Liquica

Liquica

East Timor lies about four hundred miles northwest of Australia and about a thousand miles south of the southern tip of the Philippines. It is 467 kilometers long and no more than 90 kilometers wide. It shares a border with Indonesian West Timor.

Location

Liquica district is situated 35kms west of Dili and has three sub-districts - Liquica, Bazartete and Maubara and is composed of 23 villages.

People and Culture

Most of the people of Liquica are bilingual, speaking their own languages (Tokodede or Mambae) and Tetun. There are also large number of people who speak Indonesian - those educated during the Indonesian regime and some older people who were employed in the civil service. Portuguese is spoken by the leadership and by many older people. Portuguese is now being taught in the schools.The vast majority of the population is Catholic (more than 90 per cent).

Geography

The character of Timor's vegetation reflects the islands' position between tropical Indonesia and the dry NorthWest Australia. Liquica is situated on the North Coast, which for much of the year has a dry, arid appearance. The rains generally from November to April bring about a conversion to a soft green cover. The present rainy season (from November till end of April) has seen less precipitation than last year.

The district has predominantly lowland and fertile soils ideal for cultivation where traditional agriculture is practiced, a coastal plain and a fairly sharp transition to mountainous areas involving very steep slopes that are environmentally fragile.

Few of Timor's rivers are permanent water courses. Most have their sources in the central highlands, where seasonal conditions make them an important influence on the islands environment. In the wet season, after consistent rain, they become broad, fast-flowing streams carrying silt and rock. The latter cause the beds to build up and flooding from overflow is commonplace. Only Loes is a permanent stream in Liquica. In the dry season the rivers convert to stony creeks.

The altitude ranges from sea level to 1,266 meters above sea level in Bazartete (Kutulau).

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