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)