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Cova Lima Municipality facts for kids

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Cova Lima
Mountain area in Cova Lima
Mountain area in Cova Lima
Official seal of Cova Lima
Seal
Official map
Official map
Map of East Timor highlighting the Municipality
   Cova Lima in     East Timor
OpenStreetMap
Country  East Timor
Capital Suai
Administrative posts
  • Fatululic
  • Fatumean
  • Fohorem
  • Zumalai
  • Maucatar
  • Suai
  • Tilomar
Area
 • Total 1,198.6 km2 (462.8 sq mi)
Area rank 7th
Population
 (2015 census)
 • Total 65,301
 • Rank 9th
 • Density 54.4811/km2 (141.105/sq mi)
 • Density rank 9th
Households (2015 census)
 • Total 12,564
 • Rank 8th
Time zone UTC+09:00 (TLT)
ISO 3166 code TL-CO
HDI (2017) 0.618
medium · 3rd

Cova Lima (Portuguese: Município Cova Lima, Tetum: Munisípiu Kovalima) is a municipality of East Timor, in the Southwest part of the country. It has a population of 59,455 (Census 2010) and an area of 1,230 km2. The capital of the municipality is Suai, which lies 136 km from Dili, the national capital.

Etymology

There are two different explanations for the municipality's name. First, it could be derived from koba (a basket used for ritual acts) and lima, the Tetum word for 'five'. The combination is said to represent either the five mythical daughters of the Liurai (traditional title of a Timorese ruler) of Fohorem Nutetu, or five kingdoms consisting of Fatumea, Dakolo, Lookeu, Sisi and Maudemi.

According to a second explanation, the English language name of the municipality is said to be a Portuguese approximation of the words kaua lima or portmanteau Kaualima, which means 'five crows' in Tetum.

It has been asserted that the Portuguese version of the name, perhaps intentionally, has a symbolically derogatory meaning, namely 'Five Graves' or 'Five Holes', as the Portuguese word cova means 'grave' or 'hole'. According to that assertion, the Portuguese version may also be a "... form of cultural and mind de-colonization ..." [sic - colonization] of the local name.

Geography

Pottery Cova Lima
Woman with pottery in Cova Lima

Cova Lima borders the Timor Sea to the south, the municipalities of Bobonaro to the north, Ainaro to the east, and the Indonesian province of East Nusa Tenggara to the west.

Administrative posts

The administrative posts of Cova Lima are Fatululic, Fatumean, Fohorem, Zumalai, Maucatar, Suai, and Tilomar.

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Distrito de Cova-Lima para niños

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