Aileu (, ) is a

municipality 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 ...

, and was formerly a district, of

East Timor East Timor (), also known as Timor-Leste (), officially the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste, is an island country in Southeast Asia. It comprises the eastern half of the island of Timor, the exclave of Oecusse on the island's north-west ...

. It has a population of 48,554 (Census 2015) and an area of 737 km². The municipality's capital is also named Aileu. Its administrative posts are Aileu, Laulara, Lequidoe and

Remexio Remexio, officially Remexio Administrative Post (, ), is an administrative post (and was formerly a subdistrict) in Aileu municipality, East Timor. Its seat or administrative centre An administrative center is a seat of regional administr ...

Etymology

The word ''Aileu'' means "bent tree" in the local Mambai language. According to legend, the root of a banyan fig tree (''

Ficus benghalensis ''Ficus benghalensis'', commonly known as the banyan, banyan fig and Indian banyan, is a tree native to the Indian Subcontinent. Specimens in India are among the largest trees in the world by canopy coverage. It also known as the " strangler fig ...

'') grew to maturity without a branch or leaf. The tree developed into a twisted shape that looked like a chair; its unique appearance made it famous, and eventually gave the community its name. Nowadays, the wooden chair is also the symbol of the municipality.

Geography

Aileu is in the northwestern part of East Timor and is one of only two landlocked municipalities, the other being

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 ...

. It borders Dili to the north,

Manatuto Manatuto is a city in Manatuto Municipality, East Timor. Manatuto Vila has 3,692 inhabitants (Census 2015) and is capital of the subdistrict and district Manatuto. It is on the north coast of Timor, (about as the crow flies) east of Dili, ...

to the east,

Manufahi Manufahi (, ) is one of the municipalities of East Timor. It has a population of 53,691 (2015 census) and an area of 1,323 km2. The capital of the municipality is Same. Etymology The present name of the municipality, ''Manufahi'', is ...

to the southeast,

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 nat ...

to the south, Ermera to the west, and

Liquiçá Liquiçá (Tetum: ''Likisá'') is a coastal city in East Timor, 32 km to the west of Dili, the national capital. Liquiçá is the capital of Liquiçá District. The city has a population of 5,005 inhabitants. History A part of the colo ...

to the northwest. It was formerly part of what is now the municipality of Dili but was split in the final years of Portuguese administration.

Politics

As part of the Timor-Leste Government decentralization program the former District of Aileu is now organised as the Municipality of Aileu, headed by a Municipal Administrator. The four former subdistricts are now organised as Administrative Posts.

Administrative posts

The municipality's administrative posts (formerly sub-districts) are: * Aileu Vila (place of capital) * Laulara * Lequido *

Development

Aileu is the focus of several development programmes from NGOs, including WaterAid, World Vision and Plan International. In May 2000 the Hume City Council and Moreland City Council and the communities in

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...

Australia, established a friendship relationship with the Aileu Municipality, called "Friends of Aileu". The friendship relationship has been renewed periodically, with the signing of updated Friendship Agreements in 2005, 2010 and 2016. and https://www.facebook.com/friendsofaileu/

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