Cape Fatucama

Cape Fatucama (Portuguese: Cabo Fatucama, Tetum: Capa Fatu Cama) is a cape or large headland a short distance north east of Dili, on the north coast of East Timor. It is best known as the site of the Cristo Rei of Dili, a colossal statue of Jesus Christ.

Cape Fatucama
Cape
Early morning view of the Cape
Early morning view of the Cape
Location in East Timor
Location in East Timor
Cape Fatucama
Location in East Timor
Coordinates: 8°31′10″S 125°36′28″E
LocationCristo Rei, East Timor
Offshore water bodies

Etymology

According to Cliff Morris's Tetun-English Dictionary (1984), Fatu means stone or rock, and Kama means bed.[1]

Geography

The cape is located at the north eastern end of the Bay of Dili,[2][3]: 3, 17, 25, 26  about 7 km (4.3 mi) from the centre of Dili.[4] It marks the southern end of the transition between Ombai Strait, of which the bay is part,[5] and Wetar Strait, between the north eastern shore of Timor and the Indonesian island of Wetar.[6] It also lies at the northern end of the border between the sucos of Meti Aut (on the border's western side) and Hera (on its eastern side).[3]: 25, 26 

To the south of the cape, inside the Bay of Dili, is Cristo Rei Beach, and to the cape's east, facing Wetar Strait, is Jesus Backside Beach,[2] which is sometimes referred to in English as Dolok Oan, its Tetum name.[7]

Since 1996, the Cristo Rei of Dili statue has been mounted atop a globe at the peak of the cape.[8] The statue is accessible from the car park at Cristo Rei Beach via a 570-step concrete staircase.[2][9][10] Pedestrian access to Jesus Backside Beach is provided by a combination of that main staircase and a second concrete staircase descending from about one third of the way up the main staircase.[2][9]

The cape, and the two beaches flanking it, all form part of the Areia Branca no Dolok Oan, a 2,916 ha (7,210 acres) Important Bird Area (IBA). The cape's slopes, like the other hills in the IBA, including the hills on the land sides of the two beaches, are vegetated with savanna woodland dominated by Eucalyptus alba.[11]

References
  1. Morris, Cliff (1984). Tetun - English Dictionary (PDF). Pacific Linguistics Series C - No. 83. Canberra: Department of Linguistics, Research School of Pacific Studies, Australian National University. pp. 32, 99. ISBN 0858833085.
  2. "Lakad Pilipinas: EAST TIMOR | Climbing the Cristo Rei of Dili". Lakad Pilipinas. Retrieved 30 March 2022.
  3. Município Dili: Esboços Mapa Suco no Aldeia Timor-Leste (PDF) (in Tetum). Dili: Ministério das Finanças / Direcção Geral de Estatística / Direcção Nacional Cartografia Estatísticas. 2019. Archived from the original (PDF) on 17 November 2020. Retrieved 5 March 2022.
  4. "Cristo Rei in Timor-Leste". The Elevated Moments. 19 August 2019. Retrieved 18 March 2022.
  5. "East Timor Maps - Perry-Castañeda Map Collection - UT Library Online: City Maps - Dili U.S. Central Intelligence Agency 1999". University of Texas at Austin. Retrieved 2 April 2022.
  6. Leifer, Michael (1978). Malacca, Singapore, and Indonesia. International Straits of the World, Volume 2. Alphen aan den Rijn: Sijthoff & Noordhoff. pp. 83–84. ISBN 9028607781.
  7. Raynor, Sophie (13 January 2020). "The Coco Travel Guide to Dili: A weekend of nature, culture, history and food in the seaside Timor-Leste capital". Coconuts. Coconuts Media. Retrieved 19 March 2022.
  8. "Patung Kristus Raja, Wisata Rohani Timor Leste" [Statue of Christ the King, Spiritual Tourism of East Timor] (in Indonesian). Liputan6. 31 March 2011. Archived from the original on 18 February 2018. Retrieved 30 March 2022.
  9. "Lakad Pilipinas: EAST TIMOR | The Beaches of Dili". Lakad Pilipinas. Retrieved 18 March 2022.
  10. Gregory, David. "Hike to Cristo Rei of Dili". www.theoutbound.com. Retrieved 18 March 2022.
  11. BirdLife International (2022). "Important Bird Areas factsheet: Areia Branca no Dolok Oan". BirdLife International. Retrieved 19 March 2022.

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