East Timor Independence Day

People all across EAST TIMOR (Timor-Leste) recently celebrated their country's Independence Day on Saturday, November 28th. East Timor achieved independence from Portugal in 1975. Happy belated Independence Day!

Timor-Leste Exports

                     

According to National Geographic MapMaker (mapmaker.nationalgeographic.org) and MIT's Observatory of Economic Complexity (atlas.media.mit.edu), the following items are major exports of TIMOR-LESTE (East Timor): automobiles (small amounts), bananas, cabbage, cassava, cloth, coffee, corn (maize), excavation machinery, gold (small amounts), handicrafts, integrated circuits, mangoes, marble, motor-working tools, oilseeds, pasta, petroleum and petroleum gas, plastic pipes, rice, sandalwood, scrap aluminum, soap, soybeans, spices, sweet potatoes, and vanilla (small amounts). In 2015 according to the OEC, a whopping 93% of Timor-Leste's exports were crude petroleum. According to February 2017 statistics from the International Monetary Fund (data.imf.org), countries and territories buying and importing most of those exports include Belgium (top importer), Germany, the United States, Indonesia, Sudan, Cyprus, Australia, Lebanon, Liberia, the Philippines, Italy, Pakistan, Japan, New Zealand, Libya, China, Uganda, Hong Kong, Russia, Mauritania, and Kenya.

— Coffee and oil well icons by Georgina Ionescu, Noun Project
— Pasta icon by Artem Kovyazin, Noun Project
— Integrated circuit (microchip) icon by Vectors Market, Noun Project

Timor-Leste Endangered Species

The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species™ for TIMOR-LESTE (East Timor) in Southeast Asia lists 3 critically endangered species and 10 endangered species. Here are the critically endangered species of Timor-Leste: Andrews' Frigatebird, Green Sawfish (Longcomb Sawfish, Olive Sawfish), and Lesser Sulphur-Crested Cockatoo (Yellow-Crested Cockatoo) bird. Chinese Pond Turtles, Common Aldrovanda (Waterwheel) plants, Eastern Curlews, Great Knot birds, Green Turtles, Pygmy Blue Whales, Timor Green Pigeons, Timor Reef Snakes, Undulate Wrasses, and Water Ground Doves are endangered in Timor-Leste. Other species named after the island Timor include the Timor Blue Flycatcher bird, Timor Ground Thrush bird, Timor Imperial Pigeon, Timor Leaf Warbler, Timor Rat, Timor Roundleaf Bat, Timor Sparrow, Timor Stubtail bird, Timor White-Eye bird, Timor Yellow Tiger butterfly, Timor Wrasse fish, and Timorese Horseshoe Bat.

East Timor Endangered Species

As of June 18th, 2015, the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species™ for EAST TIMOR (Timor-Leste), a relatively new and small island country in Southeastern Asia, lists 3 critically endangered species and 9 endangered species. Fortunately, East Timor does not have any extinct species on the IUCN Red List. The three critically endangered species are the Christmas Frigatebird, Green Sawfish, and Yellow-crested Cockatoo. The Yellow-crested Cockatoo's geographic range covers the island of Timor and multiple islands in Indonesia, including Buton, Celebes (Sulawesi), Kabaena, the Lesser Sunda Islands (from Lombok and Nusa Penida to the west to Alor in the east), Muna, and Wowoni. The nine endangered species are the Blue Whale, Green Turtle, Humphead Wrasse, Reeves' Turtle, Timor Green Pigeon, Timor Imperial Pigeon, Timor Reef Snake, Waterwheel plant, and Wetar Ground Dove.

East Timor post (links opens in new tab or window)

GeoFact of the Day | Highest Point on Timor

The highest point on the island of Timor, located on the eastern part of the island, is Foho Tatamailau. In west-central EAST TIMOR, Foho Tatamailau stands 9,721 feet (2,963 meters) tall south of East Timor's capital, Dili. Visit my East Timor post to learn more about East Timor!

East Timor

EAST TIMOR, also called TIMOR-LESTE, is a small and economically impoverished island country located in Southeastern Asia. Hence the name, the country is located on the eastern part of the island of Timor, which is east of the string of islands that include Java and Bali; the western portion of Timor belongs to Indonesia. The Timor Sea is south of East Timor, while the Selat Wetar (Wetar Strait) is north and is south of Wetar island. The capital, located on the northern shore, is Dili. The currency that citizens use is the United States Dollar (USD). East Timor Centavos coins circulate with the US Dollar, but there are no banknotes.

Capital of East Timor

The capital of EAST TIMOR, a country sharing the island of Timor with Indonesia, is Dili! The small country is north of the Timor Sea and Australia.