Timor-Leste (East Timor)

What is Timor-Leste?
Timor-Leste, or East Timor, is a sovereign democracy in Southeast Asia.

Where is Timor-Leste located?
Timor-Leste is located in Southeast Asia, just north of Darwin, Australia. Timor-Leste is on the eastern end of the Indonesian archipelago, making up the eastern half of Timor Island, as well as the Oecussi region of northwestern Timor Island, and the islands Pulau Atauro and Pulau Jaco.

Timor-Leste shares a land border with Indonesia’s Province, East Nusa Tenggara. It is situated between the Timor Sea, the Savu Sea, and the Ombai and Wetar Straits.

How big is Timor-Leste?
Timor-Leste is approximately 14,874 square kilometers.

What is the population of Timor-Leste
Timor-Leste’s population is estimated around 1 million.

What is the capital of Timor-Leste?
Dili is Timor-Leste’s capital city and largest city. Located on the island’s northern coast, Dili was settled as a port city by Portuguese traders in 1520. Dili became the capital of Portuguese Timor in 1864, and has remained the capital of Timor-Leste.

What form of currency is used in Timor-Leste?

Timor-Leste uses the US dollar as its official currency.

What languages are spoken in Timor-Leste?
The official languages of Timor-Leste are Tetum and Portuguese. Indonesian and English are also widely spoken. There are 16 indigenous languages of Timor-Leste including Tetum, Galole, Mambae, Kemak, which are the largest ones.

What are the main religions practiced in Timor-Leste?
Because of Portuguese influence on Timor-Leste from its colonial past, the nation is one of two majority Catholic nations in Asia (Philippines). The country is about 98% Roman Catholic, 1% Muslim, and 1% Protestant.

When did Timor-Leste achieve independence?
The nation declared independence from Portugal on November 28, 1975.
On May 20, 2002, Timor-Leste was recognized as independent from Indonesia, though they first voted for independence on August 30, 1999.

How did Timor-Leste achieve independence?
Timor-Leste was ruled by outsiders for centuries. Portuguese traders colonized eastern Timor in the mid 16th century, declaring Portuguese Timor in 1769. The Dutch occupied the western portion of the island. Imperial Japan occupied Portuguese Timor during WWII, from 1942 to 1945, though it returned to Portgual after Japan was defeated.

East Timor declared independence from Portugal on November 28, 1975. A few days later, Indonesia invaded the newly independent country, incorporating it into Indonesia as Timor Timur (East Timor) in July 1976. This was followed by a period of unrest and violence in the region, under Indonesian rule.

In 1999, the UN stepped in to help the people of Timor-Leste, who then voted in support of indepenence on August 30, 1999. Anti-independence Timorese militia began a scorched earth campaign. Australian military were sent to help the people, and Timor-Leste was finally recognized as an independent state on May 20, 2002. Since then, internal tension continued for several years, but Timor-Leste has been stabilizing.

Who are the political leaders of Timor-Leste?

• President Jose Ramos-Horta
• Prime Minister Kay Rala Xanana Gusmao (formerly Jose Alexandre Gusmao)

What is the relationship between Australia and Timor-Leste?
At the beginning stages of Timor-Leste’s journey to independence from Indonesia in 1999, Australia stepped in to help with peacekeeping efforts, helping the new nation to stabilize. Since then, Timor-Leste and Australia have continued their relations, with Australia assisting financially and agreeing to provide military aid indefinitely.

Disputes between Australia and Timor-Leste over maritime boundaries in the Timor Sea, known as the Timor Gap, have been in negotiations for years. The two powers have signed three treaties regarding petroleum exploration, agreeing to postpone discussions on delimitations until 2057. The three treaties are the Timor Sea Treaty (2002), Sunrise International Unitization Agreement (2003), and the Treaty of Certain Maritime Arrangements in the Timor Sea (2006). They have agreed to share revenue from oil in the region

Bhutan

What is Bhutan’s relationship to India?

After the death of Ngawang Namgyal, the Tibetan Buddhist who unified the region of Bhutan and helped form its culture, British India stepped in to help sort out the nation’s civil war, but eventually went to war with the Bhutanese, which became known as the Duar War of 1864. The war ended with the Treaty of Sinchula, allowing British India to occupy the Duar region along Bhutan’s border for an annual subsidy.

On December 17, 1907, Ugyen Wangchuck rose to power, becoming king of Bhutan. Great Britain agreed not to interfere with Bhutan’s internal affairs in 1910, but Bhutan allowed Britain to handle its foreign affairs at this time. When India gained independence from Britain in 1947, India took over Britain’s role in Bhutan’s government.

In 1949, the Indo-Bhutan agreement returned the areas Britain had annexed, while India agreed to formalize their annual subsidies of Bhutan, and handle Bhutan’s defense and foreign relations. This treaty was reworked in 2007 with the Indo-Bhutan Friendship Treaty, which allows Bhutan more autonomy, especially in regards to its foreign policy, though its foreign affairs are conducted in New Delhi.

Cooperation between India and Bhutan continues, but the treaty affirmed Bhutan’s status as a sovereign nation.

What type of government is Bhutan?

Bhutan is a constitutional monarchy. The King ratified Bhutan’s first constitution in July 2008.

What is Druk Yul?

Druk Yul is the Bhutanese name for Bhutan The name means “Land of the Thunder Dragon.”

Where is Bhutan located?

Bhutan is located in southern Asia between India and the Tibet Autonomous Region of China. Bhutan is landlocked, meaning it does not border any significant body of water, and is situated in the eastern Himalayas.

How big is Bhutan?

Bhutan covers about 38,816 square kilometers of land.

What is the population of Bhutan?

Bhutan’s population is estimated to be around 700,000.

What is the capital of Bhutan?

Bhutan’s capital is Thimphu, a city in western Bhutan in the Thimphu district. Thimphu has been Bhutan’s capital since 1961, though it was selected as the capital in 1952.

What are the main ethnic groups in Bhutan?

Ngalop, the ethnic group of northern Bhutan, make up about half of the population. Nepalese, including the Lhotsampa people, and indigenous or migrant tribes make up the rest.

In what was probably a form of ethnic cleansing, many of the Nepalese people of Bhutan were forced to leave during the 1990s. About one-fifth of the population left the country, whose government claimed cultural preservation as their motivation.

What religions are practiced in Bhutan?

Forms of Buddhism are the most widely practiced religions in Bhutan, making up approximately 75% of the population. The other quarter of the population of Bhutan practices Nepalese Hinduism, with a small minority of people who are Christian, nonreligious, or practice solely Bön, an ancient indigenous religion.

What languages are spoken in Bhutan?

Dzongkha is the official language of Bhutan, and is spoken by about a quarter of the population, mainly in western Bhutan. Tshangla, is widely spoken in eastern Bhutan. Even though Dzongkha is the official language of Bhutan, more people speak Tshangla than Dzongkha. Nepali is spoken by many people in Bhutan, especially along the country’s southern border. Over 19 local languages are spoken around the country.

Who are the political leaders of Bhutan?

King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck

Prime Minister Jigme Thinley

What are the main features of Bhutan’s economy?

Bhutan has been considered one of the world’s least developed economies, as it relies mainly on agriculture. Tourism is slowly growing in Bhutan, whose government restricts tourist access in an attempt to preserve Bhutan’s culture and environment.

Bhutan’s economy is linked to India’s, as the country depends on India for trade and financial assistance.

What form of currency is used in Bhutan?

Bhutan uses the ngultrum (BTN), which is pegged to the Indian rupee.

Does Bhutan have a national dress code?

Yes. As part of Bhutan’s effort to preserve its culture, citizens of Bhutan are required to follow a dress code in public, called Driglam Namzha. Men are required to wear a robe called a gho, and women wear dresses called kira.

Hong Kong

What is Hong Kong?

Hong Kong is a Special Administrative Region of the People’s Republic of China, and a former colony of the United Kingdom. Hong Kong’s status as a Special Administrative Region means that it is a dependency of China, though primarily autonomous under the same concept of “one country, two systems” that Macau enjoys. Under this system, Hong Kong retains its political system and capitalist economic system, while China is reunited.

How did Hong Kong become a Special Administrative Region of the People’s Republic of China?

Hong Kong became a British colony with the Treaty of Nanking after the First Opium War in 1842. The region remained under British rule, aside from a period of Japanese occupation from 1941 to 1945, until its sovereignty returned to the People’s Republic of China in 1997.

On December 19, 1984, the People’s Republic of China and the United Kingdom signed the Sino-British Joint Declaration, agreeing that Hong Kong would return the People’s Republic of China on July 1, 1997, after 156 years of British Rule.

Hong Kong became a limited democracy, allowed to continue its political and economic systems, though it depends on the People’s Republic of China to handle its foreign relations and defense. It will remain a Special Administrative Region for at least 50 years under the agreement.

Where is Hong Kong located?

Hong Kong is located on China’s southern coast, across the Pearl River Delta from Macau. Hong Kong borders the South China Sea as well as China’s province, Guangdong.

How big is Hong Kong?

Hong Kong spans an area of 1,104 square kilometers, with 733 kilometers of coastline. Hong Kong includes over 200 islands, like Hong Kong Island and Lantau, the largest island in Hong Kong.

What is the population of Hong Kong?

Hong Kong’s population is approximately 7 million. Hong Kong has one of the highest population densities in the world, and features in the top ten of longest life expectancies in the world.

What religions are practiced in Hong Kong?

Hong Kong enjoys freedom of religion, and the majority of the population chooses not to practice any religion. Traditional Chinese religions, like Buddhism, Taoism, and Confucianism are commonly practiced in Hong Kong. Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, and Judaism are practiced by a minority of the population.

What languages are spoken in Hong Kong?

Cantonese and English are the official languages of Hong Kong. Over 90% of Hong Kong’s population speaks Cantonese. Mandarin (Putonghua), Japanese, French, Tagalog, and several other languages are also spoken in Hong Kong, mainly as the native language of immigrants, or as a second language.

What is the national holiday of Hong Kong?

Hong Kong celebrates the founding of the People’s Republic of China on October 1. The anniversary of the establishment of Hong Kong as a Special Administrative Region is celebrated on July 1.

Who are the political leaders of Hong Kong?

Since Hong Kong is a dependency of the People’s Republic of China, the president of China is also the president of Hong Kong.

Chief of State: President of China Hu Jintao

Head of Government: Chief Executive Donald Tsang

What form of currency is used in Hong Kong?

Hong Kong uses the Hong Kong dollar as its form of currency

What flower is represented on Hong Kong’s flag?

The flower on Hong Kong’s flag is called a Bauhinia (blakeana), which is a type of orchid that symbolizes the region. This type of flower was developed in Hong Kong, and is sometimes called the Hong Kong orchid. It was named for British governor of Hong Kong, Sir Henry Blake. Though the flag depicts the Bauhinia in white, the flower is actually purple.

Why is Hong Kong considered the world’s most vertical city?

Hong Kong has over 7,650 skyscrapers, which give the city an impressive cityscape. Since Hong Kong does not have a very large area, its builders had to build up rather than out, in order to accommodate the people. Many of the world’s tallest buildings are located in Hong Kong.

Macau

What is Macau?

Macau is a former colony of Portugal, located in China. Macau was the first European settlement in the Far East, as well as the last. Today, Macau has been designated a Special Administrative Region of China, meaning it enjoys near autonomy, except for its foreign affairs and defense, which are taken care of by China. Macau (or Macao) is the name for this region in Portuguese, but it is called Aomen in Chinese.

How did Macau end up a Special Administrative Region of China?

Portuguese traders in the 16^th century set up trade in Macau starting around 1535, and had built settlements by 1557. Around 1583 , the Portuguese in Macau were allowed to form a government to handle their affairs under Chinese supervision.

The last dynasty of China, the Qing dynasty, agreed to allow Portugal’s continual rule of Macau in the Sino-Portuguese Treaty of Amity. After the fall of the Qing dynasty, the People’s Republic of China annulled that agreement.

In 1987, the People’s Republic of China signed the Sino-Portuguese Joint Declaration, which made Macau a Special Administrative Region starting December 20, 1999. This arrangement will continue until 50 years after the day it went into effect. China has not announced what will happen after this period. Under this agreement, Macau does not have independence from China, but can maintain its own capitalistic system, rather than having to use the Chinese socialist economic system. Macau remains somewhat autonomous from China, though much of its population is Chinese.

Where is Macau located?

Macau is located in Eastern Asia, on the southern coast of China, bordering the Guangdong province of China and the South China Sea. Macau is situated along the Pearl River Delta, across from Hong Kong.

Macau also includes two islands called Coloane and Taipa, now connected by a landmass known as Cotai. These islands are connected to mainland Macau by three bridges.

How big is Macau?

Macau has an area of 28.2 square kilometers, with about 41 kilometers of coastline.

What is the population of Macau?

Macau’s population is about 573,000. Since all these people live in such a small area, Macau has the highest population density of any place in the world. Macau also boasts the second highest life expectancy in the world.

What ethnic groups are represented in Macau’s population?

Macau’s population is made up of about 95% Chinese, and the rest are mainly Macanese, which are people of mixed Portuguese and Chinese (and sometimes African) ancestry.

What religions are practiced in Macau?

Macau’s combined cultures of Portugal and China are also demonstrated in the religious practices of the region. Buddhism is practiced in about 50% of the population, and Roman Catholicism makes up about 15%.

What languages are spoken in Macau?

Chinese (Cantonese) and Portuguese are both official languages of Macau.

Other languages spoken in Macau are Hokkien, Mandarin, English, and Tagalog.

Who are the political leaders of Macau?

Since Macau is under the rule of the People’s Republic of China, the Chief of State is the President of China, Hu Jintau. The Head of Government is Chief Executive Fernando Chui Sai On.

What are the main industries in Macau?

Macau is home to one of the world capitals of gambling, even surpassing Las Vegas in their gaming revenue. The casino industry is one of the main sources of income and jobs in Macau.

Since the People’s Republic of China decided to relax travel restrictions on their citizens wishing to visit Macau, the tourism industry has skyrocketed in Macau, especially since gambling is illegal in China.

What form of currency is used in Macau?

Macau uses the pataca, which is pegged to the Hong Kong dollar, which is also accepted in the territory.

Why does traffic in Macau drive on the left side of the road when the rest of China drives on the right?

China used to have traffic that drove on the left side and traffic that drove on the right side, albeit in different parts of the country. The northern provinces were right-side drivers, while the southern provinces drove on the left side. In 1946, China decided to switch the entire country to the right side of the road. Macau, being the special entity that it is, continued to allow its cars to drive on the left side.

FAQ about Myanmar (Burma)

What is the capital of Myanmar?

The capital of Myanmar has historically been the city of Rangoon (also called Yangon). In 2005, the ruling regime founded a new, centrally-planned city to be the capital, calling it Naypyidaw. Rangoon, however, remains Myanmar’s largest and most important city, and the United States and other countries will often continue to list it as the capital.

What is the population of Myanmar?

Approximately 54 million people.

How big is Myanmar?

 676,578 square kilometers, or 261,227 square miles, roughly the size of the state of Texas.

What are the other names of Myanmar?

 The true name of the country is a matter of some contention, due to the political struggles over its leadership. When it was a colony of the British, it was referred to as “Burma” in English. The leaders of a successful uprising in 1988 later changed the name to the “Union of Myanmar.” This name was soon recognized by the U.N., but gained limited traction in many other countries, who did not want to legitimize the current regime. Many English-speaking nations still call the country “Burma,” although its official name is now the “Republic of the Union of Myanmar.” The words “Myanmar” and “Burma” both have deep roots in the native languages spoken in the region, and have been used in many instances to describe both the area and the dominant ethnic group.

What languages are spoken in Myanmar?

The national language of Myanmar is Burmese, although there are large numbers of minority groups that speak other languages such as Shan, Karen, and Kachin. In all, more than one hundred languages are spoken in the country.

 

What countries border Myanmar?

 Myanmar is located in Southeast Asia and is bordered by Bangladesh, China, India, Laos, and Thailand.

What is the national religion in Myanmar?

 Nearly ninety percent of the population of Myanmar is Buddhist, and officials there have been known to discriminate against other belief systems. The minority religions are mainly Christianity and Islam, with several others also having small followings.

What is the form of government in Myanmar?

 Politics in Myanmar have tended to be somewhat volatile, but it is currently a presidential republic under the leadership of President Thein Sein. The regime has been criticized as remaining under military rule despite electing some civilian leaders, with the elections themselves frequently considered to be suspect to tampering. Aung San Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy, the largest alternative political movement in the country, is still systematically undermined by the ruling powers.

Who is Aung San Suu Kyi?

 Aung San Suu Kyi is one of the children of General Aung San, a revolutionary figure in Myanmar who was a key part of the country’s independence movement. She has spent much of her life as an opposition leader in her home country, founding the National League for Democracy in an attempt to bring free elections to Myanmar. She is a recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize because of her tireless efforts, which include 15 years of being imprisoned under house arrest. Aung San Suu Kyi was released in 2010 after much international pressure, although the future of her pro-democracy movement remains uncertain. Myanmar’s newest constitution, approved during the turmoil caused by Cyclone Nargis, specifically bars her from taking office.

What was Cyclone Nargis?

 Cyclone Nargis was a deadly tropical cyclone that hit Myanmar in May of 2008, destroying the lives of hundreds of thousands of people. In addition to the catastrophe itself, there was a great deal of controversy surrounding the regime’s refusal of help from several other countries, and allegations that foreign aid might have been misappropriated. All told, it was one of the most disastrous events in Myanmar’s history, and a full accounting of the damage has yet to be taken.