Country · Asia
Timor-Leste
Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste
Timor-Leste is a country in South-Eastern Asia. About 1.3 million people live there, in an area of 14 874 square kilometres. Its capital city is Dili.
Picture credit: J. Patrick Fischer (CC BY 2.5) · JosepMGracia (CC BY-SA 4.0) · JosepMGracia (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Bahnfrend (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Diamantino Soares (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Wikimedia Commons
Where is Timor-Leste?
Timor-Leste lies in South-Eastern Asia, on the continent of Asia.
It sits in the southern half of the world, roughly 983 km from the equator.
It shares a border with 1 country: Indonesia.
How big is Timor-Leste?
Timor-Leste covers 14 874 square kilometres.
That is about 5.8 times the size of Luxembourg.
Among the world's countries that makes it the 154th largest.
Spread everybody out evenly and you get about 85.2 people on every square kilometre.
That is busier than the world average of roughly 60 people per square kilometre.
Who lives in Timor-Leste?
About 1.3 million people live in Timor-Leste.
That is the 152nd biggest population in the world.
People here speak Portuguese and Tetum.
They pay with the United States dollar ($).
On average, people born here can expect to live about 46 years.
The land of Timor-Leste
It lies inside the tropics, which is the single biggest reason its weather is the way it is.
What makes Timor-Leste different?
Websites from here often end in .tl.
Timor-Leste and the rest of the world
Out of every thousand people alive on Earth, about one lives in Timor-Leste.
It takes up about 0.01 % of all the land that countries stand on.
Within Asia the country ranks 40th of 46 by size, and 43rd by population.
Timor-Leste and its neighbours
Indonesia, its only neighbour, is about 128 times bigger.
Indonesia has more people: 267.7 million against 1.3 million.
Nature and animals
Of the animals on this site, one lives wild in Timor-Leste: Box jellyfish. The highest mountain in the country is Tatamailau, at 2 963 metres. The longest river in the country is the Loes. The largest lake in the country is Lake Ira Lalaro.
Photographs from Wikimedia Commons under free licences — every credit is on the page itself and in the picture credits.
How big is Timor-Leste compared with the United States?
- The United States is about 630 times as big as Timor-Leste: 9 372 610 km² against 14 874 km².
- The United Kingdom is about 16 times as big as Timor-Leste: 242 900 km² against 14 874 km².
Questions children ask
What is the capital of Timor-Leste?
The capital of Timor-Leste is Dili. It is the city where the country's government works from.
How many people live in Timor-Leste?
About 1.3 million people live in Timor-Leste, which makes it the 152nd most populated country in the world. (Source: World Bank, 2018.)
Which countries border Timor-Leste?
Timor-Leste borders Indonesia — 1 neighbour in total.
How big is Timor-Leste?
Timor-Leste covers 14 874 square kilometres, making it the 154th largest country in the world. That is about 5.8 times the size of Luxembourg.
What is the highest mountain in Timor-Leste?
The highest mountain in Timor-Leste is Tatamailau, 2 963 metres above sea level. It is the country's highest point.
What is the longest river in Timor-Leste?
The longest river in Timor-Leste is the Loes, about 123 kilometres long.
What is the largest lake in Timor-Leste?
The largest lake in Timor-Leste is Lake Ira Lalaro. It covers about 19 km².
Which continent is Timor-Leste in?
Timor-Leste is in Asia, in the part called South-Eastern Asia.
Where these numbers come from
Borders and outlines: Natural Earth. Names, capitals, areas, languages and currencies: ISO 3166 data (world-countries). Population: World Bank, 2018. Every derived figure on this page (ranks, density, distance from the equator) is calculated from those values.
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