Ainaro District

Ainaro
Ainaru
District

Maubisse village

Flag

Map of East Timor highlighting Ainaro District
Coordinates: 9°05′S 125°29′E / 9.083°S 125.483°E / -9.083; 125.483Coordinates: 9°05′S 125°29′E / 9.083°S 125.483°E / -9.083; 125.483
Country  East Timor
Capital Ainaro
Subdistricts Ainaro, Hato-Udo, Hatu-Builico, Maubisse
Area
  Total 804 km2 (310 sq mi)
Area rank 9th
Population (2015)
  Total 66,397
  Rank 10th
  Density 83/km2 (210/sq mi)
  Density rank 6th
Households
  Total 11,527 (as of 2004)
  Rank 9th
Time zone UTC+9
ISO 3166 code TL-AN

Ainaro is one of 13 administrative districts of East Timor, in the southwest part of the country. It has a population of 59,175 (census 2010) and an area of 804 km². Its capital is the city of Ainaro, a small mountain town.

Ainaro has a great abundance of rivers and fertile terrain for agriculture. It has a coastal area, on the Timor Sea, but also mountainous zones, including the highest point in East Timor, Mount Ramelau (2,960 m), also known as Tatamailau, which lies near the border with Ermera. Historically, Ainaro played an important role during the brutal Indonesian occupation of East Timor, providing shelter for the mountain-based guerrilla resistance army. Former guerrilla leader and current President Xanana Gusmão spent many years directing the resistance from Ainaro.

Geography

The district is identical to that of the same in Portuguese Timor, with the following exceptions: during the Indonesian occupation, the subdistrict of Turiscai became part of Manufahi District from Ainaro, and the subdistrict of Hato-Udo became part of Ainaro in exchange. The subdistrict of Mape-Zumalai became part of Cova Lima District in 2003.

The district borders Aileu District to the north, Manufahi District to the south, Cova Lima District to the southwest, Bobonaro District to the west, and Ermera District to the northwest.

Demographics

Languages

In addition to the official languages of Tetum and Portuguese, a large number of inhabitants of Ainaro speak the Malayo-Polynesian language Mambai.

Religion

The inhabitants include catholics, protestants, and muslims living side by side.

Administrative divisions

References

    This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 6/22/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.