Dili

Dili, or Díli, is the pleasant capital and largest city of East Timor. There are numerous colonial buildings and churches, including the landmark Immaculate Conception Cathedral, as well as a huge garrison that was built in 1627. Other sites of interest include the Cristo Rei of Dili statue atop a summit outside of town, the Government Palace, the Pura Girinatha Hindu temple and the Timorese Resistance Archive and Museum.

Most activity takes place along Dili's waterfront and during the evenings it is a popular place to go for a stroll.

Dili's inhabitants are strongly catholic and on the hilltop headland of Cape Fatucama is a large statue of Christ, overlooking the city. From the hill, the views over Dili are spectacular.

There are several excellent beaches around Dili, the most popular of which are Areia Branca, or Pasir Putih (White Sands), 3 km east of town and Christo Rei. From Dili's waterfront you can see Atauro Island, which lies several kilometers off the coast. West of Dili are some nice beaches. At Liquica, 30 km west of Dili is a nice black sand beach.

There are several hotels and restaurants in Dili, but large parts of the city were destroyed during the struggle for independence in 1999.