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East Timor:
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Other pages in this profile of East Timor:
People, Government, Economy, Communications & Transportation, Military & Transnational Issues.
People, Government, Economy, Communications & Transportation, Military & Transnational Issues.
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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 Timor-Leste from 1942 to 1945, but Portugal resumed colonial authority after the Japanese defeat in World War II. Timor-Leste 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-Leste. 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 1,400 Timorese and forcibly pushed 300,000 people into western Timor as refugees. The majority 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 March of 2006, a military strike led to violence and a near breakdown of law and order. Over 2,000 Australian, New Zealand, and Portuguese police and peacekeepers deployed to Timor-Leste in late May. Although many of the peacekeepers were replaced by UN police officers, 850 Australian soldiers remained as of 1 January 2007. |
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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 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 |
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 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 |
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 |
party to: Climate Change, Desertification |
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 |
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Copyright 2008 World Sites Atlas (sitesatlas.com) |