General Information about Timor-Leste

What’s in a name?

You might have heard the name Timor-Leste  before – this is simply the name East Timor in the Portugese language.  The government of Timor-Leste has asked that people use this name when referring to East Timor in all languages. It is also the official name of the country at the UN no mater what language is used.

Facts about Timor-Leste

• Area of 18, 989 sq km (Victoria 227 000 sq km)
• Population of just over 1 million
• Dili and Baucau are the only significant urban areas
• Official languages Tetum and Portuguese
• Other spoken languages are Indonesian, English and 32 local languages
• About three quarters of the population are employed in agriculture
• Rugged east-west mountains, Mt. Ramelau peaking at 2963metres

Food for Thought

• Unemployment is at 8.9% with youth being 23.1%
• 41% of Timorese citizens live below the poverty line
• 48% of Timorese population are under the age of 17
• 50% of the population are illiterate
• Life expectancy is 50-58 years
• Infant mortality is 78-149 per 1000 live births
• There are only five hospitals in all of Timor Leste

Ref. United Nation Human Development Report