Hilton has opened its 100th hotel in China and its second location in Xi’an, Shaanxi province in the Xi’an High-tech Zone but has indicated that the firm has big plans for expansion in China.
Hilton is committed to growing our presence in China, a key strategic market where we have a robust pipeline that is two times our current portfolio, in the right locations and with the right brands and partners, said Qian Jin, the president of Hilton for the area of Greater China and Mongolia.
Although Jin did not indicate where new Hilton locations would be opened, this newest location in Xi’an does imply that Hilton is looking to focus on more, relatively untapped markets in China.
Consumer spending in China’s lower-tier cities will be expanding exponentially in the next decades.
These are cities that have attracted relatively little interest from foreign companies looking to expand but nonetheless have large numbers of nouveau riche looking for luxury options in both shopping and hospitality.
Lower-tier cities like Xi’an, Harbin, Chongqing, and Chengdu are cities with metropolitan areas with populations in the tens of millions yet have had relatively little investment in the luxury travel, shopping, or hospitality sectors as compared to cities like Shenzhen, Beijing, and Shanghai.
Hilton’s newest location has standard features to cater to business visitors, including conference rooms and a ballroom.
However, it is also being marketed as a high-end option for tourists.
The new hotel is only 40 km from Xi’an’s Xianyang International Airport and in close proximity to Xi’an’s famed historical sites, such as the Terracotta Warriors.
One of the notable aspects of this location is a focus on catering to local tastes in a luxury setting.
The fine dining options at the new Xi’an location include The Lord’s Home for Chinese, Cantonese, and Sichuan fusion dishes as well as the Big China Noodle King, whose offerings include over 100 noodle dishes from different regions in China.
This may be a bid to cater to local tastes of Xi’an as noodles are the staple of traditional Shaanxi cuisine and could reflect a greater interest in localizing Hilton’s offerings and expansion in less cosmopolitan Chinese cities.
Tourism Observer
www.tourismobserver.com
Tourism, Travel, Hospitality, Conservation: News,Stories And Experiences From Allover The World
Showing posts with label hospitality. Show all posts
Showing posts with label hospitality. Show all posts
Monday, 3 July 2017
Thursday, 29 June 2017
LEBANON: Boubouffee Lebanese Brasserie Will Open 5 UAE Branches
The Addmind Group and franchisor Boubouffe International have opened BouBouffe Lebanese Brasserie on Sheikh Zayed Road, marking the brand’s Dubai debut.
The franchise agreement will see another four BouBouffee branches open in the UAE within the next two years, to be managed by Addmind Group.
BouBouffe’s first UAE venture opened in Yas Mall, Abu Dhabi in November 2015.
“We were eager to initially develop the BouBouffe brand in the UAE and found an ideal franchisee in the Addmind Group” said Ralph Nader, deputy CEO of BouBouffe International.
BouBouffe International founder and CEO, Michel Aramouni said: “After 40 years of success in the Lebanese market, I have finally decided, along with my partners in BouBouffe International Ralph Nader and Galal Mahmoud, to venture with BouBouffe outside the Lebanese borders”.
Tony Habre, CEO of Addmind added: “For months, a high number of Dubai residents living have asked us when we would bring BouBouffe to their city.
“We’ve looked high and wide for just the right time and location, and at last we found it. We’re in love with Dubai’s thriving food culture and are excited to bring BouBouffe to the city.”
BouBouffe’s Dubai branch is located in Aspin Tower on Sheikh Zayed Road, near the Shangri La Hotel and is open 24 hours, seven days a week, serving breakfast, lunch and dinner.
Regional and international expansion plans are also underway, with Saudi Arabia and London earmarked for future venues for the brand.
Nader added: “Our expansion strategy is to target the KSA region soon, followed by London in the coming two years.”
First established in Beirut’s Achrafieh district in 1976, BouBouffe is a Lebanese Brasserie, with charcoal grilled chawarma and other home-cooked Lebanese dishes.
The Addmind Group owns and operates White Dubai, Iris Dubai, Mad on Yas Island, Indie DIFC and White Beirut.
Tourism Observer
www.tourismobserver.com
The franchise agreement will see another four BouBouffee branches open in the UAE within the next two years, to be managed by Addmind Group.
BouBouffe’s first UAE venture opened in Yas Mall, Abu Dhabi in November 2015.
“We were eager to initially develop the BouBouffe brand in the UAE and found an ideal franchisee in the Addmind Group” said Ralph Nader, deputy CEO of BouBouffe International.
BouBouffe International founder and CEO, Michel Aramouni said: “After 40 years of success in the Lebanese market, I have finally decided, along with my partners in BouBouffe International Ralph Nader and Galal Mahmoud, to venture with BouBouffe outside the Lebanese borders”.
Tony Habre, CEO of Addmind added: “For months, a high number of Dubai residents living have asked us when we would bring BouBouffe to their city.
“We’ve looked high and wide for just the right time and location, and at last we found it. We’re in love with Dubai’s thriving food culture and are excited to bring BouBouffe to the city.”
BouBouffe’s Dubai branch is located in Aspin Tower on Sheikh Zayed Road, near the Shangri La Hotel and is open 24 hours, seven days a week, serving breakfast, lunch and dinner.
Regional and international expansion plans are also underway, with Saudi Arabia and London earmarked for future venues for the brand.
Nader added: “Our expansion strategy is to target the KSA region soon, followed by London in the coming two years.”
First established in Beirut’s Achrafieh district in 1976, BouBouffe is a Lebanese Brasserie, with charcoal grilled chawarma and other home-cooked Lebanese dishes.
The Addmind Group owns and operates White Dubai, Iris Dubai, Mad on Yas Island, Indie DIFC and White Beirut.
Tourism Observer
www.tourismobserver.com
Thursday, 3 March 2016
GHANA: Construction Terminal 3 At Kotoka International Airport Underway
Construction work on the new terminal three at Kotoka International Airport (KIA) in Ghana set to begin by April this year. The project is scheduled for completion by December 2016.
The new terminal will be situated at the round airside stretching to the Old Fire Service area, to the Hanger area of KIA according to sources, and will have a capacity of 5million passengers a year. The airport terminal construction plan comes after the country registered gradually growth in demand for the international flights, thus putting pressure on airport facilities.
However, one of the construction firm has already been awarded the project tender; it has also been confirmed that the handover of the project is expected is expected to be finalized by end of March.
The planned airport terminal construction project aims at positioning Kokota International Airport as the hub for aviation business in the sub-region, and it will be operating along with three terminals, of which one will handle domestic activities while the remaining two handles international travels.
Furthermore, facilities at the current arrival and departure halls at Terminal 2 are set to undergo upgrading and activities will temporarily be moved to the new terminal while managers begin the upgrade.
The new terminal will be situated at the round airside stretching to the Old Fire Service area, to the Hanger area of KIA according to sources, and will have a capacity of 5million passengers a year. The airport terminal construction plan comes after the country registered gradually growth in demand for the international flights, thus putting pressure on airport facilities.
However, one of the construction firm has already been awarded the project tender; it has also been confirmed that the handover of the project is expected is expected to be finalized by end of March.
The planned airport terminal construction project aims at positioning Kokota International Airport as the hub for aviation business in the sub-region, and it will be operating along with three terminals, of which one will handle domestic activities while the remaining two handles international travels.
Furthermore, facilities at the current arrival and departure halls at Terminal 2 are set to undergo upgrading and activities will temporarily be moved to the new terminal while managers begin the upgrade.
Tourism Trade With Africa Benefits Few African Countries
LAST year, to much fanfare, 26 African nations signed off on a free-trade ‘super bloc’ that seeks to improve the absurdly low levels of intra-regional trade on the continent, at the Egyptian seaside resort of Sharm el-Sheikh.
In the same city at the Africa 2016 Forum last weekend, African Development Bank (AfDB) president Akinwumi Adesina painted a picture of just how insufficient trade with other African countries is.
African trade represents just 2% of the global total, and intra-African trade makes up 12% of the continent’s activity, compared to 60% in Europe and 35% in Asia.
“This is not acceptable,” Adesina said.
He added that AfDB will continue to invest heavily in regional infrastructure, especially rail, transnational highways, power interconnections, ICT, air and maritime transport, reducing the bottlenecks that cost the region billions in inefficiencies and lost opportunities.
While tariffs on the continent are high—according to the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) an African company making sales on the continent would pay more than three times the 2.5% average tariff rate elsewhere – non-tariff barriers tend to wreak more damage than levies.
Despite an abundance of trade blocs on the continent—17 at the moment—their poor internal workings has led potential benefits such as comparative advantage trading to be erased by red-tape heavy protectionist approaches.
African countries have also kept the same export-geared infrastructure, leaving the continent vulnerable to global market shifts.
One promising way of solving this is seen as ramping up regional trade in services—a model that has contributed to the booming growth in many Asian countries.
It may be already happening and could herald exciting possibilities.
The number of tourists visiting Kenya from neighbouring countries has increased over the past few months as the East African nation set off on promotions around the region to make up for dwindling numbers from its traditional source markets in Europe.
While tourists arriving at the nation’s two main airports dropped by 13% to 748,771 last year, the decline was less steep than the previous year’s reduction of 28%, according to the country’s statistics agency. Visitors have shied away from going on world-renowned safaris in the country or lounging on its white sandy beaches after a series of deadly attacks by al-Shabaab Islamists in the past few years.
The government targets annual tourist arrivals of 10 million in about a decade’s time. Visitor numbers are expected to rise now that France, the US and Britain have lifted travel bans to the country, which will allow tour operators to market the destination once again.
East African holidaymakers staying at Amani Tiwi Beach Resort on the Indian Ocean Coast more than doubled in the past three months, General Manager Aditya Mata said in Kwale County, at the Kenyan coast. “Forty five to 50% of our visitors have been from Kenya and the rest of the East African countries,” he said.
Bed occupancy improved to 85%, compared with 50% a year earlier, he said.
Diani Reef Beach Hotel in the same county received vacationers from Rwanda, Burundi, Democratic Republic of Congo and Ethiopia in the past six months, according to Chief Executive Officer Titus Kangangi. “Even Nigeria, which is a first for me,” he said. “I would put the number of regional visitors at around 10-15%, excluding Kenyans. It’s very good, it’s looking up.”
Carriers such as Ethiopian Airlines and RwandAir now have flights to the coastal resort city of Mombasa.
While cash remittances and agricultural exports have relegated tourism to third place in the hierarchy of leading foreign exchange sources, the industry is still key for the economy. As many as one million Kenyans depend on it for their livelihoods at the coast.
Regional visitors account for a third of arrivals with Uganda the second highest source market after South Africa, acting Kenya Tourism Board Chief Executive Jacinta Nzioka Mbithi said by e-mail.
It is perhaps no surprise that the East African Community bloc is seen as the regional grouping that has made the most trade gains on the continent.
If such chains continue to grow, concerns about external market performance could soon be a flash in the pan as the continent’s future growth is powered from within.
In the same city at the Africa 2016 Forum last weekend, African Development Bank (AfDB) president Akinwumi Adesina painted a picture of just how insufficient trade with other African countries is.
African trade represents just 2% of the global total, and intra-African trade makes up 12% of the continent’s activity, compared to 60% in Europe and 35% in Asia.
“This is not acceptable,” Adesina said.
He added that AfDB will continue to invest heavily in regional infrastructure, especially rail, transnational highways, power interconnections, ICT, air and maritime transport, reducing the bottlenecks that cost the region billions in inefficiencies and lost opportunities.
While tariffs on the continent are high—according to the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) an African company making sales on the continent would pay more than three times the 2.5% average tariff rate elsewhere – non-tariff barriers tend to wreak more damage than levies.
Despite an abundance of trade blocs on the continent—17 at the moment—their poor internal workings has led potential benefits such as comparative advantage trading to be erased by red-tape heavy protectionist approaches.
African countries have also kept the same export-geared infrastructure, leaving the continent vulnerable to global market shifts.
One promising way of solving this is seen as ramping up regional trade in services—a model that has contributed to the booming growth in many Asian countries.
It may be already happening and could herald exciting possibilities.
The number of tourists visiting Kenya from neighbouring countries has increased over the past few months as the East African nation set off on promotions around the region to make up for dwindling numbers from its traditional source markets in Europe.
While tourists arriving at the nation’s two main airports dropped by 13% to 748,771 last year, the decline was less steep than the previous year’s reduction of 28%, according to the country’s statistics agency. Visitors have shied away from going on world-renowned safaris in the country or lounging on its white sandy beaches after a series of deadly attacks by al-Shabaab Islamists in the past few years.
The government targets annual tourist arrivals of 10 million in about a decade’s time. Visitor numbers are expected to rise now that France, the US and Britain have lifted travel bans to the country, which will allow tour operators to market the destination once again.
East African holidaymakers staying at Amani Tiwi Beach Resort on the Indian Ocean Coast more than doubled in the past three months, General Manager Aditya Mata said in Kwale County, at the Kenyan coast. “Forty five to 50% of our visitors have been from Kenya and the rest of the East African countries,” he said.
Bed occupancy improved to 85%, compared with 50% a year earlier, he said.
Diani Reef Beach Hotel in the same county received vacationers from Rwanda, Burundi, Democratic Republic of Congo and Ethiopia in the past six months, according to Chief Executive Officer Titus Kangangi. “Even Nigeria, which is a first for me,” he said. “I would put the number of regional visitors at around 10-15%, excluding Kenyans. It’s very good, it’s looking up.”
Carriers such as Ethiopian Airlines and RwandAir now have flights to the coastal resort city of Mombasa.
While cash remittances and agricultural exports have relegated tourism to third place in the hierarchy of leading foreign exchange sources, the industry is still key for the economy. As many as one million Kenyans depend on it for their livelihoods at the coast.
Regional visitors account for a third of arrivals with Uganda the second highest source market after South Africa, acting Kenya Tourism Board Chief Executive Jacinta Nzioka Mbithi said by e-mail.
It is perhaps no surprise that the East African Community bloc is seen as the regional grouping that has made the most trade gains on the continent.
If such chains continue to grow, concerns about external market performance could soon be a flash in the pan as the continent’s future growth is powered from within.
SOUTH AFRICA: Plans To Merge National Airlines Underway
Many of South Africa’s 300-odd state entities are a drain on the government’s purse and a team commissioned by President Jacob Zuma to review the companies recommended that some companies should be sold.
Treasury said in its 2016 budget review the government was implementing recommendations of the committee and would examine private sector participation in the state-owned companies.
“We do not need to be invested in four airline businesses,” Gordhan said in his budget speech.
“(Public Enterprises Minister) and I have agreed to explore the possible merger of SAA and SA Express, under a strengthened board, with a view to engaging with a potential minority equity partner, and to create a bigger and more operationally efficient airline.”
Treasury said the financial position of SAA has deteriorated and in the event of a default, the government would likely be called to pay a portion of its guarantee to the airline, which stands at about 14.4 billion rand ($939.3 million).
“Government will seek opportunities to enter into strategic partnerships that allow SAA to draw on private-sector capital and technical expertise to improve its performance and expand its network,” Treasury said.
South Africa’s state-owned firms range from SAA to power utility Eskom and logistics group Transnet, among others.
Eskom was expected to receive a 23 billion rand cash injection from the government, but Gordhan said Treasury had delayed giving the power utility the remainder of 2 billion rand until it complies with equity allocation conditions, such as cost cuts and improving maintenance.
Treasury allocated 4.5 billion rand over the next three years for the implementation of the National Health Insurance, which is still in the pilot phase, as the government seeks to make healthcare services affordable for all South Africans, irrespective of whether they are rich or poor.
Gordhan said further details on financing of the scheme, expected to be rolled out in three phases over a 14-year period, will be released soon.
Wednesday, 21 October 2015
Halal Holidays – New Design For HalalBooking.com Website
Angel’s Peninsula Resort – Sandy Beach
HalalBooking.com – the world’s leading website for online booking of Halal Holidays – has recently re-launched its website with a completely new design. The website has an advanced hotel search and book functionality, while being very user-friendly and picture-rich. The website receives bookings from over 70 countries worldwide.
The website offers carefully selected holiday destinations, which cater for the needs of Muslim family holidaymakers. The following categories of holidays can be booked online:
Beach Resorts – family holidays with great facilities for kids and ladies
City Hotels – City Breaks with Daily Heritage Tours
Thermal Resorts – health holidays with thermal springs treatments
Private Villas – with swimming pools, offering full privacy for families
Resorts, hotels and villas have separate swimming pools, spa and leisure facilities for women-only and for families. Some resorts have mixed beach areas for families and some resorts feature women-only private beach areas. These resorts provide a wonderful atmosphere for a family to enjoy their holiday together in a suitable environment, while catering for children by their special clubs and games rooms. All entertainment programmes, which are within the norms of Islam, are enjoyable and family-friendly. Cafés and restaurants in these hotels serve halal food and non-alcoholic drinks. In private villas, guests can order halal grocery packs in advance. There are also daily heritage tours to explore the city.
Majority of customers of HalalBooking.com website are families with children. The website has some unique features, which make online searching and booking experience for families smoother. All prices on the website are total and calculated exactly for the whole family, taking into account both a number of guests and exact ages of all children. Besides this ‘Precise Total Family Pricing’ feature, the website also offers ‘Room Suitability Guarantee’. The website automatically determines and allows booking of those rooms in a hotel, which are suitable for a given family. These features save the customers’ time and help to avoid surprises when they arrive at the hotel and are asked to pay extras for a bigger room.
Among many other features of the website it is worth noting that the homepage always shows the best hotel offers for coming weeks. The hotels can be booked in 45 currencies and 7 languages, using all popular online payment cards. The website has easy-to-use Search Box to find hotels by date & number of guests. It can be used on touch-screen devices, and is supported by customer Call Centres in 20 countries worldwide.
The company actively works with many hoteliers and tourism bodies around the world (in Europe, the Middle East, Asia Pacific, etc), helping them to develop their halal services, and regularly adds new holiday destinations to its website.
The company hopes its customers enjoy using the new website and always welcomes feedback from their customers.
HalalBooking.com – the world’s leading website for online booking of Halal Holidays – has recently re-launched its website with a completely new design. The website has an advanced hotel search and book functionality, while being very user-friendly and picture-rich. The website receives bookings from over 70 countries worldwide.
The website offers carefully selected holiday destinations, which cater for the needs of Muslim family holidaymakers. The following categories of holidays can be booked online:
Beach Resorts – family holidays with great facilities for kids and ladies
City Hotels – City Breaks with Daily Heritage Tours
Thermal Resorts – health holidays with thermal springs treatments
Private Villas – with swimming pools, offering full privacy for families
Resorts, hotels and villas have separate swimming pools, spa and leisure facilities for women-only and for families. Some resorts have mixed beach areas for families and some resorts feature women-only private beach areas. These resorts provide a wonderful atmosphere for a family to enjoy their holiday together in a suitable environment, while catering for children by their special clubs and games rooms. All entertainment programmes, which are within the norms of Islam, are enjoyable and family-friendly. Cafés and restaurants in these hotels serve halal food and non-alcoholic drinks. In private villas, guests can order halal grocery packs in advance. There are also daily heritage tours to explore the city.
Majority of customers of HalalBooking.com website are families with children. The website has some unique features, which make online searching and booking experience for families smoother. All prices on the website are total and calculated exactly for the whole family, taking into account both a number of guests and exact ages of all children. Besides this ‘Precise Total Family Pricing’ feature, the website also offers ‘Room Suitability Guarantee’. The website automatically determines and allows booking of those rooms in a hotel, which are suitable for a given family. These features save the customers’ time and help to avoid surprises when they arrive at the hotel and are asked to pay extras for a bigger room.
Among many other features of the website it is worth noting that the homepage always shows the best hotel offers for coming weeks. The hotels can be booked in 45 currencies and 7 languages, using all popular online payment cards. The website has easy-to-use Search Box to find hotels by date & number of guests. It can be used on touch-screen devices, and is supported by customer Call Centres in 20 countries worldwide.
The company actively works with many hoteliers and tourism bodies around the world (in Europe, the Middle East, Asia Pacific, etc), helping them to develop their halal services, and regularly adds new holiday destinations to its website.
The company hopes its customers enjoy using the new website and always welcomes feedback from their customers.
Tuesday, 18 August 2015
East Timor: Timor-Leste Facts And History
Capital:
Dili, population about 150,000.
Government:
East Timor is a parliamentary democracy, in which the President is Head of State and the Prime Minister is Head of Government. The President is directly elected to this largely ceremonial post; he or she appoints the leader of the majority party in parliament as Prime Minister. The President serves for five years.
The Prime Minister is head of the Cabinet, or Council of State.
He also leads the single-house National Parliament.
The highest court is called the Supreme Court of Justice.
Jose Ramos-Horta is the current President of East Timor. The Prime Minister is Xanana Gusmao.
Population:
East Timor's population is around 1.2 million, although no recent census data exist. The country is growing quickly, due both to returning refugees and to a high birth rate.
The people of East Timor belong to dozens of ethnic groups, and intermarriage is common. Some of the largest are the Tetum, around 100,000 strong; the Mambae, at 80,000; the Tukudede, at 63,000; and the Galoli, Kemak, and Bunak, all with about 50,000 people.
There are also small populations of people with mixed Timorese and Portuguese ancestry, called mesticos, as well as ethnic Hakka Chinese (around 2,400 people).
Official Languages:
The official languages of East Timor are Tetum and Portuguese. English and Indonesian are "working languages."
Tetum is an Austronesian language in the Malayo-Polynesian family, related to Malagasy, Tagalog, and Hawaiian.
It is spoken by about 800,000 people world-wide.
Colonists brought Portuguese to East Timor in the sixteenth century, and the Romance language has influenced Tetum to a large degree.
Other commonly-spoken languages include Fataluku, Malalero, Bunak, and Galoli.
Religion:
An estimated 98 per cent of East Timorese are Roman Catholic, another legacy of Portuguese colonization. The remaining two per cent are divided almost evenly between Protestants and Moslems.
A significant proportion of Timorese also retain some traditional animist beliefs and customs from pre-colonial times.
Geography:
East Timor covers the eastern half of Timor, the largest of the Lesser Sunda Islands in the Malay Archipelago. It covers an area of about 14,600 square kilometers, including one non-contiguous piece called the Ocussi-Ambeno region, in the northwest of the island.
The Indonesian province of East Nusa Tenggara lies to the west of East Timor.
East Timor is a mountainous country; the highest point is Mount Ramelau at 2,963 meters (9,721 feet). The lowest point is sea level.
Climate:
East Timor has a tropical monsoon climate, with a wet season from December to April, and a dry season from May through November. During the wet season, average temperatures range between 29 and 35 degrees Celsius (84 to 95 degrees Fahrenheit). In the dry season, temperatures average 20 to 33 degrees Celsius (68 to 91 Fahrenheit).
The island is susceptible to cyclones. It also experiences seismic events such as earthquakes and tsunamis, as it lies on the faultlines of the Pacific Ring of Fire.
Economy:
The economy of East Timor is in shambles, neglected under Portuguese rule, and deliberately sabotaged by occupation troops during the war for independence from Indonesia. As a result, the country is among the poorest in the world.
Close to half of the population lives in poverty, and as many as 70 per cent face chronic food insecurity. Unemployment hovers around the 50 per cent mark, as well. The per capita GDP was only about $750 U.S. in 2006.
East Timor's economy should improve in coming years. Plans are underway to develop off-shore oil reserves, and the price of cash crops like coffee is rising.
Prehistoric Timor:
The inhabitants of Timor are descended from three waves of migrants. The first to settle the island, Vedo-Australoid people related to Sri Lankans, arrived between 40,000 and 20,000 B.C. A second wave of Melanesian people around 3,000 B.C. drove the original inhabitants, called Atoni, up into the interior of Timor. The Melanesians were followed by Malay and Hakka people from southern China.
Most of the Timorese practiced subsistence agriculture. Frequent visits from sea-going Arab, Chinese, and Gujerati traders brought in metal goods, silks, and rice; the Timorese exported beeswax, spices, and fragrant sandalwood.
History of Timor, 1515-present:
By the time the Portuguese made contact with Timor in the early sixteenth century, it was divided into a number of small fiefdoms. The largest was the kingdom of Wehale, composed of a mixture of Tetum, Kemak, and Bunak peoples.
Portuguese explorers claimed Timor for their king in 1515, lured by the promise of spices. For the next 460 years, the Portuguese controlled the eastern half of the island, while the Dutch East India Company took the western half as part of its Indonesian holdings. The Portuguese ruled coastal regions in cooperation with local leaders, but had very little influence in the mountainous interior.
Although their hold on East Timor was tenuous, in 1702 the Portuguese officially added the region to their empire, renaming it "Portuguese Timor." Portugal used East Timor mainly as a dumping ground for exiled convicts.
The formal boundary between the Dutch and Portuguese sides of Timor was not drawn until 1916, when the modern-day border was fixed by the Hague.
In 1941, Australian and Dutch soldiers occupied Timor, hoping to fend off an anticipated invasion by the Imperial Japanese Army. Japan seized the island in February of 1942; the surviving Allied soldiers then joined with local people in guerilla war against the Japanese. Japanese reprisals against the Timorese left about one in ten of the island's population dead, a total of more than 50,000 people.
After the Japanese surrender in 1945, control of East Timor was returned to Portugal. Indonesia declared its independence from the Dutch, but made no mention of annexing East Timor.
In 1974, a coup in Portugal moved the country from a rightist dictatorship to a democracy. The new regime sought to disentangle Portugal from its overseas colonies, a move that the other European colonial powers had made some 20 years earlier. East Timor declared its independence in 1975.
In December of that year, Indonesia invaded East Timor, capturing Dili after just six hours of fighting. Jakarta declaring the region the 27th Indonesian province. This annexation, however, was not recognized by the UN.
Over the next year, between 60,000 and 100,000 Timorese were massacred by Indonesian troops, along with five foreign journalists.
Timorese guerillas kept fighting, but Indonesia did not withdraw until after the fall of Suharto in 1998. When the Timorese voted for independence in an August, 1999 referendum, Indonesian troops destroyed the country's infrastructure.
East Timor joined the UN on September 27, 2002.
Dili, population about 150,000.
Government:
East Timor is a parliamentary democracy, in which the President is Head of State and the Prime Minister is Head of Government. The President is directly elected to this largely ceremonial post; he or she appoints the leader of the majority party in parliament as Prime Minister. The President serves for five years.
The Prime Minister is head of the Cabinet, or Council of State.
He also leads the single-house National Parliament.
The highest court is called the Supreme Court of Justice.
Jose Ramos-Horta is the current President of East Timor. The Prime Minister is Xanana Gusmao.
Population:
East Timor's population is around 1.2 million, although no recent census data exist. The country is growing quickly, due both to returning refugees and to a high birth rate.
The people of East Timor belong to dozens of ethnic groups, and intermarriage is common. Some of the largest are the Tetum, around 100,000 strong; the Mambae, at 80,000; the Tukudede, at 63,000; and the Galoli, Kemak, and Bunak, all with about 50,000 people.
There are also small populations of people with mixed Timorese and Portuguese ancestry, called mesticos, as well as ethnic Hakka Chinese (around 2,400 people).
Official Languages:
The official languages of East Timor are Tetum and Portuguese. English and Indonesian are "working languages."
Tetum is an Austronesian language in the Malayo-Polynesian family, related to Malagasy, Tagalog, and Hawaiian.
It is spoken by about 800,000 people world-wide.
Colonists brought Portuguese to East Timor in the sixteenth century, and the Romance language has influenced Tetum to a large degree.
Other commonly-spoken languages include Fataluku, Malalero, Bunak, and Galoli.
Religion:
An estimated 98 per cent of East Timorese are Roman Catholic, another legacy of Portuguese colonization. The remaining two per cent are divided almost evenly between Protestants and Moslems.
A significant proportion of Timorese also retain some traditional animist beliefs and customs from pre-colonial times.
Geography:
East Timor covers the eastern half of Timor, the largest of the Lesser Sunda Islands in the Malay Archipelago. It covers an area of about 14,600 square kilometers, including one non-contiguous piece called the Ocussi-Ambeno region, in the northwest of the island.
The Indonesian province of East Nusa Tenggara lies to the west of East Timor.
East Timor is a mountainous country; the highest point is Mount Ramelau at 2,963 meters (9,721 feet). The lowest point is sea level.
Climate:
East Timor has a tropical monsoon climate, with a wet season from December to April, and a dry season from May through November. During the wet season, average temperatures range between 29 and 35 degrees Celsius (84 to 95 degrees Fahrenheit). In the dry season, temperatures average 20 to 33 degrees Celsius (68 to 91 Fahrenheit).
The island is susceptible to cyclones. It also experiences seismic events such as earthquakes and tsunamis, as it lies on the faultlines of the Pacific Ring of Fire.
Economy:
The economy of East Timor is in shambles, neglected under Portuguese rule, and deliberately sabotaged by occupation troops during the war for independence from Indonesia. As a result, the country is among the poorest in the world.
Close to half of the population lives in poverty, and as many as 70 per cent face chronic food insecurity. Unemployment hovers around the 50 per cent mark, as well. The per capita GDP was only about $750 U.S. in 2006.
East Timor's economy should improve in coming years. Plans are underway to develop off-shore oil reserves, and the price of cash crops like coffee is rising.
Prehistoric Timor:
The inhabitants of Timor are descended from three waves of migrants. The first to settle the island, Vedo-Australoid people related to Sri Lankans, arrived between 40,000 and 20,000 B.C. A second wave of Melanesian people around 3,000 B.C. drove the original inhabitants, called Atoni, up into the interior of Timor. The Melanesians were followed by Malay and Hakka people from southern China.
Most of the Timorese practiced subsistence agriculture. Frequent visits from sea-going Arab, Chinese, and Gujerati traders brought in metal goods, silks, and rice; the Timorese exported beeswax, spices, and fragrant sandalwood.
History of Timor, 1515-present:
By the time the Portuguese made contact with Timor in the early sixteenth century, it was divided into a number of small fiefdoms. The largest was the kingdom of Wehale, composed of a mixture of Tetum, Kemak, and Bunak peoples.
Portuguese explorers claimed Timor for their king in 1515, lured by the promise of spices. For the next 460 years, the Portuguese controlled the eastern half of the island, while the Dutch East India Company took the western half as part of its Indonesian holdings. The Portuguese ruled coastal regions in cooperation with local leaders, but had very little influence in the mountainous interior.
Although their hold on East Timor was tenuous, in 1702 the Portuguese officially added the region to their empire, renaming it "Portuguese Timor." Portugal used East Timor mainly as a dumping ground for exiled convicts.
The formal boundary between the Dutch and Portuguese sides of Timor was not drawn until 1916, when the modern-day border was fixed by the Hague.
In 1941, Australian and Dutch soldiers occupied Timor, hoping to fend off an anticipated invasion by the Imperial Japanese Army. Japan seized the island in February of 1942; the surviving Allied soldiers then joined with local people in guerilla war against the Japanese. Japanese reprisals against the Timorese left about one in ten of the island's population dead, a total of more than 50,000 people.
After the Japanese surrender in 1945, control of East Timor was returned to Portugal. Indonesia declared its independence from the Dutch, but made no mention of annexing East Timor.
In 1974, a coup in Portugal moved the country from a rightist dictatorship to a democracy. The new regime sought to disentangle Portugal from its overseas colonies, a move that the other European colonial powers had made some 20 years earlier. East Timor declared its independence in 1975.
In December of that year, Indonesia invaded East Timor, capturing Dili after just six hours of fighting. Jakarta declaring the region the 27th Indonesian province. This annexation, however, was not recognized by the UN.
Over the next year, between 60,000 and 100,000 Timorese were massacred by Indonesian troops, along with five foreign journalists.
Timorese guerillas kept fighting, but Indonesia did not withdraw until after the fall of Suharto in 1998. When the Timorese voted for independence in an August, 1999 referendum, Indonesian troops destroyed the country's infrastructure.
East Timor joined the UN on September 27, 2002.
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