Geography of East Timor

Last updated
Geography of East Timor
East Timor Satellite.jpg
Continent Asia
Region Southeast Asia
Coordinates 8°50′S125°55′E / 8.833°S 125.917°E / -8.833; 125.917
Area Ranked 154th
  Total14,919 km2 (5,760 sq mi)
  Land100%
  Water0%
Coastline706 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
0 m (0 ft)
Longest river Loes River
80 km (50 mi)
Largest lake Ira Lalaro
1.9 km2 (1 sq mi)
Climate Tropical
TerrainMountainous 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 zone70,326 km2 (27,153 sq mi)
Detailed map of East Timor EastTimor2022OSM.png
Detailed map of East Timor

East Timor 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. East Timor 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]

Contents

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)
MonthJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecYear
Record high °C (°F)36.0
(96.8)
35.5
(95.9)
36.6
(97.9)
36.0
(96.8)
35.7
(96.3)
36.5
(97.7)
34.1
(93.4)
35.0
(95.0)
34.0
(93.2)
34.5
(94.1)
36.0
(96.8)
35.5
(95.9)
36.6
(97.9)
Mean daily maximum °C (°F)31.3
(88.3)
31.1
(88.0)
31.2
(88.2)
31.5
(88.7)
31.3
(88.3)
30.7
(87.3)
30.2
(86.4)
30.1
(86.2)
30.3
(86.5)
30.5
(86.9)
31.4
(88.5)
31.1
(88.0)
30.9
(87.6)
Daily mean °C (°F)27.7
(81.9)
27.6
(81.7)
27.4
(81.3)
27.4
(81.3)
27.0
(80.6)
26.8
(80.2)
25.5
(77.9)
25.1
(77.2)
25.4
(77.7)
26.0
(78.8)
27.2
(81.0)
27.4
(81.3)
26.6
(79.9)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F)24.1
(75.4)
24.1
(75.4)
23.5
(74.3)
23.5
(74.3)
22.8
(73.0)
21.9
(71.4)
20.8
(69.4)
20.1
(68.2)
20.5
(68.9)
21.5
(70.7)
23.0
(73.4)
23.6
(74.5)
22.4
(72.3)
Record low °C (°F)19.0
(66.2)
16.2
(61.2)
16.5
(61.7)
18.2
(64.8)
13.2
(55.8)
14.5
(58.1)
12.4
(54.3)
11.8
(53.2)
13.4
(56.1)
16.1
(61.0)
18.0
(64.4)
16.7
(62.1)
11.8
(53.2)
Average rainfall mm (inches)139.5
(5.49)
138.7
(5.46)
132.7
(5.22)
104.3
(4.11)
74.9
(2.95)
58.4
(2.30)
20.1
(0.79)
12.1
(0.48)
9.0
(0.35)
12.8
(0.50)
61.4
(2.42)
144.9
(5.70)
908.8
(35.77)
Average rainy days (≥ 1.0 mm)131311964311261180
Average relative humidity (%)80828077757271707172737775
Mean monthly sunshine hours 189.1161.0235.6234.0266.6246.0272.8291.4288.0297.6270.0220.12,972.2
Mean daily sunshine hours 6.15.77.67.88.68.28.89.49.69.69.07.18.1
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

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References

  1. Exclusive Economic Zones – Sea Around Us Project – Fisheries, Ecosystems & Biodiversity – Data and Visualization.
  2. "Klimatafel von Díli, Insel Timor / Ost-Timor" (PDF). Baseline climate means (1961-1990) from stations all over the world (in German). Deutscher Wetterdienst. Retrieved 29 January 2016.

Further reading