Ainaro (, ) is one of 13

municipalities A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality'' may also mean the go ...

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 Ainaro is a town in East Timor, the capital of the Ainaro suco, the Ainaro administrative post and the Ainaro Municipality, and is located in the southwest part of the country. The town of Ainaro is located 78 km south of Dili, the nati ...

, a small mountain town.

Etymology

The name of the municipality is derived from 'Ai Naruk', the local Mambai language word for "tall tree", and refers to a species of tree that grows in the region. ''Ainaro'' is a Portuguese approximation of ''Ainaru'', the Mambai and Tetum derivation. The traditional name of the region, 'Orluli', is still used today by during ceremonies, such as the ''sergala'', to greet important guests.

Geography

Ainaro has a great abundance of rivers and fertile terrain for agriculture. It has a coastal area, on the

Timor Sea The Timor Sea ( id, Laut Timor, pt, Mar de Timor, tet, Tasi Mane or ) is a relatively shallow sea bounded to the north by the island of Timor, to the east by the Arafura Sea, and to the south by Australia. The sea contains a number of reefs ...

, 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 Ermera (''Vila Ermera'') is a city in East Timor and a former capital of the East Timorese community, Ermera. ''Ermera'' in Mambai means "red water." It has a population of 8,907. Its geographical coordinates are , and it lies above sea ...

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

Aileu Aileu is the main township in Aileu District, East Timor. It is located 47 km (29 mi) southwest of Dili, the national capital, and had a population of 2,788 in 2015. In Portuguese Timor, the city was known as Vila General Carmona, a ...

to the north, Manufahi to the south, Cova Lima to the southwest,

Bobonaro Bobonaro is a town in Bobonaro Subdistrict, Bobonaro District, East Timor., United States National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency The district capital is not in Bobonaro, but is in Maliana Maliana is a city in East Timor, 149 kilomet ...

to the west, and

to the northwest. Ainaro detail map.png, Borders of Ainaro before 2003 Sucos Ainaro 2003-2015.png, Borders of Ainaro after 2003 Ainaro cities rivers.png, Cities and rivers of Ainaro

History

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.

Administrative posts

The municipality's administrative posts (formerly sub-districts) are: *

Ainaro administrative post Ainaro, officially Ainaro Administrative Post (, ), is an administrative post (and was formerly a subdistrict) in Ainaro municipality, East Timor. Its seat or administrative centre is the '' suco'' of Ainaro. The administrative post has a p ...

(place of capital

) * Hato-Udo Administrative Post * Hatu-Builico Administrative Post * Maubisse Administrative Post

Demographics

62.4 % of the population speaks Mambai as mother tongue, 29.1 % Tetum and 7.5 %

Bunak The Bunak (also known as Bunaq, Buna', Bunake) people are an ethnic group that live in the mountainous region of central Timor, split between the political boundary between West Timor, Indonesia, particularly in Lamaknen District and East Timor. ...

. 400 persons are speaking Kemac. 99.1 % are Catholics, 0.9 % protestants, 0.03 % Muslim and only 19 persons are following still the traditional beliefs (census 2015).

References

Notes

Bibliography

* * *

External links

* – official site (in Tetum with some content in English) * – information page on Ministry of State Administration site {{Authority control Municipalities of East Timor