Dili Municipality (, ) is one of the 14

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 ...

, formerly districts, of Timor-Leste, and includes the national capital

Dili Dili ( Portuguese/ Tetum: ''Díli'') is the capital, largest city of East Timor and the second largest city in Timor islands after Kupang (Indonesia). It lies on the northern coast of the island of Timor, in a small area of flat land hemmed i ...

. The municipality had a population of 277,279 , most of whom live in the capital city.

Etymology

Several explanations have been proffered for the origin of the municipality's name. It is often explained, including by the municipality's own website, as being derived from the Tetum word , which means pawpaw. According to Australian

linguist Linguistics is the scientific study of human language. It is called a scientific study because it entails a comprehensive, systematic, objective, and precise analysis of all aspects of language, particularly its nature and structure. Lingu ...

ethnologist Ethnology (from the grc-gre, ἔθνος, meaning 'nation') is an academic field that compares and analyzes the characteristics of different peoples and the relationships between them (compare cultural, social, or sociocultural anthropolog ...

and

historian A historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human race; as well as the st ...

Geoffrey Hull, however, that explanation is phonologically and historically implausible, as the language spoken in the area now known as Dili before the Portuguese established their seat of administration there in 1769 was

Mambai Mambai may refer to: * Mambai people The Mambai (Mambae, Manbae) people are the second largest ethnic group after the Tetum Dili people in East Timor. Originally, they were known as the Maubere by the Portuguese. ''Maubere'' or ''Mau Bere'' is ...

, not Tetum. Hull describes such explanations as "folk etymology". In Hull's view, the word Dili appears to be cognate with the Bunak word ''zili'' (), a reference to the escarpment behind the city; he comments that a Papuan language, of which Bunak is an example, was spoken in the Dili area before the spread of the Austronesian-based Mambai and Tetum languages. Another "folk etymology" explanation suggested by the municipality is that its name is derived from the Portuguese word , which, in turn, is an approximation of the Tetum expression (). According to the municipality, there were lots of hemp trees in what is now the suco of at the centre of the then , which covered present day Dili. Every year, the local community held a traditional dance ceremony, and also offered sacrifices for the hemp tree. The local people believed that the Portuguese word meant 'sacred eye', and so they adopted it as the area's name.

Geography

Since 1 January 2022, Dili has been the second smallest municipality in East Timor by area, at . It also has the highest population. It lies on the north coast of the island of

Timor Timor is an island at the southern end of Maritime Southeast Asia, in the north of the Timor Sea. The island is divided between the sovereign states of East Timor on the eastern part and Indonesia on the western part. The Indonesian part, ...

facing Ombai Strait, and borders the municipalities of Manatuto to the east,

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 south, and Liquiçá to the west. Atauro Island, to the north of the municipality opposite the capital, was one of Dili's administrative posts until the end of 2021, when it became a separate municipality. Dili is the economic and political centre of East Timor.

Administrative posts

The municipality's administrative posts (formerly sub-districts) are: * Cristo Rei * Dom Aleixo *

Metinaro Metinaro is a town in Metinaro Subdistrict, Dili District, East Timor. The coast has a wonderful diving area with a colourful world of animals. Metinaro is also the home of the East Timor's 1st Battalion F-FDTL ( Forças de Defesa de Tim ...

* Nain Feto; and * Vera Cruz The administrative posts are divided into 31 sucos ("villages") in total. File:Sucos Dili.png, Subdivisions of the municipality File:Dili cities rivers.png, Cities in the municipality of Dili

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