revenues ahead of schedule.

 

GDP: purchasing power parity - $370 million (2004 est.)

 

GDP - real growth rate: 1% (2004 est.)

 

GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $400 (2004 est.)

 

GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 25.4%; industry: 17.2%; services: 57.4% (2001)

 

Labor force: NA

 

Labor force - by occupation: NA

 

Unemployment rate: 50% (including underemployment) (1992 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): 4% (2003 est.)

 

Budget: revenues: $107.7 million; expenditures: $73 million, including capital expenditures of NA (2004 est.)

 

Agriculture - products: coffee, rice, maize, cassava, sweet potatoes, soybeans, cabbage, mangoes, bananas, vanilla

 

Industries: printing, soap manufacturing, handicrafts, woven cloth

 

Industrial production growth rate: 8.5%

 

Electricity - production: NA kWh (2002)

 

Electricity - consumption: NA kWh (2002)

 

Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (2002)

 

Electricity - imports: 0 kWh (2002)

 

Exports: $8 million (2004 est.)

 

Exports - commodities: coffee, sandalwood, marble; note - the potential for oil and vanilla exports

 

Exports - partners: Portugal, Taiwan, Germany, US, Indonesia, Australia

 

Imports: $167 million (2004 est.)

 

Imports - commodities: food, gasoline, kerosene, machinery

 

Imports - partners: Indonesia, Australia, Singapore, Vietnam, Portugal, Malaysia, China

 

Debt - external: none

 

Economic aid - recipient: $2.2 billion (1999-2002 est.)

 

Currency (code): US dollar (USD)

 

Exchange rates: the US dollar is the legal tender

 

Fiscal year: 1 July - 30 June

 

Communications

 

Telephones - main lines in use: NA

 

Telephones - mobile cellular: NA

 

Telephone system: NA

 

Radio broadcast stations: AM NA, FM NA, shortwave NA

 

Television broadcast stations: NA

 

Internet country code: .tl; note - ICANN approved the change from .tp in January 2005

 

Internet users: NA

 

Transportation

 

Highways: total: 3,800 km; paved: 428 km; unpaved: 3,372 km (1995)

 

Ports and harbors: Dili

 

Airports: 8 (2004 est.)

 

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 (2004 est.)

 

Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 5; 914 to 1,523 m: 3; under 914 m: 2 (2004 est.)

 

Heliports: 1 (2004 est.)

 

Transnational Issues

 

Disputes - international: UN Mission of Support in East Timor (UNMISET) has maintained about a thousand peacekeepers in East Timor since 2002; East Timor-Indonesia Boundary Committee continues to meet, survey, and delimit the land boundary, but several sections of the boundary especially around the Oekussi enclave remain unresolved; Indonesia and East Timor contest the sovereignty of the uninhabited coral island of Palau Batek/Fatu Sinai, which prevents delimitation of the northern maritime boundaries; many of 28,000 East Timorese refugees still residing in Indonesia in 2003 have returned, but many continue to refuse repatriation; East Timor and Australia continue to meet but disagree over how to delimit a permanent maritime boundary and share unexploited potential petroleum resources that fall outside the Joint Petroleum Development Area covered by the 2002 Timor Sea Treaty; dispute with Australia also hampers creation of a southern maritime boundary with Indonesia

 

Illicit drugs: NA