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West Timor
Overview
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Geography
The island of Timor is the largest and easternmost of the Lesser Sunda Islands, part of the Nusa Tenggara archipelago. The long, narrow island is 13,200 square miles (34,200 sq. km) with parallel mountain ranges spanning its length with the highest point, Tata Mailau (2,950 m/9,679 ft), located in the east. Average rainfall is about 1,250mm (50 in) per year and most of it falls during the monsoon season from December to March. Timor has little natural vegetation due to its poor soil, although it does contribute valuable timber such as eucalyptus, teak, bamboo, rosewood and sandalwood to Indonesia’s economy.
Population
The inhabitants of Timor are mostly of Malay, Papuan, or Polynesian decent. A small population of ethnic Chinese also plays an important role in the Timorese economy.
While West Timor is predominantly Muslim, East Timor has a substantial Catholic majority that developed during its time as a Portuguese colony. West Timor has a population of 1,249,902 (estimated in 1990) but underwent a surge in population in September 1999 due to the post-referendum violence in East Timor. Militias forcibly expelled more than 200,000 refugees, both pro-integration and pro-independence, at gunpoint from East Timor into West Timor with some support from the Indonesian military.
Economy
West Timor has a predominantly agricultural economy in which the majority of crop cultivation is accomplished by shifting (slash-and-burn) methods. Timor’s main agricultural products include corn, rice, coffee, copra, and fruit. The island also produces eucalyptus, sandalwood, teak, bamboo, and rosewood. Small deposits of gold and silver can also be found.
The West Timorese people number among the poorest in the Malay Archipelago. West Timor has natural disadvantages, which are greater than East Timor's. It lacks the oil, coffee and tourist potential which East Timor. Poverty is endemic and widespread. Moreover, Unemployment in West Timor is 80% overall, in some places 100%. The number of West Timorese people living below the poverty line in West Timor rose from 30% in 1998 to 80% in 2000.
History
European colonization of the area began in the 1500s with Portugal claiming the island of Timor in 1520. In the 1640s the Dutch claimed West Timor and forced the Portuguese out that area of the island. The Japanese occupied Timor in 1942 but by the end of WWII, they were expelled and Japanese Dutch Timor (West Timor) was annexed by Indonesia in 1949.
East Timor remained a Portuguese colony until 1975. At that time Portugal promised the people of East Timor that they would be allowed to vote whether or not to remain independent of Indonesia upon the departure of the Portuguese. When Portuguese Timor declared itself the Democratic Republic of East Timor in 1975 Indonesia invaded and annexed the region. It continued to occupy East Timor until the referendum on independence in 1999.
For more information see
http://www.anzacday.org.au/history/east_timor/region.html
http://home.swipnet.se/zabonk/indons/instant/east_timor.htm
http://www.encyclopedia.com/articles/12888.html
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