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TIMOR LESTE
Timor Leste, the full form of which is ‘Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste’ is best known as East Timor,
the Eastern three-quarters of the island of Timor. This island, once part of
Indonesia, is the newest country in South-East Asia's fold. An island
covering over 15,000 sq km, it is situated between Indonesia and Australia.
It gained independence from Indonesia
only in 2002. East Timor adjoins West Timor, which remained part of Indonesia.
It has a population of close to 925,000 - 78% Timorese, 20% Indonesian and the
remaining a motley mix of all nationalities, particularly Chinese, who man the
shopping centres. East Timor is a mountainous country, with its highest peak, Foho Tatamailau, touching 2,963 m. Due to the
terrain, the sparse population has had really very little interaction
between each other. For eons, the agrarian East Timorese lived on what they
grew in their widely dispersed villages. Those on the coast were, naturally,
fishermen.
A Christian country with 96 % of its people Catholic, its official language is Tetum,
though Portuguese, English and Bahasa Indonesian is also spoken. The literacy
level is rather low at just 40%. A majority of them are still animists, though
the advent of electronic media has gradually brought about a change in both
attitude and culture. Its capital city is Dili, and there are only two more
cities of note, Manatuto and Baucau. The
country, however, has as many as thirteen districts. Remnants of Portuguese
traditions are visible in Dili.
Tourist accommodation is, at best, spartan. The older hotels in Dili
charge less than $25 per day, though the food is quite aromatic, tasty and
filling. Budget hotels are also available. Some new hotels are coming up/have
just come up and these provide better facilities at $50-80 a day.
Tourists are on the low side, with nothing
much to attract them. The beaches are nice, but the climate is typically
tropical-hot and muggy. The only reason a few tourists come is for diving, as
the water is invitingly clear and blue, with exciting flora and fauna. The
recommended activity is to “explore an unbelievable variety of pristine, live coral and
aquatic species while drifting through the underwater canyon between the
mainland and Ata’uro”, a small island situated 25km north of Dili, according to
their guide book.
Its
natural resources are petroleum, natural gas, gold, manganese and marble, while its
agriculture products
are comprised of rice, corn, coffee,
sweet potatoes, soybeans, cassava, cabbage, bananas, mangoes and
vanilla. It does have a few industries, of handicrafts, printing, work on
sandalwood, soap manufacturing and woven cloth, all of which is exported to
Indonesia.
Access is by sea or air. Merpati Airlines, based in Jakarta,
Indonesia, flies seven times a week from Denpasar (Bali) to Dili. Air North
flies 2-3 times a day from Darwin to Dili. Dili has the only international
airport, the Presidente Nicolau Lobato International Airport, which can accept
only Boeing 737 aircraft. There are airstrips in Baucau, Suai and Oecusse,
which are used for chartered and light aircraft domestic flights.
East Timor time is UTC + 9 hours. Its
currency is the US$.
