Map of Timor-Leste | Geography | People | Government | Economy | Energy | Communication
Military | Transportation | Transnational Issues | Year: Guide1989199019911992199319941995199619971998199920002001200220032004200520062007200820092010201120122013201420152016201720182019202020212022202320242025 | More stats

top of page


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 Portuguese 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 Timor Timur (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 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 1400 Timorese and forcibly pushed 300,000 people into western Timor as refugees. Most 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 late April 2006 internal tensions threatened the new nation's security when a military strike led to violence and a near breakdown of law and order. At Dili's request an Australian-led International Stabilization Force (ISF) deployed to Timor-Leste in late May. In August the UN Security Council established the UN Integrated Mission in Timor-Leste (UNMIT) which included an authorized police presence of over 1600 personnel. The ISF and UNMIT restored stability allowing for presidential and parliamentary elections in April and June 2007 in a largely peaceful atmosphere. In February 2008 a rebel group staged an unsuccessful attack against the president and prime minister. The ringleader was killed in the attack and most of the rebels surrendered in April 2008. Since the unsuccessful attacks the government has enjoyed one of its longest periods of post-independence stability.


top of page


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 reference: Southeast Asia

Area
Total: 14,874 km²
Rank: 160
Land: 14,874 km²
Water: 0 km²
Comparative: slightly larger than Connecticut

Land boundaries
Total: 228 km
Border countries: (1) 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
Extremes 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: 140 km² (2008)

Major rivers

Major watersheds area km²

Total water withdrawal

Total renewable water resources

Natural hazards: floods and landslides are common; earthquakes; tsunamis; tropical cyclones

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


top of page


Population: 1,177,834
Rank: 158
Note: other estimates range as low as 800,000 (July 2011 est.)
Growth rate: 1.981% (2011 est.)
Growth rate rank: 56
Below poverty line: 42% (2003 est.)

Nationality
Noun: Timorese
Adjective: Timorese

Ethnic groups: Austronesian (Malayo-Polynesian) Papuan small Chinese minority

Languages: Tetum (official) Portuguese (official) Indonesian English
Note: there are about 16 indigenous languages; Tetum Galole Mambae and Kemak are spoken by a significant portion of the population

Religions: Roman Catholic 98% Muslim 1% Protestant 1% (2005)

Demographic profile

Age structure
0-14 years: 33.8%
15-64 years: 62.5% (male 374,659/female 361,983)
65 years and over: 3.6% (male 20,160/female 22,706) (2011 est.)

Dependency ratios

Median age
Total: 22.5 years
Male: 22.5 years
Female: 22.5 years (2011 est.)

Population growth rate: 1.981% (2011 est.)
Rank: 56

Birth rate: 25.7 births/1000 population (2011 est.)
Rank: 56

Death rate: 5.89 deaths/1000 population (July 2011 est.)
Rank: 168

Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1000 population (2011 est.)
Rank: 109

Population distribution

Urbanization
Urban population: 28% of total population
Rate of urbanization: 5% annual rate of change (2010-15 est.)

Major urban areas

Environment
Current issues: widespread use of slash and burn agriculture has led to deforestation and soil erosion
International agreements party to: Biodiversity Climate Change Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol Desertification
International agreements signed but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Air pollutants

Sex ratio
At birth: 1.05 male/female
Under 15 years: 1.03 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.9 male(s)/female
Total population: 1.03 male(s)/female (2011 est.)

Mothers mean age at first birth

Maternal mortality ratio

Infant mortality rate
Total: 38.01 deaths/1000 live births
Rank: 66
Male: 43.79 deaths/1000 live births
Female: 31.95 deaths/1000 live births (2011 est.)

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 67.95 years
Rank: 155
Male: 65.54 years
Female: 70.47 years (2011 est.)

Total fertility rate: 3.13 children born/woman (2011 est.)
Rank: 57

Contraceptive prevalence rate

Drinking water source:

Current health expenditure

Physicians density: 0.1 physicians/1000 population (2004)
Rank: 164

Hospital bed density

Sanitation facility access:

Hiv/Aids
Adult prevalence rate: NA
People living with hivaids: NA
Deaths: NA

Major infectious diseases
Degree of risk: very high
Food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea hepatitis A and typhoid fever
Vectorborne diseases: chikungunya dengue fever and malaria (2009)

Obesity adult prevalence rate

Alcohol consumption

Tobacco use

Children under the age of 5 years underweight: 40.6% (2002)
Rank: 4

Education expenditures: 16.8% of GDP (2009)
Rank: 1

Literacy
Definition: age 15 and over can read and write
Total population: 58.6%
Male: NA
Female: NA (2002)

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education
Total: 11 years

Youth unemployment


top of page


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: East Timor 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)

Administrative divisions: 13 administrative districts; Aileu Ainaro Baucau Bobonaro (Maliana) Cova-Lima (Suai) Dili Ermera (Gleno) Lautem (Los Palos) Liquica Manatuto Manufahi (Same) Oecussi (Ambeno) Viqueque
Note: administrative divisions have the same names as their administrative centers (exceptions have the administrative center name following in parentheses)

Dependent areas

Independence: 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: 20 May 2002 (effective date)

Legal system: civil law system based on the Indonesian model; note - new penal code based on the Portuguese model was passed by Parliament and promulgated in 2009; new civil code expected to be promulgated in 2011

International law organization participation: has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; accepts ICCt jurisdiction

Citizenship

Suffrage: 17 years of age; universal

Executive branch
Chief of state: President Jose RAMOS-HORTA ; note - the president plays a largely symbolic role but is able to veto legislation dissolve parliament and call national elections
Head of government: Prime Minister Kay Rala Xanana GUSMAO (since 8 August 2007); note - he formerly used the name Jose Alexandre GUSMAO; Vice Prime Minister Jose Luis GUTERRES (since 8 August 2007)
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 to be held in March 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 due by 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% UNDERTIM 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 [Mari ALKATIRI]; Social Democratic Association of Timor or ASDT [Francisco Xavier do AMARAL]; Social Democratic Party or PSD [Zacarias Albano da COSTA]; Sons of the Mountain Warriors or KOTA [Manuel TILMAN] (also known as Association of Timorese Heroes)

International organization participation: ACP ADB AOSIS ARF ASEAN (observer) CPLP FAO G-77 IBRD ICAO ICRM IDA IFAD IFC IFRCS ILO IMF IMO Interpol IOC IOM IPU ITU MIGA NAM OPCW PIF (observer) UN UNCTAD UNESCO UNIDO Union Latina UNWTO UPU WCO WHO WMO

Diplomatic representation
In the us chief of mission: Ambassador Constancio da Conceicao PINTO
In the us chancery: 4,201 Connecticut Avenue NW Suite 504Washington DC 20,008
In the us telephone: [1] (202) 966-3,202
In the us fax: [1] (202) 966-3,205
From the us chief of mission: Ambassador Judith R. FERGIN
From the us embassy: Avenida de Portugal Praia dos Conqueiros Dili
From the us mailing address: US Department of State 8,250 Dili Place Washington DC 20,521-8,250
From the us telephone: (670) 332-4,684
From the us fax: (670) 331-3,206

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; a white star - pointing to the upper hoist-side corner of the flag - is in the center of the black triangle; yellow denotes the colonialism in Timor-Leste's past; black represents the obscurantism that needs to be overcome; red stands for the national liberation struggle; the white star symbolizes peace and serves as a guiding light

National symbols

National anthem
Name: 'Patria'
Lyricsmusic: Fransisco Borja DA COSTA/Afonso DE ARAUJO
Note: adopted 2002; the song was first used as an anthem when Timor-Leste declared its independence from Portugal in 1975; the lyricist Fransisco Borja DA COSTA was killed in an Indonesian invasion just days after independence was declared

National heritage


top of page


Economy overview: In late 1999 about 70% of the economic infrastructure of Timor-Leste was laid waste by Indonesian troops and anti-independence militias. Three hundred thousand people fled westward. Over the next three years a massive international program manned by 5,000 peacekeepers (8,000 at peak) and 1300 police officers led to substantial reconstruction in both urban and rural areas. By the end of 2005 refugees had returned or had settled in Indonesia. The country continues to face great challenges in rebuilding its infrastructure strengthening the civil administration and generating jobs for young people entering the work force. The development of oil and gas resources in offshore waters has greatly supplemented government revenues. This technology-intensive industry however has done little to create jobs for the unemployed because there are no production facilities in Timor-Leste. Gas is piped to Australia. In June 2005 the National Parliament unanimously approved the creation of a Petroleum Fund to serve as a repository for all petroleum revenues and to preserve the value of Timor-Leste's petroleum wealth for future generations. The Fund held assets of US$6.6 billion as of October 2010. The economy continues to recover strongly from the mid-2006 outbreak of violence and civil unrest which disrupted both private and public sector economic activity. The government in 2008 resettled tens of thousands of an estimated 100,000 internally displaced persons (IDPs); most IDPs returned home by early 2009. Government spending increased markedly in 2009 and 2010 primarily on basic infrastructure including electricity and roads. Limited experience in procurement and infrastructure building has hampered these projects. 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 to reduce poverty.

Real gdp purchasing power parity:
Rank: 176
Note: data are in 2010 US dollars

Real gdp growth rate:
Rank: 49

Real gdp per capita:
Rank: 173
Note: data are in 2010 US dollars

Gross national saving

Gdp composition by end use

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: 27.9%
Industry: 18%
Services: 54.1% (2010 est.)

Agriculture products: coffee rice corn cassava sweet potatoes soybeans cabbage mangoes bananas vanilla

Industries: printing soap manufacturing handicrafts woven cloth

Industrial production growth rate: 8.5% (2004 est.)
Rank: 37

Labor force: 414,200 (2007)
Rank: 156
By occupation agriculture: 90%
By occupation industry: NA%
By occupation services: NA% (2006 est.)

Unemployment rate: 20% (2006 est.)
Rank: 165
Note: data are for rural areas unemployment rises to more than 40% among urban youth

Youth unemployment

Population below poverty line: 42% (2003 est.)

Gini index

Household income or consumption by percentage share
Lowest 10: 4%
Highest 10: 27% (2007)

Distribution of family income gini index: 38 (2002 est.)
Rank: 108

Budget
Revenues: $900 million
Expenditures: $800 million (2010 est.)

Taxes and other revenues

Public debt

Revenue

Fiscal year

Inflation rate consumer prices: 0.7% (2009 est.)
Rank: 175

Central bank discount rate

Commercial bank prime lending rate: 11.2% (31 December 2009 est.)
Rank: 93

Stock of narrow money: $157.4 million (31 December 2009 est.)
Rank: 179

Stock of broad money: $269.7 million (31 December 2009 est.)
Rank: 182

Stock of domestic credit: $100 million (31 December 2007 est.)
Rank: 182

Market value of publicly traded shares: $NA

Current account balance: $1.161 billion (2007 est.)
Rank: 47

Exports: $10 million (2005 est.)
Rank: 213
Note: excludes oil
Commodities: coffee sandalwood marble; note - potential for oil and vanilla exports

Imports: $202 million (2004 est.)
Rank: 190
Commodities: food gasoline kerosene machinery

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: $249.9 million (31 December 2009 est.)
Rank: 151

Debt external

Stock of direct foreign investment at home

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad

Exchange rates: the US dollar is used


top of page


Electricity
Production: NA kWh (2008 est.)
Consumption: NA kWh (2008 est.)
Exports: 0 kWh (2009 est.)
Imports: 0 kWh (2009 est.)

Coal

Petroleum

Crude oil

Refined petroleum

Natural gas
Production: 0 m³ (2009 est.)
Production rank: 134
Consumption: 0 m³ (2009 est.)
Consumption rank: 135
Exports: 0 m³ (2009 est.)
Exports rank: 192
Imports: 0 m³ (2009 est.)
Imports rank: 192
Proven reserves: 200 billion m³ (1 January 2006 est.)
Proven reserves rank: 44

Carbon dioxide emissions

Energy consumption per capita


top of page


Telephones
Main lines in use: 2,400 (2010)
Main lines in use rank: 222
Mobile cellular: 600,600 (2010)
Mobile cellular rank: 159

Telephone system
General assessment: rudimentary service in urban and some rural areas
Domestic: system suffered significant damage during the violence associated with independence; limited fixed-line services; mobile-cellular services and coverage available in urban and some rural areas
International: country code - 670; international service is available in major urban centers

Broadcast media: 1 public TV broadcast station broadcasting nationally and 1 public radio broadcaster with stations in each of the 13 administrative districts; one commercial TV broadcast station broadcasting in parts of Dili only a few commercial radio stations and roughly a dozen community radio stations (2009)

Internet
Country code: .tl
Hosts: 206 (2010)
Hosts rank: 193
Users: 2,100 (2009)
Users rank: 210

Broadband fixed subscriptions


top of page


Military expenditures: NA

Military and security forces

Military service age and obligation: 18 years of age for voluntary military service; no conscription; 18-month service obligation (2011)

Space program

Terrorist groups


top of page


National air transport system

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix

Airports: 6 (2010)
Rank: 175
With paved runways total: 2
With paved runways 2438 to 3047 m: 1
With paved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 1 (2010)
With unpaved runways total: 4
With unpaved runways 914 to 1523 m: 2
With unpaved runways under 914 m: 2 (2010)

Heliports: 8 (2010)

Pipelines

Railways

Roadways
Total: 6,040 km
Rank: 149
Paved: 2,600 km
Unpaved: 3,440 km (2005)

Waterways

Merchant marine
Total: 1
Rank: 162
By type: passenger/cargo 1 (2010)

Ports and terminals: Dili


top of page


Disputes international: Timor-Leste-Indonesia Boundary Committee has resolved all but some sections of border along Timor-Leste's Oecussi exclave; maritime boundaries with Indonesia remain unresolved; many refugees who left Timor-Leste in 2003 still reside in Indonesia and refuse repatriation; in 2007 Australia and Timor-Leste signed a 50-year development zone and revenue sharing agreement in lieu of a maritime boundary

Refugees and internally displaced persons
Idps: 100,000

Illicit drugs: NA