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East Timor
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 Timor,
island, southern Indonesia, in the Malay Archipelago, the largest and
easternmost of the Lesser Sunda Islands. It is bordered on the north by
the Savu and Banda seas and on the south by the Timor Sea.
Timor is about 450 km (about 280 mi) long and up to 105 km (65 mi) wide.
It is traversed by parallel mountain ranges that are somewhat higher in
the east, where the island's loftiest point, Mount Ramelau, or Tata
Mailau (2950 m/9679 ft high), is located. The island receives almost all
of its precipitation during the season of the northwestern monsoon,
which occurs from December to March. The soil is generally poor and
natural vegetation is sparse, although there are valuable stands of
eucalyptus, sandalwood, teak, bamboo, and rosewood. The economy of Timor
is dominated by farming, pursued with traditional methods; the chief
products are maize, rice, coffee, copra, and fruit. Deposits of gold and
silver are found on the island. Most of the people of Timor are of mixed
Malay, Polynesian, and Papuan descent; however, members of a small
ethnic Chinese community play an important role in the island's
commerce. The largest cities are Kupang (population, 1980, 403,110), the
capital of East Nusatenggara Province; and Dili (60,150), the capital of
East Timor Province. Traditional religions predominate on Timor, and
there are small Muslim and Christian communities.
The Portuguese established settlements on Timor in the early 16th
century, and Dutch traders first landed on the island in 1613. The
Portuguese and Dutch competed for influence until a series of agreements
(1859, 1893, 1898, 1914) established boundaries between their holdings.
Dutch Timor, centered at Kupang, in the west, became part of the
republic of Indonesia in 1950. Portuguese Timor, including the region of
Dili, in the east, and the small area of Oe-Cusse (Ocussi Ambeno), in
the northwest, was forcibly annexed by Indonesia in late 1975.
Area, about 30,820 sq km (about 11,900 sq mi); population (1980)
1,382,207.
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