Geography of Timor-Leste Continent Asia Region Southeast Asia
Coordinates 8°50′S 125°55′E / 8.833°S 125.917°E / -8.833; 125.917 Area Ranked 154th • Total 14,919 km2 (5,760 sq mi) • Land 100% • Water 0% Coastline 706 km (439 mi) Borders Indonesia : 253 km (157 mi)Highest point Tatamailau (2,963 m or 9,721 ft)Lowest point Timor Sea , Savu Sea , and Banda Sea Longest river Loes River Largest lake Ira Lalaro 2 (1 sq mi)Climate Tropical Terrain Mountainous and rugged Natural resources Gold , petroleum , natural gas , manganese , marble Natural hazards Landslides are common; earthquakes ; and tsunamis .Environmental issues deforestation and soil erosion Exclusive economic zone 70,326 km2 (27,153 sq mi)
Detailed map of Timor-Leste Timor-Leste includes the mountainous eastern half of Timor , the Ocussi-Ambeno region on the northwest portion of the island of Timor, and the islands of Atauro and Jaco . The country is located northwest of Australia in the Lesser Sunda Islands at the eastern end of the Indonesian Archipelago . 'Timor' is a Portuguese derivation of 'Timor', the Malay word for "Orient "; the island of Timor is part of the Malay Archipelago and is the largest and easternmost of the Lesser Sunda Islands. Timor-Leste is the only Asian nation to lie entirely within the Southern Hemisphere.[citation needed The Loes River is the longest with a length of 80 km (50 mi). This river system covers an area of 2,184 km2 (843 sq mi). It is a small country with a land size of 14,919 km2 (5,760 sq mi). The exclusive economic zone is 70,326 km2 (27,153 sq mi).[ 1]
Statistics
Area
Total: 14,874 km2
Land: 14,874 km2
Water: 0 km2 Land boundaries
Total: 2,538 km (1,577 mi)
Border countries: Indonesia (253 km or 157 mi) Coastline
706 km (439 mi) Maritime claims
Elevation extremes
Natural resources
Gold , petroleum , natural gas , manganese , marble Land use
Arable land: 10.1%
Permanent crops: 4.9%
Permanent pasture: 10.1%
Forest: 49.1%
Other: 25.8% (2011) Irrigated land
346.5 km2 (134 sq mi) (2003)
Climate
The islands have a tropical savanna climate , bordering on a tropical monsoon climate ; hot and humid with distinct rainy and dry seasons. Tropical cyclones do occur along with floods.
Climate data for Dili (1914-1963)
Month
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec
Year
Record high °C (°F)
36.0
35.5
36.6
36.0
35.7
36.5
34.1
35.0
34.0
34.5
36.0
35.5
36.6
Mean daily maximum °C (°F)
31.3
31.1
31.2
31.5
31.3
30.7
30.2
30.1
30.3
30.5
31.4
31.1
30.9
Daily mean °C (°F)
27.7
27.6
27.4
27.4
27.0
26.8
25.5
25.1
25.4
26.0
27.2
27.4
26.6
Mean daily minimum °C (°F)
24.1
24.1
23.5
23.5
22.8
21.9
20.8
20.1
20.5
21.5
23.0
23.6
22.4
Record low °C (°F)
19.0
16.2
16.5
18.2
13.2
14.5
12.4
11.8
13.4
16.1
18.0
16.7
11.8
Average rainfall mm (inches)
139.5
138.7
132.7
104.3
74.9
58.4
20.1
12.1
9.0
12.8
61.4
144.9
908.8
Average rainy days (≥ 1.0 mm)
13
13
11
9
6
4
3
1
1
2
6
11
80
Average relative humidity (%)
80
82
80
77
75
72
71
70
71
72
73
77
75
Mean monthly sunshine hours
189.1
161.0
235.6
234.0
266.6
246.0
272.8
291.4
288.0
297.6
270.0
220.1
2,972.2
Mean daily sunshine hours
6.1
5.7
7.6
7.8
8.6
8.2
8.8
9.4
9.6
9.6
9.0
7.1
8.1
Source: Deutscher Wetterdienst [ 2]
Environment
Natural hazards
Landslides are common; earthquakes ; and tsunamis .Environment - current issues
Widespread use of slash and burn agriculture has led to deforestation and soil erosion .
Environment - international agreements
Biodiversity , climate change , climate change-Kyoto Protocol , desertification
References
Much of the material in this article is adapted from the CIA World Factbook 2000 and 2012.
Further reading
Crosby, Michael J (2007). Important Bird Areas in Timor-Leste . BirdLife International. ISBN 9780946888597 Kaiser, Hinrich; Carvalho, Venancio Lopes; Ceballos, Jester; Freed, Paul; Heacox, Scott; Lester, Barbara; Richards, Stephen J.; Trainor, Colin R.; Sanchez, Caitlin; O’Shea, Mark (20 June 2011). "The herpetofauna of Timor-Leste: a first report" . ZooKeys (109): 19– 86. doi :10.3897/zookeys.109.1439 ISSN 1313-2970 . PMC 3118819 PMID 21852932 . Kaiser, Hinrich; Sanchez, Caitlin; Heacox, Scott; Kathriner, Andrew; Ribeiro, Agivedo Varela; Soares, Zito Afranio; Araujo, Luis Lemos de; Mecke, Sven; O’Shea, Mark (1 August 2013). "First report on the herpetofauna of Ataúro Island, Timor Leste" . Check List . 9 (4): 752– 762. doi :10.15560/9.4.752 ISSN 1809-127X . O'Shea, Mark; Sanchez, Caitlin; Kathriner, Andrew; Mecke, Sven; Carvalho, Venancio Lopes; Ribeiro, Agivedo Varela; Soares, Zito Afranio; Araujo, Luis Lemos de; Kaiser, Hinrich (25 June 2015). "Herpetological Diversity of Timor-Leste: Updates and a Review of Species Distributions" . Asian Herpetological Research . 6 (2): 72– 131. doi :10.16373/j.cnki.ahr.140066 . ISSN 2095-0357 . Sanchez, Caitlin; Carvalho, Venancio Lopes; Kathriner, Andrew; O'Shea, Mark; Kaiser, Hinrich (January 2012). "First Report on the Herpetofauna of the Oecusse District, an Exclave of Timor-Leste" . Herptology Notes . 5 : 137– 149.
