Municipalities of East Timor facts for kids
East Timor is a country in Southeast Asia. To help manage the country, it's divided into different areas, a bit like how a big country might have states or provinces. In East Timor, these main areas are called municipalities. There are 14 municipalities in total.
Each municipality is then split into smaller parts called administrative posts. These posts are further divided into even smaller areas known as sucos, which are like villages or neighborhoods. One special municipality, Oecusse-Ambeno, is also a Special Administrative Region (SAR), meaning it has some extra self-governing powers.
Recently, on January 1, 2022, Atauro Island became its own municipality. Before that, it was part of Dili Municipality.
East Timor's Municipalities
Here's a look at the different municipalities in East Timor, along with some interesting facts about them like their size and how many people live there. The numbers show the population from different years, helping us see how the population has grown.
| Municipality | Capital / Largest City | Area (km2) | House- holds |
Pop'n (2004 Census) | Pop'n (2010 census) | Pop'n (2015 census) | Pop'n (2022 census) | Pop'n density (2022) (/km2) |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lautém | Lospalos | 1,817 | 12,998 | 56,293 | 59,787 | 65,240 | 70,022 | 38.5 |
| 2 | Baucau | Baucau | 1,494 | 22,659 | 100,748 | 111,694 | 123,203 | 134,878 | 90.3 |
| 3 | Viqueque | Viqueque | 1,888 | 15,115 | 65,449 | 70,036 | 76,033 | 80,176 | 42.5 |
| 4 | Manatuto | Manatuto | 1,787 | 8,338 | 36,897 | 42,742 | 46,619 | 50,859 | 28.5 |
| 5 | Dili | Dili | 228 | 31,575 | 165,678 | 225,424 | 268,005 | 324,738 | 1,424.3 |
| 6 | Aileu | Aileu | 735 | 7,745 | 37,967 | 44,325 | 48,837 | 54,324 | 73.9 |
| 7 | Manufahi | Same | 1,338 | 8,901 | 45,081 | 48,628 | 53,691 | 60,665 | 45.3 |
| 8 | Liquiçá | Liquiçá | 562 | 11,063 | 54,973 | 63,403 | 79,127 | 83,658 | 148.9 |
| 9 | Ermera | Gleno | 759 | 21,165 | 103,322 | 117,064 | 125,702 | 137,750 | 181.5 |
| 10 | Ainaro | Ainaro | 802 | 11,527 | 52,480 | 59,175 | 63,136 | 73,115 | 91.2 |
| 11 | Bobonaro | Maliana | 1,374 | 18,397 | 83,579 | 92,049 | 97,762 | 106,639 | 77.6 |
| 12 | Cova Lima | Suai | 1,207 | 11,820 | 53,063 | 59,455 | 65,301 | 73,933 | 61.3 |
| 13 | Oecusse-Ambeno (SAR) | Pante Macassar | 817 | 13,659 | 57,616 | 64,025 | 68,913 | 60,685 | 74.3 |
| 14 | Atauro | Vila Maumeta | 141 | - | 7,863 | 8,602 | 9,274 | 10,295 | 73.0 |
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Changes to Borders
Sometimes, the lines that mark the borders between municipalities can change. For example, the borders between Cova Lima and Ainaro, and between Baucau and Viqueque, were changed in 2003. This helps to make sure the areas are managed in the best way.
