Timor-Leste

• Southeastern Asia, northwest of Australia in the Lesser Sunda Islands at the eastern end of the Indonesian archipelago;
• note - Timor-Leste includes the eastern half of the island of Timor, the Oecussi (Ambeno) region on the northwest portion of the island of Timor, and the islands of Pulau Atauro and Pulau Jaco

• tropical;
• hot, humid;
• distinct rainy and dry seasons

• floods and landslides are common;
• earthquakes;
• tsunamis;
• tropical cyclones

• air pollution and deterioration of air quality;
• greenhouse gas emissions;
• water quality, scarcity, and access;
• land and soil degradation;
• forest depletion;
• widespread use of slash and burn agriculture has led to deforestation and soil erosion;
• loss of biodiversity

party to:

Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification

signed, but not ratified:

none of the selected agreements

• Timor comes from the Malay word for "east";
• the island of Timor is part of the Malay Archipelago and is the largest and easternmost of the Lesser Sunda Islands;
• the district of Oecussi is an exclave separated from Timor-Leste proper by Indonesia

noun:

Timorese

adjective:

Timorese

0-14 years:

40.44% (male 274,881 /female 259,736)

15-24 years:

20.46% (male 137,363 /female 133,128)

25-54 years:

30.13% (male 191,290 /female 206,973)

55-64 years:

5.02% (male 33,047 /female 33,325)

65 years and over:

3.95% (male 25,086 /female 27,100) (2018 est.)

total dependency ratio:

90.3 (2015 est.)

youth dependency ratio:

83.7 (2015 est.)

elderly dependency ratio:

6.6 (2015 est.)

potential support ratio:

15.2 (2015 est.)

at birth:

1.06 male(s)/female (2017 est.)

0-14 years:

1.06 male(s)/female (2017 est.)

15-24 years:

1.03 male(s)/female (2017 est.)

25-54 years:

0.93 male(s)/female (2017 est.)

55-64 years:

1.04 male(s)/female (2017 est.)

65 years and over:

0.91 male(s)/female (2017 est.)

total population:

1.01 male(s)/female (2017 est.)

degree of risk:

very high (2016)

food or waterborne diseases:

bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever (2016)

vectorborne diseases:

dengue fever and malaria (2016)

conventional long form:

Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste

conventional short form:

Timor-Leste

local long form:

Republika Demokratika Timor Lorosa'e [Tetum]; Republica Democratica de Timor-Leste [Portuguese]

local short form:

Timor Lorosa'e [Tetum]; Timor-Leste [Portuguese]

former:

East Timor, Portuguese Timor

etymology:

• timor" derives from the Indonesian and Malay word "timur" meaning "east";
• "leste" is the Portuguese word for "east", so "Timor-Leste" literally means "Eastern-East";
• the local [Tetum] name "Timor Lorosa'e" translates as "East Rising Sun

note: pronounced TEE-mor LESS-tay

name:

Dili

geographic coordinates:

8 35 S, 125 36 E

time difference:

UTC+9 (14 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

• 12 municipalities (municipios, singular municipio) and 1 special adminstrative region* (regiao administrativa especial);
• Aileu, Ainaro, Baucau, Bobonaro (Maliana), Covalima (Suai), Dili, Ermera (Gleno), Lautem (Lospalos), Liquica, Manatuto, Manufahi (Same), Oe-Cusse Ambeno* (Pante Macassar), Viqueque

note: administrative divisions have the same names as their administrative centers (exceptions have the administrative center name following in parentheses)

• 20 May 2002 (from Indonesia);
• note - 28 November 1975 was the date independence was proclaimed from Portugal;
• 20 May 2002 was the date of international recognition of Timor-Leste's independence from Indonesia

history:

drafted 2001, approved 22 March 2002, entered into force 20 May 2002 (2018)

amendments:

• proposed by Parliament and parliamentary groups;
• consideration of amendments requires at least four-fifths majority approval by Parliament;
• passage requires two-thirds majority vote by Parliament and promulgation by the president of the republic;
• passage of amendments to the republican form of government and the flag requires approval in a referendum (2018)

• civil law system based on the Portuguese model;
• note - penal and civil law codes to replace the Indonesian codes were passed by Parliament and promulgated in 2009 and 2011, respectively

citizenship by birth:

no

citizenship by descent only:

at least one parent must be a citizen of Timor-Leste

dual citizenship recognized:

no

residency requirement for naturalization:

10 years

chief of state:

• President Francisco GUTERRES (since 20 May 2017);
• note - the president plays a largely symbolic role but is the commander in chief of the military and is able to veto legislation, dissolve parliament, and call national elections

head of government:

• Prime Minister Taur Matan RUAK (since 22 June 2018);
• note - President GUTERRES dissolved parliament because of an impasse over passing the country's budget on 26 January 2018, with then Prime Minister Mari ALKATIRI assuming the role of caretaker prime minister until a new prime minister was appointed

cabinet:

Council of Ministers proposed by the prime minister and appointed by the president

elections/appointments:

• president directly elected by absolute majority popular vote in 2 rounds if needed for a 5-year term (eligible for a second term);
• election last held on 20 March 2017 (next to be held in 2022);
• following parliamentary elections, the president appoints the leader of the majority party or majority coalition as the prime minister

election results:

Francisco GUTERRES elected president; percent of vote - Francisco GUTERRES (FRETILIN) 57.1%, Antonio DA CONCEICAO (PD) 32.5%, Jose Luis GUTERRES (Frenti-Mudanca) 2.6%, Jose NEVES (independent) 2.3%, Luis Alves TILMAN (independent) 2.2%, other 3.4%

description:

unicameral National Parliament (65 seats; members directly elected in a single nationwide constituency by proportional representation vote to serve 5-year terms)

elections:

last held on 12 May 2018 (next to be held in July 2023)

election results:

• percent of vote by party - AMP - 49.6%, FRETILIN 34.2%, PD 8.1%, DDF 5.5%, other 2.6%;
• seats by party - AMP 34, FRETILIN 23, PD 5, DDF 3;
• composition - men 44, women 21, percent of women 32%

• Alliance for Change and Progress or AMP [Xanana GUSMAO] (alliance includes CNRT, KHUNTO, PLP)
• Democratic Development Forum or DDF
• Democratic Party or PD
• Frenti-Mudanca [Jose Luis GUTERRES]
• Kmanek Haburas Unidade Nasional Timor Oan or KHUNTO
• National Congress for Timorese Reconstruction or CNRT [Kay Rala Xanana GUSMAO]
• People's Liberation Party or PLP [Taur Matan RUAK]
• Revolutionary Front of Independent Timor-Leste or FRETILIN [Mari ALKATIRI]

chief of mission:

Ambassador Domingos Sarmento ALVES (since 21 May 2014)

chancery:

4201 Connecticut Avenue NW, Suite 504, Washington, DC 20008

telephone:

[1] (202) 966-3202

FAX:

[1] (202) 966-3205

chief of mission:

Ambassador Kathleen FITZPATRICK (since 19 January 2018)

embassy:

Avenida de Portugal, Praia dos Coqueiros, Dili

mailing address:

US Department of State, 8250 Dili Place, Washington, DC 20521-8250

telephone:

(670) 332-4684

FAX:

(670) 331-3206

• red with a black isosceles triangle (based on the hoist side) superimposed on a slightly longer yellow arrowhead that extends to the center of the flag;
• a white star - pointing to the upper hoist-side corner of the flag - is in the center of the black triangle;
• yellow denotes the colonialism in Timor-Leste's past, black represents the obscurantism that needs to be overcome, red stands for the national liberation struggle;
• the white star symbolizes peace and serves as a guiding light

agriculture:

41%

industry:

13%

services:

45.1% (2013)

lowest 10%:

27% (2007)

highest 10%:

27% (2007)

general assessment:

rudimentary service in urban and some rural areas, which is expanding with the entrance of new competitors (2016)

domestic:

• system suffered significant damage during the violence associated with independence;
• limited fixed-line services;
• mobile-cellular services have been expanding and are now available in urban and most rural areas (2016)

international:

country code - 670; international service is available (2016)

total:

6,040 km (2005)

paved:

2,600 km (2005)

unpaved:

3,440 km (2005)

• 18 years of age for voluntary military service;
• 18-month service obligation;
• no conscription but, as of May 2013, introduction of conscription was under discussion (2013)

three stretches of land borders with Indonesia have yet to be delimited, two of which are in the Oecussi exclave area, and no maritime or Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) boundaries have been established between the countriesmaritime boundaries with Indonesia remain unresolvedin 2018, Australia and Timor-Leste signed a permanent maritime border treaty, scrapping a 2007 development zone and revenue sharing arrangement between the countries

current situation:

• Timor-Leste is a source and destination country for men, women, and children subjected to forced labor and sex trafficking;
• Timorese women and girls from rural areas are lured to the capital with promises of legitimate jobs or education prospects and are then forced into prostitution or domestic servitude, and other women and girls may be sent to Indonesia for domestic servitude;
• Timorese family members force children into bonded domestic or agricultural labor to repay debts;
• foreign migrant women are vulnerable to sex trafficking in Timor-Leste, while men and boys from Burma, Cambodia, and Thailand are forced to work on fishing boats in Timorese waters under inhumane conditions

tier rating:

• Tier 2 Watch List – Timor-Leste does not fully comply with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking;
• however, it is making significant efforts to do so;
• in 2014, legislation was drafted but not finalized or implemented that outlines procedures for screening potential trafficking victims;
• law enforcement made modest progress, including one conviction for sex trafficking, but efforts are hindered by prosecutors’ and judges’ lack of expertise in applying anti-trafficking laws effectively;
• the government rescued two child victims with support from an NGO but did not provide protective services (2015)