Manatuto Municipality | Municipality Portal

1. Geography

Manatuto is one of the 12 Municipalities of Timor-Leste, located in the central part of Timor. It shares borders with the Municipalities of Baucau and Viqueque (east), Ainaro (west), Aileu (north) and is bordered by the Timor Sea (south). It has six Administrative Posts: Natarbora, Soibada, Laclubar, Manatuto, Laclo and Laleia, which together regroup 31 sucos.
In term of demography, Manatuto has a total population of 48,876 (Census 2015 – projection for 2019) and a population density of 27.36 pp/km2 for an area of 1,785.95 km2. Tetun, Galoli, Idate Habun and Dadua are the main local languages.

2. Toponymy

Like other Municipalities, the name of Manufahi Municipality has its own history. It is composed of two words: Mana and Tutu. According to the story, in the old times there were two groups of people living there, one was called Sau Raha (Soraha) and the other group Sau Lor (present day Saulidun). Sau Raga lived in the Soraha mountain, while Sai Lor lived in Sauhuhun mountain. They each had a king, and the two kings were brothers.

3. History

Historically, before the arrival of the Portuguese, Manatuto was ruled by different traditional authorities. In 1698, Portugal established its authority through Governor António Coelho Guerreiro, and started intervening on Timor’s internal politics, including in Manatuto. On April 20 1859, Governor Afonso de Castro established 11 Districts. Manatuto became a separate district, with its capital in Manatuto Vila, and bringing together the kingdoms of Bubur-Susso, Kablaqui, Fulau, Faturo and Turiscai. After World War II, Governor Oscar Ruas turned Manatuto the district into a Civil Circumscription composed of Barique, Fatuberlihu, Laclo, Laclubar no Laleia. Manatuto kept the same structure during the Indonesian occupation, and became a Municipality after independence.

4. Climate

In term of climate, Manatuto Municipality has rain on average twice a week between May and June, and almost daily from November to April. From August to October, the weather is dry and hot, and temperatures going up to 38°C.

5. Points of interest

Points of Interest in Manatuto include Cribas Waterfall and the Church of Laklubar. The Municipality is also known for a yearly celebration happening at the time of shrimp harvesting, named suru boek dance. Local traditional food included Balisaun, a dish of salted baby shrimps harvested once a year.