The study of the physical environment, natural resources, and life forms or human societies is geography.The democratic republic of Timor Leste is East Timor. East Timor, located in East Asia, is known to be the poorest country.The northern coast is well known for its undersea coral reef system. The Nino Konis Santana National Park is the first national park in East Timor, the democratic republic of Timor Leste. East Timor’s national park was founded on August 15, 2007. Timor Leste is part of the famous Coral Triangle. The coral triangle is known for its rich and varied aquamarine culture, because of which East Timor’s coral reef system is also well known in the world.East Timor’s people have been greatly influenced by the Roman Catholic culture, which is the dominant culture in the area. East Nusa Tenggara, a province of Indonesia, lies to the west of East Timor’s west region. East Timor comprises the east side of the archipelago of Timor, several smaller outlying archipelagos, and Ambeno’s enclave in the region of West Timor. East Timor’s natural resources such as gold, coal, petroleum, and many others are well recognized for which the country is known.In 2002, the new name of East Timor was renamed Timor Leste. Due to inadequate management and a lack of transparency and openness, East Timor seems to be struggling to escape the clutches of the poverty cycle. Indonesia’s annexation and occupation of East Timor have been a black mark on the history of Timor Leste. The Portuguese and Dutch brought Christianity to the country. Rats, water buffalo, deer, and bats coexist in Timor-Leste alongside common Asiatic species like the crocodile, bat, and monkey.Location Of East TimorEast Timor is one of the countries located in Southeast Asia in the southern part of the Malay Archipelago, situated between northern Australia and eastern Indonesia. East Timor has an area of about 5,743–5,794 sq mi (14,874–15,007 sq km). It is half the size of Taiwan and slightly larger than France.East Timor, or officially the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste, is a small country in Southeast Asia. The geographical coordinates are 8° 33’ 24.6’’ South and 125° 33’ 37’’ East. It is a half-circle-shaped country with a total land border of 1,000 mi (1,609 km). The country of East Timor can be divided into three distinct geographic areas: the coastal plains, together with the mountain ranges that run from north to south, divide the country; the eastern part, which is a plain, from Suai to Tutuala, is where most of the population lives nowadays;The country is surrounded by high mountains and has limited access to water supplies for agriculture and human consumption. The central mountain range separates these two first regions, and the western portion is a mix of plains and mountainous country ranges, where most of the natural resources are found. East Timor is divided into thirteen municipalities: Lautém, Baucau, Viqueque, and Bobonaro in the West Timor region; Dili, the capital city; Oecusse on the north coast; and Aileu, Manatuto, Ossu, Ermera, and Cova Lima in the east Timorese part or eastern region, which are subdivided into 65 administrative posts.Timor Leste is crossed by many rivers, with the most important ones being the Com (or Com River), Tutuila, Mairasi, Laivai, and Irais. The eastern town of Timor is relatively rich in water resources, but they are distributed unevenly. Most of the water flows in the eastern part of the country during the wet season from November to April, and there is a significant decrease from May to October when droughts happen.In this region, rivers usually dry out. East Timor, or Timor Leste, has a hot tropical climate with two distinct seasons: a wet season lasting from November to April and a dry season from May to October. The average annual rainfall is 98 in (2,500 mm) on the coast and 67 in (1,700 mm) in the central mountains. The coastal region is characterized by very high humidity and regular rainfall with no pronounced rainy or dry seasons. Temperatures range from 77-89.6 °F (25-32 °C), and the sea temperature is between 79-82 °F (26-28 °C) all year round.History Of East TimorEast Timor, also known as Timor-Leste, is a country found in Southeast Asia. It is an island nation located north of Australia and south of Indonesia. The country, which Portugal colonized, gained its independence on May 20, 2002.The Portuguese ruled East Timor for around 450 years until it gained its independence in 2002. Portuguese colonization is divided into three stages: the early, middle, and late periods. The first stage, or the early period, occurred between 1556 and 1655 AD. During this time, Portugal sent Jesuit missionaries to Timor Island to spread Christianity. Most of the island’s population was converted to Christianity during this period.The second stage, or the middle phase, occurred between 1656 and 1704. During this time, Portugal sent priests to convert people from other regions of Timor Island. However, they were not successful because there were many acts of rebellion against Portuguese rule. In 1702, the Dutch invaded East Timor and ruled it for some time.However, they were forced to give up control in 1707 because there was still strong resistance against the colonizers. The third and final stage, or the late phase, occurred between 1708 and 1974. This was considered the ‘Golden Period’ of Portuguese colonialization because Portugal successfully established its authority over the entire island.The priority during this period was to transform Timor into a profitable colony. The Portuguese introduced coffee plantations and made it one of Asia’s most important agricultural regions. During that time, East Timor became an important source of coffee beans for other countries, like Portugal itself. Also, large numbers of East Timorese worked as servants and artisans in different colonies, like Australia and the Netherlands.In 1974, Portugal underwent a political crisis due to a regime change. There were mass protests against its dictatorial government, forcing Portugal to withdraw from its colonies, including East Timor. After that, East Timor was occupied by the Indonesian military. This sparked an armed resistance movement by the Timorese people, fighting for their independence. When it was an Indonesian province, it was known by the name Timor Timur.After Portugal withdrew from its colony, there was a power vacuum in East Timor. Indonesia took advantage of this situation and occupied the country from 1975 to 1999. However, this was not without resistance. The East Timorese fought against Indonesia for independence and received support from nearby countries like Australia, the United States, and Malaysia.During the initial years of Indonesian occupation, the Indonesians ruled through military power. At first, they tried to gain support from East Timor’s population by promising them a referendum that would allow them to choose their leaders. However, the Indonesians later ignored this promise and started imposing their policies on the island.In 1987, after 30 years of military rule, an Indonesian constitution was formed, which paved the way for democracy. For the next decade, East Timor enjoyed peace and improved its economy. However, in 1998, Indonesian President Suharto was forced to step down because of corruption charges.This created political instability and East Timor became a center for separatist movements. Islamic extremist groups tried to set up Islamic Sharia laws that threatened the East Timorese people during that time. As a result, many people decided to flee to neighboring Australia for safety. In 1999, East Timor was administered by UN Peacekeeping Forces.The main reason behind this decision was that Indonesia had lost control over East Timor because of violent protests. In the initial years after the occupation, the UN attempted to rebuild East Timor by creating a new constitution and bringing the rebels and government together. This period was considered the most successful phase of Indonesian colonialism because its policies increased education and healthcare facilities.However, by 2001, the UN and western countries decided that they could not continue to provide aid financially due to the economic crisis. Thus, it agreed to give East Timor independence and allowed the country to determine its own government. Indonesia allowed UN Peacekeeping Forces to oversee fair elections in Indonesia. After that, East Timor experienced a multi-party democracy with Xanana Gusmao as its first president.Population And Language Of East TimorAs of Monday, January 31, 2022, the current population of Timor-Leste is 1.358 million, according to the data of Worldometer’s latest United Nations. Tetun and Portuguese-origin languages are most commonly spoken in Timor Leste.East Timor is a Southeast Asian nation that was formerly a colony of Portugal. This country is located in the eastern part of Indonesia and is near Australia. According to the 2016 census report, the total area of this country is 5743 sq mi (14,874 sq km) and has 1,205 people per square mile.In addition, there are 800 well-known languages in this country, among which the Tetum language is the most common one, with 91% of speakers all over East Timor. Roman Catholic and Austronesian traditions heavily influence East Timorese culture. East Timorese cuisine has also been influenced by its history.Tetum, or Tetun-Dili, is the most common language, with 91% of speakers all over East Timor. This country’s other ten main languages are Atsabe, Bunak, Galoli, Hataman, Iliomar, Kawaimina, Mumbai, Portuguese, and Tukudede. All these seven different language groups, in addition to Tetun Dili, together constitute the Tetun-family. Besides Tetun Dili, there is no standard written form of any regional language in East Timor.The national linguist institute, ‘Fundacao de Linguistica e Literatura de Timor,’ is the primary organization that works for Tetun Dili and develops it as an official written language of East Timor. Tetun and Portuguese are also the official languages of East Timor. In total, there are around 32 indigenous languages spoken in East Timor.National Resources Of East TimorTimor-Leste is one of the poorest countries in Asia. However, it has abundant natural resources, including oil and gas, minerals (including gold), forests, marine products, and strategic locations.On top of these riches are its people; most East Timorese are farmers who live off of subsistence farming of local produce. They do not have a strong economy due to their poverty and lack of natural resources. The country’s history has been marred by being occupied by foreign countries throughout the colonial period, thus contributing to its underdevelopment compared to other Asian nations.East Timor is abundant in mineral resources, with large petroleum deposits, nickel ore, manganese, bauxite, and limestone. The country has several identified minerals, including niobium, and almost two-thirds of the world’s reserves are found in East Timor. The most significant mineral is petroleum, with several petroleum companies. After many years of independence from the Indonesian government, East Timor’s economy started to develop.Several companies have undertaken gold mining since 2000, and it is estimated that there are more than 9 million oz (255 million g) of gold in reserves in East Timor. On top of this, the artisanal mining of gold provides ’the lowest-cost option for exploration.’ This is because it costs only $14.40 to produce one ounce of gold, while the average price in 2012 was $1,700 per ounce.Gold contributes to the economy and acts as a stabilizing factor in supply and demand. Due to the continuing economic uncertainty and high demand, gold prices are also expected to rise. East Timor is rich in natural gas, with several deposits of coal, petroleum, and LNG; it has been referred to as ’the new Kuwait’ by some observers. The country has a large deposit of oil and more than 15 companies that exploit its vast resources.East Timor is also in the process of developing natural gas fields, including the Greater Sunrise gas field, which is located approximately 93 mi (150 km) north-west of Dili. The development started in 2014 with Australia’s Woodside Petroleum Ltd., which is 60% owner of this project. This project is expected to produce 1.4 trillion cubic feet of natural gas and condensate, equivalent to 9.3 million barrels of oil or 412 million tonnes of LNG per year.East Timor also has a large deposit of nickel ore, a key ingredient in stainless steel manufacturing. Bauxite reserves amount to 408 million tonnes with an aluminum content of 26%. East Timor’s bauxite mines are largely untapped, with some estimates suggesting that more than one-third of the country’s land is covered by bauxite.East Timor also has large deposits of coal located in the island’s north-eastern region; it was assessed to have 2.74 billion tonnes of coal reserves before it closed its only mine. Timor’s coasts are rich in marine life, including sea cucumbers and sea horses. In addition to this, the country has a large fishing industry that includes seaweed harvesting from its coastline.
The study of the physical environment, natural resources, and life forms or human societies is geography.
