EAST TIMOR

República Democrática de Timor-Leste
(Democratic Republic of East Timor)

East Timor, also known as Timor-Leste (officially the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste) is a country in Southeast Asia. It comprises the eastern half of the island of Timor, the nearby islands of Atauro and Jaco, and Oecussi-Ambeno, an exclave on the northwestern side of the island, within Indonesian West Timor. The small country of 15,410 km²[1] (5,400 sq mi) is located about 640 km (400 mi) northwest of Darwin, Australia. East Timor was colonized by Portugal in the 16th century, and was known as Portuguese Timoroccupied by Indonesia later that year, and declared that country's 27th province the following year. In 1999, following the United Nations-sponsored act of self-determination, Indonesia relinquished control of the territory and East Timor became the first new sovereign state of the twenty-first century on May 20, 2002. East Timor is one of only two predominantly Roman Catholic countries in Asia, the other being the Philippines. until Portugal's decolonization of the country. In late 1975 East Timor declared its independence but was invaded and East Timor is a lower-middle-income economy.[2] Its Human Development Index (HDI) corresponds to a medium degree of human development and places East Timor 150th among the world's states.

HISTORY
The island of Timor was originally populated as part of the human migrations that have shaped Australasia more generally. It is believed that descendants from at least three waves of migration still live in the country. The East Timorese are primarily of Melanesian races, with a population of 680,000 by the time of the Portuguese withdrawal in 1975. The first were related to the principal indigenous groups of New Guinea and Australia, and arrived before 40,000 years ago. Around 3000 BC, Austronesians migrated through to Timor, and are possibly associated with the development of agriculture on Timor.[citation needed] Thirdly, proto-Malays arrived from south China and north Indochina.[6] The mountainous nature of the country meant that these groups remained separate, and explains why there is so much linguistic diversity in East Timor today. Timor was incorporated into Chinese and Indian trading networks of the fourteenth century as an exporter of aromatic sandalwood, slaves, honey and wax. Early European explorers report that the island had a number of small chiefdoms or princedoms in the early sixteenth century. One of the most significant is the Wehali (Wehale) kingdom in central Timor, with its capital at Laran, West Timor, to which the Tetum, Bunaq and Kemak ethnic groups were aligned.


POLITICS
The Head of state of East Timor is the President of East Timor, who is elected by popular vote for a five-year term. Although the role is largely symbolic, the president does have veto power over certain types of legislation. Following elections, the president appoints the leader of the majority party or majority coalition as the Prime Minister of East Timor. As head of government, the prime minister presides over the Council of State or cabinet. The unicameral Timorese parliament is the National Parliament or Parlamento Nacional, whose members are elected by popular vote to a five-year term. The number of seats can vary from a minimum of fifty-two to a maximum of sixty-five, though it exceptionally has eighty-eight members at present, due to this being its first term of office. The East Timorese constitution was modelled on that of Portugal. The country is still in the process of building its administration and governmental institutions.


DISTRICTS

Lautém
Lautém (Tetum: Lautein) is one of the districts of East Timor, on the eastern end of the island of Timor. It has a population of 57,453 (census 2004) and an area of 1,702 km². Its capital is Lospalos, which lies 248 km east of the national capital, Dili. The subdistricts are Iliomar, Lautém, Lospalos, Luro, and Tutuala.Lautém has beautiful sand beaches and a wild, mountainous, and raw rugged unspoilt landscape. Many of the endemic birds of East Timor live here. Near the city of Lautém there are cave drawings. Numerous stone sarcophagi and animistic shrines are found throughout the district.

Baucau
Baucau (Tetum: Baukau), is a district of East Timor, on the northern coast in the eastern part of the country. The capital is also called Baucau (formerly Vila Salazar). The population of the district is 104,571 (census 2004) and it has an area of 1,494 km². The subdistricts are Baguia, Baucau, Laga, Quelicai, Vemasse, and Venilale (formerly known as Vila Viçosa). The district was the same during the colonial era. Its north edge is to the Wetar Strait; it also borders the districts of Lautém to the east, Viqueque to the south, and Manatuto to the west.
Pousada de BaucauPiscina de BaucauBaucau Coastline
Viqueque
Viqueque (Tetum: Vikeke) is the largest of the districts of East Timor. It has a population of 66,434 (Census 2004) and an area of 1,781 km². The capital of the district is also named Viqueque. The subdistricts are Lacluta, Ossu, Uatolari (which was known in Portuguese Timor as Leça, and, in Tetum, is spelled Watulari), Uato Carabau (spelled Watucarbau, in Tetum) and Viqueque. The district was the same in colonial times.Waterfalls in Walakurini
Cave in WalakuriniWalakurini River

Manatuto
Manatuto is one of the districts of East Timor, located in the central part of the country. It reaches both the south and north coasts of the island, and is only one of two districts to do so (the other is Lautém in the far east). To the north is the Strait of Wetar, to the south is the Timor Sea. The district borders the districts of Baucau and Viqueque to the east and Manufahi, Aileu, and Dili to the west.Manatuto Cliff

Manatuto Beach
Dili
Dili is the name of one of the 13 districts of East Timor, which includes the national capital Dili. It has a population of 167,777 (2004 census), most of whom live in the capital city. The district has an area of 372 km². The district is the same as what was the council of the same name in Portuguese Timor.
Jaco Island

One of the top destinations in East Timor has got to be Jaco Island just off the east end of Timor.
It is about an 8 hour drive from Dili. A trail bike or 4x4 would be the best transport out there.
A regular car could make it up to Tutuala but you would have to leave it in town and walk the rest of the way because the trail kind of falls apart the closer you get. It is even a challenge for 4x4's.

Aileu
Aileu is in the northwestern part of East Timor and is one of only two landlocked districts, the other being Ermera. It borders Dili to the north, Manatuto to the east, Manufahi to the southeast, Ainaro to the south, Ermera to the west, and Liquica to the northwest. It was formerly part of the district of Dili but was split in the final years of Portuguese administration. Hills in Maubisse
Manufahi
Manufahi is one of the districts of East Timor. It has a population of 44,235 (2004 census) and an area of 1,325 km². The capital of the district is Same. The subdistricts are Alas, Fatuberliu, Same, and Turiscai. In the times of the Portuguese colony, the district was called Same, after the capital city. During the Indonesian occupation the subdistrict Hatudo was split off from the district and joined to Ainaro, and the subdistrict Turiscai, previously in Ainaro, was moved to Manufahi.

Liquiçá
Liquiçá District is situated on the northern coast of East Timor, and borders the distrticts of Dili (containing the national capital) to the east, Aileu to the Southeast, Ermera to the south, and Bobonaro to the southwest. To the northwest lies the Savu Sea. The district has a population of 55,058 (Census 2004) and an area of 543 square kilometers. The district is identical to the district of the same name in Portuguese Timor. Its subdistricts are Bazartete, Liquiçá and Maubara.Liquica Beach

Ermera
Ermera is one of the districts of East Timor, located in the west-central part of the country. It has a population of 103,169 (Census 2004) and an area of 746 km². Its capital is Gleno, which is located 30 km to the southwest of the national capital, Dili. The city of Ermera, also known as Vila Ermera, lies 58 km from the capital along the same road.

Ainaro
The district is identical to that of the same in Portuguese Timor, with the following exceptions: during the Indonesian occupation, the subdistrict of Turiscai became part of Manufahi from Ainaro, and the subdistrict of Hatudo became part of Ainaro in exchange. The suco of Mape-Zumalai became part of Cova-Lima in 2003.

Bobonaro
The Bobonaro district (Portuguese: Distrito Bobonaro) is one of 13 administrative districts within the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste commonly known as East Timor. It is the second-most western district on the east half of the island. It has a population of 82,385 (Census 2004) and an area of 1,368 km². Its subdistricts are Atabae, Balibó, Bobonaro, Cailaco, Lolotoi (also spelled Lolotoe) and Maliana. In Portuguese Timor, the district was the same; however its capital was at Vila Armindo Monteiro, which is now called Bobonaro.

Cova-Lima
Cova-Lima is a district of East Timor, in the Southwest part of the country. It has a population of 55,941 (Census 2004) and an area of 1,226 km². The capital of the district is Suai, which lies 136 km from Dili, the national capital. The subdistricts of Cova-Lima are Fatululik, Fatumean, Fohoren, Mape-Zumalai, Maucatar, Suai, and Tilomar.
Sawah Fields
Oecussi-Ambeno
Oecussi-Ambeno (Tetum:Oe-Kusi Ambenu, also variously Ocussi, Oekussi, Oekusi, Okusi, Oé-Cusse) is a district of East Timor. It is a coastal exclave in the western part of the island of Timor, separated from the rest of East Timor by West Timor, which is part of the province of Nusa Tenggara Timur, Indonesia, and which surrounds Oecussi-Ambeno in all directions except the north, where it borders the Savu Sea. The capital of the district is Pante Macassar, also called Ocussi Town, or formerly, in Portuguese Timor, as Vila Taveiro.

LANGUAGES

East Timor's two official languages are Portuguese, and Tetum, which belongs to the Austronesian family of languages spoken throughout South East Asia.[45] The predominant form of Tetum, known as Tetun-Dili, grew out of the dialect favored by the colonizers at Dili, and thus has considerable Portuguese influence, but other dialects of Tetum are also widely used in the country, including Tetun-Terik which is spoken along the southwestern coast. Indonesian and English are defined as working languages under the Constitution in the Final and Transitional Provisions, without setting a final date. Another fifteen indigenous languages are spoken: Bekais, Bunak, Dawan, Fataluku, Galoli, Habun, Idalaka, Kawaimina, Kemak, Lovaia, Makalero, Makasai, Mambai, Tokodede, and Wetarese.