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 people died. In an August 1999 UN-supervised popular referendum, an overwhelming majority of the people of Timor-Leste voted for independence from Indonesia. However, in the next three weeks, 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 forced 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 all of the country's electrical grid were destroyed. On 20 September 1999, Australian-led peacekeeping troops deployed to the country and brought the violence to an end. On 20 May 2002, Timor-Leste was internationally recognized as an independent state.

Geographic coordinates: 8 50 S, 125 55 E

Map reference: Southeast Asia

Area
Total: 14,874 km²
Land: 14,874 km²
Water: 0 km²
Rank: 160
Comparative: slightly larger than Connecticut; almost half the size of Maryland

Land boundaries
Total: 253 km
Border countries: (1) Indonesia 253 km

Coastline: 706 km

Maritime claims
Territorial sea: 12 nm
Contiguous zone: 24 nm
Exclusive fishing zone: 200
Note: nm

Climate: tropical; hot, humid; distinct rainy and dry seasons

Terrain: mountainous

Elevation
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
Agricultural land: 25.1% (2011 est.)
Forest: 49.1% (2011 est.)
Other: 25.8% (2011 est.)

Irrigated land: 350 km² (2012)

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; the district of Oecussi is an exclave separated from Timor-Leste proper by Indonesia

Population
Distribution: most of the population concentrated in the western third of the country, particularly around Dili: 1,321,929 (July 2018 est.)
Rank: 156
Growth rate: 2.32% (2018 est.)
Growth rate rank: 32
Below poverty line: 41.8% (2014 est.)

Nationality
Noun: Timorese
Adjective: Timorese

Ethnic groups: Austronesian (Malayo-Polynesian) (includes Tetun, Mambai, Tokodede, Galoli, Kemak, Baikeno), Melanesian-Papuan (includes Bunak, Fataluku, Bakasai), small Chinese minority

Languages:

Religions: Roman Catholic 97.6%, Protestant/Evangelical 2%, Muslim 0.2%, other 0.2% (2015 est.)

Age structure
0-14 years: 40.44% (male 274,881 /female 259,736)
15-24 years: 20.46% (male 137,363 /female 133,128)
25-54 years: 30.13% (male 191,290 /female 206,973)
55-64 years: 5.02% (male 33,047 /female 33,325)
65 years and over: 3.95% (male 25,086 /female 27,100) (2018 est.)

Dependency ratios
Total dependency ratio: 90.3 (2015 est.)
Youth dependency ratio: 83.7 (2015 est.)
Elderly dependency ratio: 6.6 (2015 est.)
Potential support ratio: 15.2 (2015 est.)

Median age
Total: 19.1 years (2018 est.)
Male: 18.5 years
Female: 19.7 years
Rank: 202

Population growth rate: 2.32% (2018 est.)
Rank: 32

Birth rate: 32.9 births/1000 population (2018 est.)
Rank: 28

Death rate: 5.8 deaths/1000 population (2018 est.)
Rank: 174

Net migration rate: -3.9 migrant(s)/1000 population (2018 est.)
Rank: 184

Population distribution: most of the population concentrated in the western third of the country, particularly around Dili

Urbanization
Urban population: 30.9% of total population
Note: (2015-20 est.)
Rate of urbanization: 3.35% annual rate of change

Major urban areas
Population: 281,000 DILI (capital) (2018)

Environment
Current issues: air pollution and deterioration of air quality; greenhouse gas emissions; water quality, scarcity, and access; land and soil degradation; forest depletion; widespread use of slash and burn agriculture has led to deforestation and soil erosion; loss of biodiversity
International agreements party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification
International agreements signed but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Sex ratio
At birth: 1.07 male(s)/female
0-14 years: 1.06 male(s)/female
15-24 years: 1.03 male(s)/female
25-54 years: 0.92 male(s)/female
55-64 years: 0.99 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.93 male(s)/female
Total population: 1 male(s)/female (2018 est.)

Mothers mean age at first birth:

Infant mortality rate
Total: 33.9 deaths/1000 live births (2018 est.)
Male: 36.7 deaths/1000 live births
Female: 31 deaths/1000 live births
Rank: 53

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 68.7 years (2018 est.)
Male: 67.1 years
Female: 70.4 years
Rank: 165

Total fertility rate: 4.67 children born/woman (2018 est.)
Rank: 23

Contraceptive prevalence rate: 26.1% (2016)

Drinking water source
Urban: 4.8% of population
Rural: 39.5% of population
Total: 28.1% of population (2015 est.)

Current health expenditure: 4% (2016)

Physicians density: 0.72 physicians/1000 population (2017)

Hospital bed density: 5.9 beds/1000 population (2010)

Sanitation facility access
Urban: 31% of population (2015 est.)
Rural: 73.2% of population (2015 est.)
Total: 59.4% of population (2015 est.)

Hivaids
Adult prevalence rate note: NA
People living with hivaids note: NA
Deaths note: NA

Major infectious diseases
Degree of risk: very high (2016)
Food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever (2016)
Vectorborne diseases: dengue fever and malaria (2016)

Obesity adult prevalence rate: 3.8% (2016)
Rank: 190

Children under the age of 5 years underweight: 37.5% (2013)
Rank: 3

Education expenditures: 3.8% of GDP (2017)
Rank: 116

Literacy
Definition: age 15 and over can read and write
Total population: 67.5%
Male: 71.5%
Female: 63.4% (2015)

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education
Total: 13 years
Male: 14 years
Female: 13 years (2010)

Country name
Conventional long form: Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste
Conventional short form: Timor-Leste
Local long form: Republika Demokratika Timor Lorosae [Tetum]; Republica Democratica de Timor-Leste [Portuguese]
Local short form: Timor Lorosae [Tetum]; Timor-Leste [Portuguese]
Former: East Timor, Portuguese Timor
Etymology: timor derives from the Indonesian and Malay word timur meaning east; leste is the Portuguese word for east, so Timor-Leste literally means Eastern-East; the local [Tetum] name Timor Lorosae translates as East Rising Sun: note: pronounced TEE-mor LESS-tay

Government type: semi-presidential 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:

Independence: 20 May 2002 (from Indonesia); note - 28 November 1975 was the date independence was proclaimed from Portugal; 20 May 2002 was the date of international recognition of Timor-Leste's independence from Indonesia

National holiday: Restoration of Independence Day, 20 May (2002); Proclamation of Independence Day, 28 November (1975)

Constitution
History: drafted 2001, approved 22 March 2002, entered into force 20 May 2002
Amendments: proposed by Parliament and parliamentary groups; consideration of amendments requires at least four-fifths majority approval by Parliament; passage requires two-thirds majority vote by Parliament and promulgation by the president of the republic; passage of amendments to the republican form of government and the flag requires approval in a referendum (2018)

Legal system: civil law system based on the Portuguese model; note - penal and civil law codes to replace the Indonesian codes were passed by Parliament and promulgated in 2009 and 2011, respectively

International law organization participation: accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations; accepts ICCt jurisdiction

Citizenship
Citizenship by birth: no
Citizenship by descent only: at least one parent must be a citizen of Timor-Leste
Dual citizenship recognized: no
Residency requirement for naturalization: 10 years

Suffrage: 17 years of age; universal

Executive branch
Chief of state: President Francisco GUTERRES (since 20 May 2017); note - the president is commander in chief of the military and is able to veto legislation, dissolve parliament, and call national elections
Head of government: Prime Minister Taur Matan RUAK (since 22 June 2018); note - President GUTERRES dissolved parliament because of an impasse over passing the countrys budget on 26 January 2018, with then Prime Minister Mari ALKATIRI assuming the role of caretaker prime minister until a new prime minister was appointed
Cabinet: the governing coalition in the Parliament proposes cabinet member candidates to the Prime Minister, who presents these recommendations to the President of the Republic for swearing in
Electionsappointments: president directly elected by absolute majority popular vote in 2 rounds if needed for a 5-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held on 20 March 2017 (next to be held in 2022); following parliamentary elections, the president appoints the leader of the majority party or majority coalition as the prime minister
Election results: Francisco GUTERRES elected president; percent of vote - Francisco GUTERRES (FRETILIN) 57.1%, Antonio DA CONCEICAO (PD) 32.5%, Jose Luis GUTERRES (Frenti-Mudanca) 2.6%, Jose NEVES (independent) 2.3%, Luis Alves TILMAN (independent) 2.2%, other 3.4%

Legislative branch
Description: unicameral National Parliament (65 seats; members directly elected in a single nationwide constituency by proportional representation vote to serve 5-year terms)
Elections: last held on 12 May 2018 (next to be held in July 2023)
Election results: percent of vote by party - AMP - 49.6%, FRETILIN 34.2%, PD 8.1%, DDF 5.5%, other 2.6%; seats by party - AMP 34, FRETILIN 23, PD 5, DDF 3; composition - men 39, women 26, percent of women 40%

Judicial branch
Highest courts: Court of Appeals (consists of the court president and NA judges)
Judge selection and term of office: court president appointed by the president of the republic from among the other court judges to serve a 4-year term; other court judges appointed - 1 by the Parliament and the others by the Supreme Council for the Judiciary, a body chaired by the court president and that includes mostly presidential and parliamentary appointees; other judges serve for life
Subordinate courts: Court of Appeal; High Administrative, Tax, and Audit Court; district courts; magistrates courts; military courts: note: the UN Justice System Programme, launched in 2003 and being rolled out in 4 phases through 2018, is helping strengthen the country's justice system; the Programme is aligned with the country's long-range Justice Sector Strategic Plan, which includes legal reforms

Political parties and leaders: Alliance for Change and Progress or AMP [Xanana GUSMAO] (alliance includes CNRT, KHUNTO, PLP)Democratic Development Forum or DDFDemocratic Party or PDFrenti-Mudanca [Jose Luis GUTERRES]Kmanek Haburas Unidade Nasional Timor Oan or KHUNTONational Congress for Timorese Reconstruction or CNRT [Kay Rala Xanana GUSMAO]People's Liberation Party or PLP [Taur Matan RUAK]Revolutionary Front of Independent Timor-Leste or FRETILIN [Mari ALKATIRI]

International organization participation: ACP, ADB, AOSIS, ARF, ASEAN (observer), CPLP, EITI (compliant country), FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, 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 chancery: 4,201 Connecticut Avenue NW, Suite 504, Washington, 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 Kathleen FITZPATRICK (since 19 January 2018)
From the us telephone: (670) 332-4,684
From the us embassy: Avenida de Portugal, Praia dos Coqueiros, Dili
From the us mailing address: US Department of State, 8,250 Dili Place, Washington, DC 20,521-8,250
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: Mount Ramelau; national colors: red, yellow, black, white

National anthem
Name: Patria (Fatherland)
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, Francisco Borja DA COSTA, was killed in the Indonesian invasion just days after independence was declared

Economy overview: Since independence in 1999, Timor-Leste has faced great challenges in rebuilding its infrastructure, strengthening the civil administration, and generating jobs for young people entering the work force. The development of offshore oil and gas resources has greatly supplemented government revenues. This technology-intensive industry, however, has done little to create jobs in part because there are no production facilities in Timor-Leste. Gas is currently piped to Australia for processing, but Timor-Leste has expressed interest in developing a domestic processing capability.In June 2005, the National Parliament unanimously approved the creation of the Timor-Leste 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 $16 billion, as of mid-2016. Oil accounts for over 90% of government revenues, and the drop in the price of oil in 2014-16 has led to concerns about the long-term sustainability of government spending. Timor-Leste compensated for the decline in price by exporting more oil. The Ministry of Finance maintains that the Petroleum Fund is sufficient to sustain government operations for the foreseeable future.Annual government budget expenditures increased markedly between 2009 and 2012 but dropped significantly through 2016. Historically, the government failed to spend as much as its budget allowed. The government has focused significant resources on basic infrastructure, including electricity and roads, but 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: 166

Real gdp growth rate:
Rank: 216

Real gdp per capita:
Rank: 164

Gdp composition by end use
Household consumption: 33% (2017 est.)
Government consumption: 30% (2017 est.)
Investment in fixed capital: 10.6% (2017 est.)
Investment in inventories: 0% (2017 est.)
Exports of goods and services: 78.4% (2017 est.)
Imports of goods and services: -52% (2017 est.)

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: 9.1% (2017 est.)
Industry: 56.7% (2017 est.)
Services: 34.4% (2017 est.)

Agriculture products: coffee, rice, corn, cassava (manioc, tapioca), sweet potatoes, soybeans, cabbage, mangoes, bananas, vanilla

Industries: printing, soap manufacturing, handicrafts, woven cloth

Industrial production growth rate: 2% (2017 est.)
Rank: 133

Labor force: 286,700 (2016 est.)
Rank: 164
By occupation agriculture: 41%
By occupation industry: 13%
By occupation services: 45.1% (2013)

Unemployment rate:
Rank: 60

Population below poverty line: 41.8% (2014 est.)

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

Distribution of family income gini index:
Rank: 123

Budget
Revenues: 300 million (2017 est.)
Expenditures: 2.4 billion (2017 est.)
Surplus or deficit: -75.7% (of GDP) (2017 est.)
Surplus or deficit rank: 222

Taxes and other revenues: 10.8% (of GDP) (2017 est.)
Rank: 213

Public debt:
Rank: 206

Fiscal year: calendar year

Inflation rate consumer prices:
Rank: 34

Commercial bank prime lending rate:
Rank: 57

Stock of narrow money:
Rank: 167

Stock of broad money:
Rank: 171

Stock of domestic credit:
Rank: 191

Market value of publicly traded shares: NA

Current account balance:
Rank: 103

Exports:
Rank: 214
Commodities:

Imports:
Rank: 193
Commodities: food, gasoline, kerosene, machinery

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
Rank: 150

Debt external:
Rank: 184 (31 December 2009 est.)

Exchange rates: the US dollar is used

Electricity
Access electrification total population: 63.4% (2016)
Access electrification urban areas: 91.7% (2016)
Access electrification rural areas: 49.2% (2016)
Production: 0 kWh
Production note: NA (2016 est.)
Production rank: 219
Consumption: 0 kWh (2016 est.)
Consumption rank: 218
Exports: 0 kWh (2017 est.)
Exports rank: 207
Imports: 0 kWh (2016 est.)
Imports rank: 209
Installed generating capacity: 600 kW
Installed generating capacity note: NA (2016 est.)
Installed generating capacity rank: 215
Generation sources fossil fuels: 0% of total installed capacity (2016 est.)
Generation sources fossil fuels rank: 215
Generation sources nuclear: 0% of total installed capacity (2017 est.)
Generation sources nuclear rank: 194
Generation sources hydroelectricity: 0% of total installed capacity (2017 est.)
Generation sources hydroelectricity rank: 204
Generation sources other renewable sources: 100% of total installed capacity (2017 est.)
Generation sources other renewable sources rank: 1

Petroleum
Petroleum total petroleum production: 33,000 bbl/day (2018 est.)
Petroleum total petroleum production rank: 60
Crude oil exports: 62,060 bbl/day (2015 est.)
Crude oil exports rank: 39
Crude oil imports: 0 bbl/day (2015 est.)
Crude oil imports rank: 203
Crude oil proven reserves: 0 bbl (1 January 2018 est.)
Crude oil proven reserves rank: 203

Refined petroleum
Products production: 0 bbl/day (2015 est.)
Products production rank: 207
Products consumption: 3,500 bbl/day (2016 est.)
Products consumption rank: 186
Products exports: 0 bbl/day (2015 est.)
Products exports rank: 208
Products imports: 3,481 bbl/day (2015 est.)
Products imports rank: 182

Natural gas
Production: 5.776 billion m³ (2017 est.)
Production rank: 48
Consumption: 0 m³ (2017 est.)
Consumption rank: 205
Exports: 5.776 billion m³ (2017 est.)
Exports rank: 27
Imports: 0 m³ (2017 est.)
Imports rank: 199
Proven reserves: 200 billion m³ (1 January 2006 est.)
Proven reserves rank: 42

Carbon dioxide emissions
From consumption of energy: 533,400 Mt (2017 est.)
From consumption of energy rank: 184

Telephones
Fixed lines total subscriptions: 2,364 (2017 est.)
Fixed lines rank: 210
Mobile cellular total subscriptions: 1,546,624
Mobile cellular subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 120 (2017 est.)
Mobile cellular rank: 153

Telephone system
General assessment: rudimentary service in urban and some rural areas, which is expanding with the entrance of new competitors; 3G LTE service, with about 97% of population having access, among 3 mobile operators; increase in mobile broadband penetration (2018)
Domestic: system suffered significant damage during the violence associated with independence; limited fixed-line services; less than 1 per 100 and  mobile-cellular services have been expanding and are now available in urban and most rural areas with teledensity of 120 per 100 (2018)
International: country code - 670; international service is available; geostationary earth orbit satellite agreement in the works

Broadcast media: 7 TV stations (3 nationwide satellite coverage; 2 terrestrial coverage, mostly in Dili; 2 cable) and 21 radio stations (3 nationwide coverage) (2019)

Internet
Country code: .tl
Users total: 318,373
Users percent of population: 25.2% (July 2016 est.)
Users rank: 158

Broadband fixed subscriptions
Total: 3,346 (2017 est.)
Rank: 182

Military expenditures:
Rank: 141

Military and security forces: Timor-Leste Defense Force (Falintil-Forcas de Defesa de Timor-L'este, Falintil (F-FDTL)): Headquarters with Land and Naval components (2019)

Military service age and obligation: 18 years of age for voluntary military service; 18-month service obligation (2019)

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix: 4W (2016)

Airports: 6 (2013)
Rank: 176
With paved runways total: 2 (2013)
With paved runways 2438 to 3047 m: 1 (2013)
With paved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 1 (2013)
With unpaved runways total: 4 (2013)
With unpaved runways 914 to 1523 m: 2 (2013)
With unpaved runways under 914 m: 2 (2013)

Heliports: 8 (2013)

Roadways
Total: 6,040 km (2008)
Paved: 2,600 km (2008)
Unpaved: 3,440 km (2008)
Rank: 139

Ports and terminals
Major seaport: Dili

Disputes international: three stretches of land borders with Indonesia have yet to be delimited, two of which are in the Oecussi exclave area, and no maritime or Economic Exclusion Zone boundaries have been established between the countries; maritime boundaries with Indonesia remain unresolved; Timor-Leste and Australia reached agreement on a treaty delimiting a permanent maritime boundary in March 2018; the treaty will enter into force once ratified by the two countries' parliaments

Illicit drugs: NA