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Half of an island in Southeast Asia on the eastern fringe of Indonesia. Slightly larger than Connecticut. Capital Diu
Violence from Indonesians (mostly Muslim) resisting the independence sought by East Timorese (mostly Christian) was brought to an end by the intervention of Australia, in September 1999. On May 20, 2002 East Timor was recognized as an independent state.
Figures unless otherwise stated are from the CIA Factbook.
Estimated per capita GDP:
2007 $2,000 (Ranks 179th)
GDP annual growth rate estimated for 2007: 24 percent. (Ranks 2nd)
Factbook: "In late 1999, about 70% of the economic infrastructure of East Timor was laid waste by Indonesian troops and anti-independence militias, and 300,000 people fled westward. Over the next three years, however, a massive international program, manned by 5,000 peacekeepers (8,000 at peak) and 1,300 police officers, led to substantial reconstruction in both urban and rural areas."
March 17, 2006. According to a report in the BBC, East Timor suffers "an acute shortage of skilled people."
Deaths: 6.02. Births: 26.52, down from 27.19 in 2005.
Estimated for July 2008: 1.1 million, up from 1.04 million in 2005. Growth rate estimated for 2008: 2.05 percent per year. Density: 69.3 persons per square kilometer.
Infant mortality 2008: 41.95 (47.41 deaths before the age of one year per 1,000 live births).
Average life expectancy at birth estimated for 2008: 66.94 years, up from 65.9 in 2005
Roman Catholic 90 percent, Muslim 4 percent, Hindu 0.5 percent (1 in 200). 1992 estimate)
SOURCES:
http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/
Copyright © 2008 by Frank E. Smitha. All rights reserved.