# data[].attributes.body
East-Timorese people descended from Aboriginals in Australia

Timor-Leste was colonized by Portugal in 1520 which is why Portuguese is an official language

In 1613 the island was divided into the western half colonized by the Dutch and the eastern side colonized by the Portuguese

The Netherlands gave up West Timor in 1949

In April of 2020 Xanana Gusmao was elected as Timor-Leste's first President when the country became an independent nation

The country was previously named "East Timor" meaning "East-East" before it was changed to Timor-Leste

In 1975 Portugal left East Timor , and on the 16th of July 1976, the island was declared an independent nation and renamed the Democratic Republic of East Timor

# data[].attributes.body
Form of government - Unitary semi-presidential representative democratic republic

Current Leaders - The president of Timor-Leste is Francisco Guterres, the prime minister is Taur Mantan Ruak

The prime minister is the head of government

The president acts as the head of state

The Timorese constitution was modelled on Portugal

All citizens aged 18 and older have the right to vote

The president of Timor-Leste cannot serve more than two terms and is elected to directly serve a five year term

# data[].attributes.body
Livelihood for approx 80% of population of the country is agriculture

As of 2003, only about 174,000 hectares of arable land in East Timor. With generally poor, shallow soil, steep terrain, unreliable climate and most farming subsistence level

Harvest for maize occurs from Feb through April. Harvest for rice through May through Sep in north and from Aug through Nov in south

Other products include soybeans, cabbage, mangoes, bananas, vanilla, mung beans, taro, onions, peanuts, sago, coconuts and tobacco

2012, the country’s GDP estimated $1.293 billion with GDP per capita estimated at $3,620

Coffee is the most important cash crop in the country. Second largest exporter in Timor-Leste after petrol

East Timor is ranked 40th largest producer of coffee

Revenue of gas and oil increased as they cancelled an agreement with Australia where Australia got 50% since 2006

$108 million of exports and $651 million imports. $7.21 thousand per capita

182nd largest economy in the world

# data[].attributes.body
Current population is 1,320,049 with 51% male and 49% female

There are 104 births per day and 21 deaths per day

The median life expectancy 70.2, with female expectancy at 72.4 and male 68.1 expectancy

Median age is 20.8

Infant deaths per 1,000 births is 31.6

Global rank by population is 156

20% population is unemployed and 50% live on less that $1

There is a small majority of Chinese, most of whom are Hakka. Many Chinese left in 1960s

# data[].attributes.body
Officially called Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste

Comprises the eastern half of the island and of Timor

In 16th century it was known as Portuguese Timor until 28th of Nov 1975

In 1975, revolutionary front for independent east timor declared territory independence

On 27th of of Sep 2002, East Timor renamed to Timor Leste using Portuegese language and admitted as member state of UN

# data[].attributes.body
Flag - The white star is symbolic of peace, the red symbolises the struggle for liberation, the black triangle represents obscurantism and the yellow is symbolic of the country's prior colonial history.

Language - The official languages of Portuguese and the dialect Tetum are spoken in Timor-Leste however there are more than 40 dialects spoken as well

Religion - The paramount religion which the majority of the population practises in Timor-Leste is Catholicism however there are communities that are Protestant and Muslim, prior to Portuguese colonization Animism was the dominant religion

Currency - The currency used in Timor-Leste is The United States Dollar, it was chosen as it is a strong and stable currency, which is used worldwide

National Anthem - The national anthem of Timor-Leste is called "Pátria" meaning "Fatherland"

# data[].attributes.body
Location
- It's located in south-east Asia
-Between the South China Sea and the Indian Ocean
-400km north of Australia
-The surface area of the country is 18,899km2
Land
-volcanic origins which have produced rugged terrain
- the land is mostly mountainous, rising to heights of 2000m
-Half of Timor Leste's land are is sloping at 40 degrees, making the land beautiful, but difficult for road construction and cultivation

Climate
- The hot tropical climate with a dry season is in May to November
-The wet season is in December to April
-The temperature in the coast is high at usually 25-35C
-Whereas in the mountains, it's much cooler, with a wet and misty climate

# data[].attributes.body
- Timor Leste is one of the worlds least developed countries
-More than 40% of people live below the poverty line
Health Challenges the country is facing
-the country having the highest rates of  pregnant women dying during childbirth in Asia
-More than 45% of children, mostly in rural areas, are underweight
-Malaria and Tuberculosis are some of the major public health problems, with Malaria having high mortality rates in children, and Tuberculosis having around 8000 cases nationally
-Sexually transmitted cases are very common in active groups
-the average life expectancy is very low at 62
-for every 1000 babies, 48 die before their 5th birthday
- while poverty rates are very high, the country has made progress in improving living standards. They've reduced the portion of Timorese living below the poverty line from 50% to 42% in 7 years

# data[].attributes.body
-Only 20% of preschoolers are enrolled in school

-Rural youth are highly disadvantaged compared to youth living in urban areas, as 37% rural youth are illiterate, whereas only 6% are illiterate in urban areas.

-Two fifths of schools don’t have access to drinking water

- 66% of schools don’t have functioning toilets