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Location:
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Southeastern Asia, northwest
of Australia in the Lesser Sunda Islands at the eastern end of the
Indonesian archipelago; note - East Timor includes the eastern half of the
island of Timor, the Oecussi (Ambeno) region on the northwest portion of the
island of Timor, and the islands of Pulau Atauro and Pulau Jaco |
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Geographic coordinates:
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8 50 S, 125 55 E |
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Map references:
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Southeast Asia |
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Area:
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total: 15,007 sq km
land: NA sq km
water: NA sq km |
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Area - comparative:
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slightly larger than
Connecticut
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Land boundaries:
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total: 228 km
border countries: Indonesia 228 km |
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Coastline:
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706 km |
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Maritime claims:
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territorial sea: NA
exclusive economic zone: NA
continental shelf: NA
exclusive fishing zone: NA |
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Climate:
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tropical; hot, humid;
distinct rainy and dry seasons |
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Terrain:
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mountainous |
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Elevation extremes:
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lowest point: Timor
Sea, Savu Sea, and Banda Sea 0 m
highest point: Foho Tatamailau 2,963 m
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Natural resources:
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gold, petroleum, natural gas,
manganese, marble |
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Land use:
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arable land: 8.2%
permanent crops: 4.57%
other: 87.23% (2005) |
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Irrigated land:
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1,065 sq km (est.) |
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Natural hazards:
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floods and landslides are
common; earthquakes, tsunamis, tropical cyclones |
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Environment - current issues:
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widespread use of slash and
burn agriculture has led to deforestation and soil erosion |
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Environment - international agreements:
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NA |
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Geography - note:
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Timor comes from the Malay
word for "East"; the island of Timor is part of the Malay Archipelago and is
the largest and easternmost of the Lesser Sunda Islands |
