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TIMOR
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TIMOR , an See also:island of the See also:Malay See also:Archipelago, the easternmost and largest of the Lesser Sunda Islands, stretching S.W. and N.E. for 300 m. between 8° 40' and so° 4o' S., and between 123° 30' and 127° E. It 'has a mean breadth of 6o m., and an See also:area of about 12,500 sq. m. Politically its See also:north-eastern See also:half is Portuguese, as are two small enclaves in the See also:south-western half, the See also:remainder being Dutch. Timor lies in deep See also:water a little to the See also:west of the See also:hundred See also:fathom See also:line, which marks in this direction the proper limit of the shallow Arafura See also:Sea, extending between it and See also:northern See also:Australia. It differs considerably from the other members of the Sundanese See also:group both,in the direction of its See also:main See also:axis and in the prevalence of old rocks and slighter volcanic See also:character. It ,comes, however, within the See also:great volcanic See also:zone which stretches from the north' of See also:Sumatra, through See also:Java and the other Sundanese islands, ground to See also:Amboyna, See also:Tidore, See also:Ternate, See also:Halmahera and the Philippines. There appear to be volcanic centres in both the See also:east and the west of the island, and the See also:surface is everywhere extremely rugged, with ridges from 4000 to 8000 ft. high, forming a confused orographic See also:system, which is by no means fully understood. See also:Mount Kabalaki in the north rises above io,00o ft.; the culminating point appears to be Mt Alas (over 12,000 ft.) near the east See also:coast. Owing to the prevalent dry easterly winds from the arid plains of north Australia, Timor, like Ombay, See also:Flores and other neighbouring islands, has a much drier See also:climate, and a poorer vegetation, than islands further west, and has few perennial streams and no considerable See also:rivers. Hence, apart from almost untouched See also:mineral See also:wealth, such as See also:iron, See also:copper and See also:gold, the island is poor in natural resources. See also:Coal and See also:petroleum have been found. At Kupang, on the south coast, the number of See also:rainy days per See also:month in the six months May to See also:October dwindles from 4 to o, while the monthly rainfall gradually sinks from a little less than 2 in. to nil; the northern districts are better watered. Though the mineral products are varied, the See also:supply of ores has hitherto proved scanty; besides which their exploitation is rendered difficult by the lack of labourers, water and See also:wood. The uplands yield fairly under cultivation, while the 'woodlands, which nowhere See also:form true forests, contain much excellent See also:sandalwood. This and a noted breed of See also:hardy ponies form the thief articles of export. Owing to the deep water between Timor and the , Arafura Sea, the See also:fauna of Timor presents scarcely any Australian types beyond a marsupial cuscus. The few mammals, such as See also:deer, See also:civet, pigs, shrews and monkeys, as well as the birds and See also:insects, resemble See also:ordinary Malayan forms. Timor consists of a core of See also:ancient rocks (Archean?) upon which See also:rest See also:Permian and later deposits of sedimentary origin. Volcanic rocks are also See also:present but they are not so extensively See also:developed as in the islands of the Javan arc. The Permian beds consist chiefly of See also:limestone and contain numerous fossils similar to those of the See also:middle and upper divisions of the Productus limestone of northern See also:India and the Artinsk See also:stage of 'the Urals. The best-known locality is the See also:bed of the Ayer Mati near Kupang. These rocks were origin-ally referred to the Carboniferous system, and similar limestones have been recorded in many parts of the island. Triassic beds with Halobia and Monotis are well-developed in Rotti and appear also to occur in Timor. The fauna is similar to that of the Mediterranean Tries. Fragments of See also:Jurassic See also:rock have been found amongst the volcanic material on the island of Rotti, but they have not yet been discovered in situ. The See also:Tertiary deposits form a fringe around the older rocks, and in some places this fringe extends far up into the interior of the island. The bulk of the See also:population is certainly Papuan, but intermingled with Malayan, Polynesian and other elements; hence it presents an extraordinary diversity of See also:physical types, as is clearly shown by the portraits figured in H. O. Forlbes's Naturalist's Wanderings in the Eastern Archipelago. The natives, still mainly See also:independent of their nominal Dutch and Portuguese rulers, are divided into many hostile tribee, speaking as many as See also:forty distinct Papuan and .Malayan See also:languages or dialects. Some are addicted to See also:head-See also:hunting, at least during See also:war, and to other barberpus practices. In their. uma-See also:lull, or sacred (tabooed) enclosures, See also:rites are performed resembling those of the Polynesian islanders. Additional information and CommentsThere are no comments yet for this article.
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