East Timor Southeast Asian Country Crocodile Island

East Timor is a small country of about 15410 square kilometers in Southeast Asia which is located in the eastern half of the island of Timor including the nearby islands of Atauro and Jaco and the enclave of Oecussi. It is called Timor-Leste in Portuguese. The word Timor has been derived from the Indonesian word timur, which means east. The capital of the country is called Dili.

East Timor was colonized by Portugal in the 16th century. After Portugal's decolonization of the country in late 1975 East Timor was invaded and occupied by Indonesia. The United Nations passed an act of self-determination after which Indonesia released its control over the territory in May 2002.

East Timor is located in the Malay Archipelago. It is bounded by the Timor Sea in the south, the mountainous island of the Ombai Strait and Wetar Strait on the north while to the west, lays the Indonesian Province of East Nusa Tenggara. It is divided into thirteen administrative districts which are further subdivided into into 65 sub districts. The country is characterized by tropical climatic conditions with hot and humid seasons.

East Timor has had various cultural influences including that of Portuguese, Roman Catholic, and Malay. According to a well known legend a giant crocodile was transformed into the island of Timor, or Crocodile Island, as it is often called. Although illiteracy is widespread in East Timor but it is culturally very rich as far as poetry and architecture are concerned. Craftsmanship is also widespread, as is the weaving of traditional scarves or tais.

East Timor has a population of about one million. The per capita GDP of East Timor is very low at US$800. Its Human Development Index (HDI), places East Timor at 142nd among the worlds nations. The two official languages of the country are Portuguese and Tetum. The population of East Timor comprises of 97% Roman Catholics with the rest of the 3% comprising of Muslims, Protestants, Hindus and Buddhists.

East Timor has a Republican form of government The head of the state is the president who is elected by popular vote and who then appoints the leader of the majority party or majority coalition as the Prime Minister. In April 2007 first presidential elections were held since the country gained independence. Jose Ramos-Horta, a Nobel Peace Prize winner and former prime minister became president with nearly 70% of the vote going in his favor.

East Timor has a very poor infrastructure which is a result of the destruction of 70% of its infrastructure due to the colonization of the country by Indonesia in 1999. The country is also drought-prone. Timor has been best known for its sandalwood. Similarly vast offshore oil and gas fields in the Timor Sea hold much potential. East Timor