US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Grover Joseph REES
embassy: Avenida de Portugal, Praia dos Conqueiros, Dili
mailing address: Department of State, 8250 Dili Place, Washington,
DC 20521-8250
telephone: (670) 332-4684
FAX: (670) 331-3206

Flag description:
red, with a black isosceles triangle (based on the hoist side)
superimposed on a slightly longer yellow arrowhead that extends to
the center of the flag; there is a white star in the center of the
black triangle

Economy East Timor

Economy - overview:
In late 1999, about 70% of the economic infrastructure of East
Timor was laid waste by Indonesian troops and anti-independence
militias, and 260,000 people fled westward. Over the next three
years, however, a massive international program, manned by 5,000
peacekeepers (8,000 at peak) and 1,300 police officers, led to
substantial reconstruction in both urban and rural areas. By
mid-2002, all but about 50,000 of the refugees had returned. Growth
was held back in 2003 by extensive drought and the gradual winding
down of the international presence. The country faces great
challenges in continuing the rebuilding of infrastructure,
strengthening the infant civil administration, and generating jobs
for young people entering the workforce. One promising long-term
project is the planned development of oil and gas resources in
nearby waters, but the government faces a substantial financing gap
over the next several years before these revenues start flowing into
state coffers.

GDP:
purchasing power parity - $440 million (2001 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:
-3% (2003 est.)

GDP - per capita:
purchasing power parity - $500 (2001 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 25.4%
industry: 17.2%
services: 57.4% (2001)

Population below poverty line:
42% (2003 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: NA
highest 10%: NA

Distribution of family income - Gini index:
38 (2002 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices):
8% NA (2003 est.)

Labor force:
NA

Labor force - by occupation:
NA

Unemployment rate:
50% (including underemployment) (1992 est.)

Budget:
revenues: $36 million
expenditures: $97 million, including capital expenditures of NA
(2003 est.)

Agriculture - products:
coffee, rice, maize, cassava, sweet potatoes, soybeans, cabbage,
mangoes, bananas, vanilla

Industri