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Official Name: Known officially as the Democratic Republic of Timor Leste, commonly as East
Timor.
Capital city: The official capital of East Timor is Dili, which is situated on the northern coast of Timor Island.
Location: East Timor is located in Southeast Asia; it is approximately 400 miles northwest of Darwin Australia.
Size: The total land area of East Timor is 14,874 square kilometers and is ranked 159th in the world. Swaziland is almost 3,000 square kilometers larger than East Timor with a total of 17,363 square kilometers land mass.
Climate: The climate in East Timor is tropical, which means they experience hot and humid conditions, with dry and rainy seasons.
Population: It was estimated in 2010 the population of Timor Leste is 1,154,625, placing it 156th in the global rankings. Trinidad and Tobago is ranked 155th with an estimated population of 1,154,625.
Life Expectancy: At birth, the average Timorese can expect to reach the age of 66.71 years. Females have a longer average life span at 67.57, males average 65.89 years from birth.
Prevalance of HIV/AIDS: There are no reported figures for the prevalence of HIV/AIDS for East Timor.
Major Illness: There is a high risk of malaria, dengue fever, chikungungya, hepatitis A, typhoid fever and bacterial diarrhea across the country.
Ethnic Groups: East Timor comprises of Austronesian (Malayo-Polynesia), Papuan and there is a small minority of Chinese in the country.
Languages: The official language in East Timor is Tetum and Portuguese, with English and Indonesian widely spoken. Across the country there are approximately 16 indigenous languages spoken by a significant proportion of people.
Religion: The official religion in East Timor is Catholic at 98%, with 2% being spread equally between Muslim and Protestant.
Government: The political system adopted in Timor Leste is republic, which means they have a President who is Head of State. The President of East Timor is allowed to sit a five year term, and is appointed by popular vote; the President will have veto power allowing them to make decisions over certain types of legislation. One of the first duties the Head of State must do is to appoint a Head of Government who will be the Prime Minister and will preside over the cabinet of Council Ministers. Currently the constitution in East Timor is modeled on the constitution of Portugal, however as East Timor establishes itself, and with time, it will draft its own constitution.
Military: East Timor military is known as Timor-Leste Defense Force, which includes an army and Navel. There is no conscription and Timorese can enroll at the age of 18. As East Timor is a new country with a fledgling government, there is a peacekeeping force present in the country to help control the potential security risk.
Economy: In 1999 Indonesian troops and anti-independence militias were responsible for the destruction of 70% of East Timor’s infrastructure. The United Nation employed 5000 to 8000 peacekeepers from 2002 to 2005 in order to aid East Timor to rebuild its infrastructure. Many refugees during the 3 years of reconstruction of East Timor settled in Indonesia or had returned home by 2005. East Timor is the poorest country in the region and is facing an uphill struggle to improve the economy, with high unemployment, a lack of skilled labor and inadequate infrastructure; the country has a challenging time ahead. However, the ample petroleum reserve the country has may be the key for future prosperity; allowing the Government to set up a trust fund to manage and sustain its petroleum reserves. A current prime focus for the Government is the improvement of education to ensure a better future for the younger generation.
GDP: East Timor has a purchasing power parity of US$$2.74 Billion ranking it 176th globally, it was estimated the economy real growth rate increased by 7.2% which was the 6th highest in the world for 2009.
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