East Timor: Background & Geography

Introduction East Timor
Background:
 The Portuguese colony of 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. A 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, the people of East Timor voted for independence from Indonesia. During 1999-2001, anti-independence militias - supported by Indonesia - conducted indiscriminate violence. On 20 May 2002, East Timor was internationally recognized as an independent state and the world's newest democracy.
Geography East Timor
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 sq km
water: NA sq km
Area - comparative:
 slightly larger than Connecticut
Land boundaries:
 total: 228 km
border countries: Indonesia 228 km
Coastline:
 706 km
Maritime claims - as described in UNCLOS 1982 (see Notes and Definitions):
 territorial sea: NA NM
extended fishing zone: NA NM
exclusive economic zone: NA NM
continental shelf: NA NM
exclusive fishing zone: NA 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
highest point: Foho Tatamailau 2,963 m
Natural resources:
 gold, petroleum, natural gas, manganese, marble
Land use:
 arable land: NA%
other: NA%
permanent crops: NA%
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

See Also: