Timor-Leste is an island Nation located in South-East Asia, with territory on the island of Timor. Timor Island is the largest and most eastern island in the Nusa Tenggara Archipelago in Southeast Asia, with a total area of about 30,777 square kilometers. Timor-Leste does not occupy Timor Island alone, its territory consists mainly of the eastern part of Timor Island and the Oecussi region, covering an area of about 15,000 square kilometers, and the rest of Timor Island belongs to Indonesian territory.
The main territory of Timor-Leste is located in the eastern part of Timor Island, while most of the western part of Timor Island belongs to Indonesia, but in the northwestern part of Timor Island, there is another piece of land owned by East Timor, which is the Oecussi region. The northern part of the Oecussi region is bordered by the Savoo Sea, and the rest is surrounded by Indonesian territory, which is equivalent to an enclave in East Timor.
With an area of about 2,460 square kilometers and a population of about 57,000, the Oecussi region is a first-level administrative district of East Timor in terms of administrative divisions. As it is not connected to the rest of East Timor, the transportation from the Oecussi region to the East Timorese mainland is very inconvenient. So how did the Oecussi region come into being, and how did the two pieces of land in East Timor communicate with each other?
Historically, Timor Island was ruled by the kingdoms of Srivijaya and Majapahit. After the beginning of the Age of Discovery, Portuguese colonists were the first to invade the island of Timor. Portugal was a small country located in the western part of the Iberian Peninsula in Europe, and its national power was not strong at the beginning of the Great Navigation Age, so Portugal's early expansion was to establish colonial strongholds in coastal areas, and did not penetrate deep into the inland areas.
After the Portuguese colonies invaded Timor Island, a colonial stronghold was established in the northwestern part of the island, which was the Oecussi region. Then the Portuguese colonists, based in the Oecussi region, gradually took control of the entire Timor island. However, by the beginning of the 17th century, Dutch colonists invaded the western part of the island, largely squeezing out portuguese power to the eastern part of the island, but in the western part of the island, Portugal still controlled the Oecussi region.
In 1859, the Netherlands and Portugal signed a treaty to divide the island of Timor, with the eastern part of the island and the area of Oecussi belonging to Portugal and the rest of the dutch-controlled Dutch East Indies. The Dutch East Indies were the predecessors of Indonesia, and when Indonesia became independent in 1945, the eastern part of Timor Island and the Oecussi region remained Portuguese colonies, and it was not until 1975 that East Timor declared independence. However, soon after east Timor's independence, Indonesia sent troops to annex East Timor, and the island of Timor has since been fully owned by Indonesia.
After east Timor's independence in 2002, the eastern part of Timor Island and the Oecussi region were vested in East Timor. However, due to the separation of the two pieces of land by Indonesia, the traffic is very inconvenient. The traffic contact information between the two places is divided into three aspects. The first is aviation. Timor-Leste has built a number of airports in the mainland area, the largest of which is the international airport in the capital Dili, and a small airport in the Oecussi region, the main purpose of which is to facilitate transportation links with the East Timorese mainland.
Second, overland. There is no railway in East Timor, and there are roads connected to Indonesia, so the two pieces of land in East Timor can be connected through Indonesian territory to achieve transportation links, but transportation links through Indonesian territory require relevant procedures, the process is more cumbersome, and it is more time-consuming.
Third, the sea route. Both pieces of land in Timor-Leste are bordered by the sea and have many ports, and the largest port in East Timor itself is the capital Dili Port, which is a deep-water port and is the main seaport of East Timor's foreign trade. There is also a port in the Oecussi region, the main port being Pantemacassar, about 150 km from the capital Dili. Thus, by sea, transport links can also be established between Timor-Leste.