Timor Leste:

Region: South-Eastern Asia

Capital: Dili

Languages: Tetum and Portuguese

Population: 1115000

Currency: US dollar

Government: Parliamentary republic

Economy: Timor Leste is currently rebuilding itself after the war for independence destroyed about 70% of the economic infrastructure. The economy is one of the world’s poorest due to decades of both neglect and misaligned economic priorities under Portuguese and Indonesian administration. By mid-2002, all but about 50,000 of the refugees had returned to Timor Leste however in 2007 bad harvest lead to deaths in several parts of the country. Timor Leste has a large and potentially lucrative coffee industry, which sells organic coffee to numerous Fair Trade retailers and on the open market.

Religion: Upon independence, East Timor became one of only two predominantly Roman Catholic countries in Asia with 97% of the population identifying as Roman Catholic. Religious minorities include Muslim and Protestants with smaller Hindu and Buddhist and traditional animist minorities making up the remainder. Under Indonesian rule church membership grew considerably as the government did not recognize traditional beliefs and required all citizens to believe in God.

Culture: The culture of East Timor reflects its past with influences from Portugal, Roman Catholicism and Malaysia as well as indigenous Austronesian and Melanesian cultures. Despite a strong tradition of poetry illiteracy remains widespread. In terms of architecture there is a mix of Portuguese-style buildings and traditional totem houses of the eastern region. Craftsmanship is also widespread such as weaving traditional scarves. In the modern era, Timorese music has been closely associated with the independence movement.

Demographics: The population of East Timor is about one million which has grown considerably due to a high birth rate, but also because of the return of refugees. The population is especially concentrated in the area around the capital, Dili. The population consists of a number of distinct ethnic groups, most of whom are of mixed Malayo-Polynesian and Melanesian/Papuan descent.

Health: As a result of the war for independence a considerable number of health centres and hospitals were badly damaged and in some cases completely destroyed. Timor Leste has since suffered from a lack of medical professionals as the majority of health workers were Indonesian nationals who have left the area. Current estimates suggest that the 2002 life expectancy for the people of Timor Leste was 62.64 years for men and 67.17 years for women. Malnutrition and disease plague the children with intestinal parasitic infections affecting about 80% of all children.