List of rivers of East Timor facts for kids

East Timor is a country with many rivers, even though it's a small island. These rivers start high up in the mountains and flow down to the sea. Because the land is steep, the rivers are usually short and flow very fast, especially when there's a lot of rain.

Ainaro rivers

Understanding East Timor's Rivers

East Timor has more than 100 rivers! They all begin in the high mountains and empty into the ocean along the coast. Since the island of Timor is quite small and the land is very steep, these rivers are short. They also drain quickly, meaning the water flows out fast.

A natural dividing line, called a drainage divide, runs through East Timor's central mountains. If rain falls north of this line, the water flows north. If it falls south of the line, the water flows south.

Scientists have grouped East Timor's rivers into twelve main areas called 'hydrologic units'. These groups share similar weather and land features. In total, there are 29 major river systems in East Timor. Twelve of these are in the north, and seventeen are in the south.

Why Rivers Are Sometimes Dry

Most of East Timor's rivers don't flow all year round. This is because the country is narrow from north to south, has steep land, and doesn't always get a lot of rain. Many rivers are dry for most of the year and are not deep enough for boats. During the dry season, these temporary rivers often form small pools of still water.

The rivers in the south tend to flow more consistently than those in the north. This is because the southern areas have larger catchment areas (places where water collects), a longer rainy season, more rainfall, and different wind patterns.

In 2018, a report by The World Bank explained how the weather affects the rivers:

"The monsoon climate results in highly variable river flows from wet season peaks and flash floods to low or no dry season flows. Along the northern coastline are many of the smaller river catchments that are either semi-permanent or ephemeral, flowing for short periods in the wet season after heavy rainfall events. This contrasts with the south coast where the bimodal wet seasons and higher rainfall has resulted in many large permanent rivers that have high peak flows in the wet season, which are reduced to the base flow during the dry season. At all times, subsurface flows occur below the gravel and cobblestone riverbeds of most rivers, and in the dry season, this can represent the primary flows within a river, particularly in lowland areas."

This means that during the rainy season, rivers can have huge amounts of water and even cause flash floods. But in the dry season, they might have very little water or even dry up completely. On the south coast, rivers are often bigger and flow more regularly. Even when a river looks dry on the surface, water can still be flowing underground beneath the rocks and gravel.

When there's a lot of rain, the southern rivers can't hold all the water. This causes them to overflow into coastal swamps and lagoons, which are locally known as coilões.

River Deltas and Pollution

On the north coast, most rivers are full of gravel near the shore, and there are not many deltas. A delta is a landform created when a river deposits sediment as it enters a larger body of water. The reason for fewer deltas in the north is that the seabed drops very steeply into the Ombai Strait or Wetar Strait. This means any sediment carried by the rivers quickly falls into deep water.

However, on the south coast, the seabed slopes much more gently into the Timor Sea. Because of this, deltas are very common there.

Sadly, many of East Timor's rivers are polluted. This happens because sewage from homes and small factories often flows directly into the rivers, as there isn't always proper sanitation. Also, many people use river water for washing clothes, bathing, and other daily needs. This can unfortunately help spread diseases.

East Timor's longest river is the North Laclo, which is about 80 kilometers (50 miles) long. The largest area drained by a river is the Loes catchment. This area covers about 2,184 square kilometers (843 square miles), which is almost 15% of the entire country! About 9% of this area is actually in neighboring Indonesia.

It's interesting to know that people in East Timor often don't have one single name or spelling for a river. A river might even change its name several times from where it starts to where it ends. So, the names listed below are what are commonly used, but they might not be the only names for these rivers.

Rivers of the North Coast

• Leometik River
• Fatumolin River
• Berita River
• Loes River (also called Rio de Lois)
  • Lauveli River
    • Dikasbata River
    • Emderilua River
    • Gumuloa River
    • Dirobatelau River
    • Manobira River
    • Curiho River
    • Gleno River
      • Goumeca River

* Buro River

• • • • Roumetalena River
      • Maurotieramata River
      • Aileu River
  • Marobo River
    • Manusama River
      • Gamerama River
      • Lahora River
      • Bapera River
    • Celere River
    • Garai River
      • Aiboro River
      • Ladibau River
    • Magapu River
      • Baluani River
    • Aimera River
    • Boroulo River
    • Babonasolan River
    • Babalai River
  • Bebai River (also Rio de Lois, Nunutura River, Nunura River)
    • Claola River
    • Hatoleai River
    • Hatopoci River
      • Timoreme River
    • Meuculi River
    • Bulobo River
    • Matenua River
    • Sasso River
    • Laecouken River (also Loilara River)
    • Talau River (also Taipui River)
      • Merak River
    • Malibacu River
• Marae River
• Bahonu River
• Palua River
• Malukai River
• Palapu River
• Laklo River
• Gularloa River
• Carbutaeloa River
• Moraeloa River
• Comoro River
  • Bemos River
  • Boera River
• Santana River
• Erseic River
• Lobain River
• Aiscahe River
• North Laclo River (also Lacló do Norte)
  • Sumasse River
    • Bobo River
  • Coi River
  • Ulahu River
  • Lihobani River (also Libania River)
    • Ueseic River
    • Hatossi River
  • Mutoko River
  • Lolun River
  • Aimaleum River
  • Noru River
    • Coumai River
  • Hatoarabau River
  • Marenu River (also Orlaquru River)
  • Karama River
  • Daisoli River
  • Manufonihun River (also North Laclo River)
    • Manolane River
• Dolacuain River
• Laleia River
  • Baunoi River
    • Bueana River
    • Sorec River
  • Caleuc River
  • Abai River
  • Tutoli River
  • Mori River
• Vemasse River
• Manuleiden River
• Seiçal River
  • Cainame River
  • Salubada River
    • Cassaquiar River
  • Sauma River
  • Buihiu River
• Borouai River
• Lianau River
• Uaimuhi River
• Lequinamo River
• Laivai River (also Dasidara River)
• Buiguira River
• Raumoco River
• Malailada River

Rivers of the South Coast

• Masin River
• Tafara River
  • Maubui River
    • Nanamauk River
• Kamanasa River
  • Karautun River
  • Nabuk River
• Raiketan River
• Foura River
• Loumea River
  • Pa River (also Mauzope River)
  • Laco River
• Mola River
  • Fatoro River
• Belulik River
  • Buronuno River
    • Sarai River
• Caraulun River
  • Aiasa River
  • Sui River
• Quelun River
• South Laclo River (also Lacló do Sul)
  • Clerec River
  • Marak River
• Sahen River
  • Laniara River
• Dilor River
  • Culacao River
• Luca River
• Tuco River
• Cuha River
  • Lee River
• Bebui River
• Metauai River
• Irabere River
  • Calicidere River
  • Oulauai River
  • Boro River
• Veira River
• Namaluto River
  • Tchino River
• Vero River

Rivers in Oecusse

Oecusse is a special part of East Timor that is separated from the main land. It also has its own rivers.

• Noel Besi River
• Tono River
  • Abanal River
  • Kinloki River
  • Ekai River
  • Columu River