Originally posted on the IT Timor email list.

Location: Eastern section of Timor Island, the enclave of Ambeno and Atauro and Jaco islands. Capital Dili is located at c125.5 deg E and c8.5 deg S.

Geography: Rugged mountains up to 3,000 metres with 44% of land area on a slope of c40% and higher. Coastal plains.

Climate: Hot and Wet. Average temperature 21 deg C, average humidity 80%. Monsoon season between November and April.

Environment and Natural Resources: Poor quality, thin layer of soil. Approx 80% shrubland. Forest cover reduced by approx 30% from 1972-1999. Some mineral resources (gold, copper, iron). Estimated 20-year yield of oil and natural gas in Timor Sea.

Population: 794,298. Under 15: 44%., Aged 15-64: 54%., Over 65: 2%., Urban 23.5%

Population Density: 55.7 persons per square kilometre.

Fertility Rate (per woman): 3.8

Language: Tetun and Portuguese are official languages. Bahasa-Malay widely spoken. Some English. Significant regional languages and dialects.

Language per capita: Tetun 82%, Bahasa-Malay 43%, Portuguese 5%, English 2%

Adult Illiteracy: 49% male, 64% female.

Mean Years of Schooling (Working Aged Adults 20-54): total 3.5, male 4.3, female 3.0

Per capita GDP: $478

GDP by sector: Public Administration and Defence 28%, Construction 21%, Agriculture 21%, Transport/Communications 8%,
Trade/Hotels/Restaurants 8%, Mining/Manufacturing/Utilities 6%, Other 6%

Projected Per Annum Growth: 15%

Main occupations for household income: Rice farmer 23%, Fruit/Veg farmer 22%, Coffee farmer 11%, Labourer 8%, Shopkeeper 7%, Animal husbandry 6%, Public Servant 4%

Income: 41% on less than $0.55 per day. $PPP (Purchasing Power) $337 per annum (lowest in the world)

Labour Force Participation, 15 years and over: 56% total, 76% men, 35% women

Work Hours: 14.9% less than 25 hours/week, 44.1% between 25 and 44 hours/week, 44.1% over 44 hours per week.

Life expectancy: 57 years. Probability of not surving to 40; 32.2%. Probability of not surving to 60; 76.6%

Infant Mortality: 80 deaths per 1,000 births

Under-5 Mortality: 144 deaths per 100,000 live births

Human Poverty Index: 49.0 (scale 0-100). Tenth most impoverished nation in the world, most impoverished in Asia.

Human Development Index: 0.421 (scale 0-1 - Norway 0.939, Sierra Leone 0.258).

Gender Development Index: 0.347 (scale 0-1).

Administratiove Units: 13 Districts, 498 Sucos ('villages'), 2336 Aldeias ('hamlets')

Households with less than 10 sqm of floor per capita: 56.9%

Households with earth/bamboo floor: 64%.

Access to Electricity: 20% of Aldeias, 35.9% of households.

Access to Water: 7% direct to households, 30% of Aldeias (public location), 46.3% of households total

Households with toilet facilities: 13.8% total, 51% urban, 8.5% rural)

Households with sewerage or septic tanks: 14.8% total, 53% urban, 12% rural

Figures from East Timor Human Development Report, 2002. Published by the United Nations Development Programme