Tatamailau

Where is Tatamailau?

Tatamailau is part of the Ramelau Range.

You will find it in: Timor-Leste.

Summit: 8.907° S, 125.493° E

The story behind it

Tatamailau, often called Mount Ramelau, forms the roof of the island of Timor, a long mountain backbone that runs from end to end. The slopes are terraced with small fields where families grow maize, cassava and some of the coffee that Timor-Leste is known for, and higher up the trees give way to open grass, moss and low shrubs bent by the wind. A tall white statue of Mary stands on the summit, carried up piece by piece, and each year pilgrims climb through the night to reach it by dawn. Many walkers set out from the village of Hato Builico with torches, following a stony path, and at the top they wait in cold air until the first light shows both the north and the south coasts of the island at once. The name is often explained as grandfather of all.

Find it on the globe

Tatamailau is there as a small peak with its own shape — a horn, a ridge, a volcano — standing on the surface. From far away the planet is only a blue ball; detail arrives as you zoom in, and this one appears once you are close enough. Open it on the globe.

It sits at its real coordinates, not near them — the same numbers listed in the facts above. Switch off the layer for this kind of place and it disappears again; the buttons for that are down the right-hand edge.