Why it's the capital
In 1769 the Portuguese governor moved the colony's administration east from Lifau, bringing 1,200 people to set up a new capital at Dili. When Timor-Leste became independent in 2002, Dili became the capital of the new country.
Dili
Capital of Timor-LesteA narrow strip of flat land, no more than about 4 km wide between the sea and the mountains, holds Dili on the north coast of the island of Timor. Atauro Island lies offshore to the north.
Fun facts
- The Cristo Rei of Dili is a 27 m statue of Jesus standing on a globe at the end of the Fatucama peninsula, reached by more than 500 steps.
- Motael Church, begun in 1901, is the oldest church in the country.
- Dili was declared a city in 1863, but the news may not have reached it until the next year.
Finding it on the globe
Timor-Leste is the eastern half of the island of Timor, north-west of Australia: Dili is on the north coast, a little west of the middle of the country's shoreline.
Sources: Wikipedia: Dili