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Timor-Leste (East Timor)
Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste
República Democrática de Timor-Leste
Political Status: Independent republic established May 20, 2002; constitution approved by Constituent Assembly on March 22, 2002.
Area: 5,641 sq. mi. (14,609 sq. km).
Population: 1,219,992 (2012E—UN); 1,201,255 (2012E—U.S. Census).
Major Urban Center: Dili 228,559 (2010—Timor-Leste Census).
Official Languages: Portuguese, Tetum. A majority of Timorese are fluent in Bahasa Indonesia (a form of Malay); both it and English are “working languages.”
Monetary Unit: U.S. Dollar (see U.S. entry for principal exchange rates).
President: José Maria VASCONCELOS, popularly known as Taur Matan RUAK) elected by popular vote on April 16, 2012; sworn in for a five-year term on May 20, succeeding José RAMOS-HORTA.
Prime Minister: Kay Rala Xanana (José Alexandre) GUSMÃO (leader of the National Congress of East Timorese Reconstruction); appointed by the president for a second ...
