Geography of East Timor

Where is the country of East Timor located on world map? According to COUNTRYAAH.COM, East Timor is an independent nation located in Southeastern Asia. East Timor celebrates its independence day on May 20, commemorating the declaration of independence from Indonesia in 2002. The formal name of East Timor is The Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste and its national symbols include a flag with a red triangle on the left side, an escutcheon featuring a red shield with a yellow star in the center, and the national seal which features an image of two men standing together with their arms raised in salute. The national anthem is called “Patria” which translates to “Fatherland”. The national flower is the frangipani while the national animal is the cagarra or barking deer. East Timor also has an official motto: “Unidade, Acção, Progresso” which means “Unity, Action, Progress”. See historyaah for East Timor history.

Geography

Terrain shapes and climate

East Timor’s interior is highland, broken up by north-south lows. Between them are small plateaus and extinguished volcanoes. In restricted areas, the soil is of volcanic origin and therefore relatively fertile, but mostly the soil is lean.

The climate is tropical with high and even temperature throughout the year on the coast. In the highlands there are cooler conditions. The monsoon rains are most intense during December and February. A second rainy season occurs on the south coast during April and June. Dry air from Australia during the rest of the year gives a pronounced dry time, especially during the years when the El Niño weather phenomenon occurs. The fierce rains create downpours in the hilly landscape and cause serious soil degradation in areas where agriculture is intense and where vegetation was destroyed during the civil war in 1999.

East Timor Wildlife

Dili

Dili, Díli, the capital of East Timor, 193,600 residents (2010). For 200 years Dili was a busy center for the small colony with its own culture, characterized by the Catholic Church, but has now lost its importance and uniqueness. The city’s development was characterized by local opposition to Indonesia following the country’s annexation of the area in 1975.

In 1999, the city was designated as the capital and base of the UN-backed administration of the new Republic of East Timor. Before the Indonesian militia’s retreat, part of the city was destroyed. Many refugees from the 1975-99 liberation war have returned. In 2006, parts of the city were destroyed during riots and fighting between army factions. The conflict led to international intervention.

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East Timor

A new political phase for the country opened with the victory of the separatists in the referendum held in August 1999 and the subsequent retreat of the Indonesian army (Oct.), which for over twenty years had violently occupied the island. After the election of the Constituent Assembly (2001), in March 2002 the new Constitution was promulgated which sanctioned the birth of a parliamentary republic. In the following April X. Gusmao, historical leader of the Fretelin (Frente revolucionária do Timor Leste independent, the guerrilla movement that had fought against the Indonesians since 1975) was elected president with 83% of the votes, and on May 20 the birth of the republic and the end of the provisional administration of the United Nations was officially celebrated. moment he had run the power. The new government, led by M. Alkatiri, despite having been able to count on the permanence of a United Nations support mission until 2005, has struggled to rebuild the economic and social fabric of the country, one of the poorest in the world, and has had to face the explosion of popular protest and the worsening of the ethnic contrasts between the different communities living in the eastern and western areas of the island, which remained latent at the time of the Indonesian occupation. In 2006, ad interim by J. Ramos Horta, Nobel Peace Prize winner in 1996 and charismatic figure of the independence movement. In 2007, Ramos Horta was elected president in the second round with about 70% of the votes while the office of prime minister passed to Gusmao, leader of the Congresso nacional da reconstrução de Timor-Leste, which he founded in 2007, which formed a coalition government with other smaller formations while the Fretelin moved to the opposition. The new executive tried to promote a climate of harmony and pacification but the tension began to rise again in February 2008, when Ramos Horta was the victim of an attack perpetrated by a group of rebel soldiers. Once the emergency was over, the government resumed the path of dialogue and directed efforts to overcome the serious food crisis that hit the country. The new presidential elections held in March 2012 saw the defeat of the outgoing president, who failed to get through the first round, and the victory of Taur Matan Ruak, former commander of the armed forces and before that of the guerrilla war against the Indonesian occupation, who won 61% of the votes in the second round. However, the Congresso nacional da reconstrução de Timor-Leste managed to win a relative majority of seats in the subsequent legislative elections held in July, and Gusmao was re-elected as head of the government. Having completed his mandate, the UNMIT contingent left the country on 31 December 2012. former commander of the armed forces and even before that of the guerrilla war against the Indonesian occupation, which won 61% of the votes in the second round. However, the Congresso nacional da reconstrução de Timor-Leste managed to win a relative majority of seats in the subsequent legislative elections held in July, and Gusmao was re-elected as head of the government. Having completed his mandate, the UNMIT contingent left the country on 31 December 2012. former commander of the armed forces and even before that of the guerrilla war against the Indonesian occupation, which won 61% of the votes in the second round. However, the Congresso nacional da reconstrução de Timor-Leste managed to win a relative majority of seats in the subsequent legislative elections held in July, and Gusmao was re-elected as head of the government. Having completed his mandate, the UNMIT contingent left the country on 31 December 2012.