East Timor, one of the world's poorest nations, faces a host of problems in its attempt at rebuilding its economy. Vast amounts of infrastructure and property were destroyed in the post-independence violence, and a winding down in international aid led to GDP contraction during the 2002-2004 period. Under international guidance, much of East Timor's agriculture sector was converted from substinence crops to cash crops in an attempt at creating an export-oriented economy. This drive largely failed due to low global market prices on the chosen export crops such as coffee, which is hovering at a 20-year-low. Following this policy and lacking its former substinence crops, East Timor entered 2005 with chronic food shortages. 70% of the population went hungry to varying degrees, and there were at least 58 confirmed deaths from starvation. Parallel to this GDP contraction, consumer prices rose by 4-5% in 2003-2004. It is estimated that 50% of the population is unemployed. Coffee beans and a cup of coffee Coffee as a drink, usually served hot, is prepared from the roasted seeds (beans) of the coffee plant. ... 2005 is a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar and is the current year. ...

Future hopes are pinned on the development of off-shore oil reserves which already provide the government with over $40 million annually in revenue, and success in exporting agrictural products. The GDP is predicted to expand by 1.5% in 2005.

Economy of East Timor
from the CIA World Factbook 2002 World Factbook 2004 cover The World Factbook is an annual publication by the Central Intelligence Agency of the United States with basic almanac-style information about the various countries of the world. ...

Gross domestic product: purchasing power parity - $415 million (2001 est.) In economics, the gross domestic product (GDP) is a measure of the amount of the economic production of a particular territory in financial capital terms during a specific time period. ... In economics, purchasing power parity (PPP) is a method used to calculate an alternative exchange rate between the currencies of two countries. ...

Real growth rate: 18% (2001 est.) Economic growth is the increase in the value of goods and services produced by an economy. ...

GDP per capita: purchasing power parity - $500 (2001 est.) In economics, purchasing power parity (PPP) is a method used to calculate an alternative exchange rate between the currencies of two countries. ...

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

Population below poverty line: 42% (2002 est.) Poverty is the state of being without, often associated with need, hardship and lack of resources across a wide range of circumstances. ...

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

Distribution of family income - Gini index: 38 The Gini coefficient is a measure of inequality developed by the Italian statistician Corrado Gini and published in his 1912 paper Variabilità e mutabilità. It is usually used to measure income inequality, but can be used to measure any form of uneven distribution. ...

Inflation rate (consumer prices): NA%

Labor force: NA

Labor force - by occupation: NA

Unemployment rate: 50% (including underemployment) Dorothea Langes Migrant Mother depicts destitute pea pickers in California during the Great Depression. ... In economics, the term underemployment has at least three different meanings. ...

Budget:
revenues: $NA
expenditures: $NA Budget generally refers to a list of all planned expenses and revenues. ...

Industries: printing, soap manufacturing, handicrafts, woven cloth The folder of newspaper web offset printing press Printing is an industrial process for mass production of texts and images, typically with ink on paper using a printing press. ... SOAP is a standard for exchanging XML-based messages over a computer network, normally using HTTP. SOAP forms the foundation layer of the web services stack, providing a basic messaging framework that more abstract layers can build on. ... Handicraft, also known as craftwork or simply craft, is a type of work where useful and decorative devices are made completely by hand or using only simple tools. ... Weaving is an ancient textile art and craft that involves placing two sets of threads or yarn made of fibre called the warp and weft of the loom and turning them into cloth. ... A variety of fabric. ...

Industrial production growth rate: 8.5%

Electricity:
production: NA kWh
production by source: fossil fuel: 100%; hydro: 0%; other: 0%; nuclear: 0%
consumption: NA kWh
exports: 0 kWh
imports: 0 kWh Lightning strikes during a night-time thunderstorm. ... Coal rail cars in Ashtabula, Ohio Fossil fuels, also known as mineral fuels, are hydrocarbon-containing natural resources such as coal, petroleum and natural gas. ... Hydroelectricity, or hydroelectric power, is a form of hydropower, (i. ... See also Nuclear power for the commercial production of electricty from nuclear energy. ... The kilowatt-hour (symbol: kW·h) is a unit for measuring energy. ...

Agriculture - products: coffee, rice, maize, cassava, sweet potatoes, soybeans, cabbage, mangoes, bananas, vanilla Coffee beans and a cup of coffee Coffee as a drink, usually served hot, is prepared from the roasted seeds (beans) of the coffee plant. ... Species References ITIS 41975 2002-09-22 Rice (genus Oryza) is a plant of the grass family which is a dietary staple of more than half of the worlds human population. ... Binomial name Zea mays L. Maize (Zea mays ssp. ... Binomial name Manihot esculenta Crantz Cassava or manioc (Manihot esculenta; also yuca in Spanish, and mandioca, aipim, or macaxeira in Portuguese) is a woody perennial shrub of the spurge family, that is extensively cultivated as an annual crop for its edible starchy tuberous root. ... Binomial name Ipomoea batatas Linnaeus The sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas) is a crop plant whose large, starchy, sweet-tasting tuberous roots are an important root vegetable. ... Soybean - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia /**/ @import /skins-1. ... Cultivar Group Brassica oleracea Capitata Group The cabbage (Brassica oleracea Capitata Group) is an edible plant of the Family Brassicaceae (or Cruciferae). ... Species Mangifera altissima Mangifera caesia Mangifera camptosperma Mangifera casturi Mangifera foetida Mangifera indica Mangifera kemanga Mangifera longipes Mangifera macrocarpa Mangifera odorata Mangifera pajang Mangifera pentandra Mangifera persiciformis Mangifera siamensis The mango (Mangifera spp. ... Species Hybrid origin; see text A banana is a tree-like plant (though strictly a herb) of the genus Musa in the family Musaceae, closely related to plantains. ... Vanilla is a flavoring, in its pure form known as vanillin, derived from orchids in the genus Vanilla. ...

Exports:
quantity: $8 million (2001 est.)
commodities: coffee, sandalwood, marble; note - the potential for oil and vanilla exports
Exports - partners: NA Coffee beans and a cup of coffee Coffee as a drink, usually served hot, is prepared from the roasted seeds (beans) of the coffee plant. ... The branches of a young sandalwood tree found in Hawaii Sandalwood is the wood of trees of the genus Santalum. ... Marble This page is about the metamorphic rock. ... Nodding donkey pumping an oil well near Sarnia, Ontario, 2001 Petroleum (from Latin petra – rock and oleum – oil), crude oil, sometimes colloquially called black gold, is a thick, dark brown or greenish flammable liquid, which exists in the upper strata of some areas of the Earths crust. ... Vanilla is a flavoring, in its pure form known as vanillin, derived from orchids in the genus Vanilla. ...

Imports:
quantity: $237 million (2001 est.)
commodities: NA
partners: NA

Debt - external: $NA Government debt (public debt, national debt) is money owed by government, at any level (central government, federal government, national government, municipal government, local government, regional government). ...

Economic aid - recipient: $2.2 billion (1999-2002 est.) Foreign aid, international aid or development assistance is when one country helps another country through some form of donation. ...

Currency: US dollar (USD) The United States dollar is the official currency of the United States. ...

Fiscal year: 1 July - 30 June July 1 is the 182nd day of the year (183rd in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 183 days remaining. ...