Timor Fact Sheet

East Timor, also known as Timor-Leste, is a small country in South East Asia, located about 640 km northwest of Darwin, Australia. It comprises the eastern half of the island of Timor, the enclave of Oecussi-Ambeno in the northwestern part of the island, and Atauro and Jaco islands.

Official Name
Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste

Capital
Dili

Area
14,609 km2

Population
1.1 Million (UN, 2009)

Currency
US Dollar

Language
Tétum and Portuguese are the official languages, Indonesian and English are also widely spoken.

Religion
Roman Catholic 98%, Muslim 1%, Protestant 1% (2005)

Climate
East Timor has two seasons: wet (December to April) and dry (May to November). Day temperatures are around 30°C to 35°C year-round in the lowland areas, dropping to the low 20s overnight. In the mountain areas, warm-to-hot daytime temperatures drop to 15°C at night, less at altitude. At the end of the dry season in parts of the north coast temperatures hover over 35°C.

Time zone
GMT + 9 (no daylight savings)

Dialling code
+670

Internet domain
.tl

Agriculture
Coffee, rice, corn, cassava, sweet potatoes, soybeans, cabbage, mangoes, bananas and vanilla

Exports
Coffee, sandalwood, marble, potential for oil and vanilla exports

GNI per capita
US$2,460 (World Bank, 2008)

Life expectancy
60 years (men), 62 years (women)