Cova Lima Municipality

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.[2] The capital of the municipality is Suai, which lies 136 km from Dili, the national capital.[3]

Cova Lima
Municipality of East Timor
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
Coordinates: 9°19′S 125°15′E
Country East Timor
CapitalSuai
Administrative posts
Area
 • Total1,198.6 km2 (462.8 sq mi)
 • Rank7th
Population
 (2015 census)
 • Total65,301
 • Rank9th
 • Density54/km2 (140/sq mi)
  • Rank9th
Households (2015 census)
 • Total12,564
 • Rank8th
Time zoneUTC+09:00 (TLT)
ISO 3166 codeTL-CO
HDI (2017)0.618[1]
medium · 3rd
WebsiteCova Lima Municipality

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,[4]: 5 [5] or five kingdoms consisting of Fatumea, Dakolo, Lookeu, Sisi and Maudemi.[5][6]

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.[7][8]

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.[6]

Geography
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.[9]

References

Notes
  1. "Sub-national HDI - Area Database - Global Data Lab". hdi.globaldatalab.org. Retrieved 13 September 2018.
  2. "Friends of Suai/Covalima" (PDF). City of Port Phillip. May 2014. Retrieved 22 February 2017.
  3. "Friends of Suai: Strategic Plan: 2010 to 2020" (PDF). City of Port Phillip. Retrieved 22 February 2017.
  4. District Profile Covalima (PDF) (Report). April 2002. Archived from the original (PDF) on 14 October 2013. Retrieved 26 April 2022.
  5. "Perfil: 2. Toponímia" [Profile: 2. Toponymy]. Cova Lima Municipality (in Tetum). Retrieved 18 July 2022.
  6. "The Real Political and Cultural Meaning and Short History of Koba Lima and Suai". Suai Media Space. Retrieved 26 April 2022.
  7. Hull, Geoffrey (June 2006). "The placenames of East Timor" (PDF). Placenames Australia: Newsletter of the Australian National Placenames Survey: 6–7, at 7. Archived (PDF) from the original on 13 July 2018. Retrieved 25 April 2022.
  8. 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. 104, 131. ISBN 0858833085.
  9. Gunn, Geoffrey C (2011). Historical Dictionary of East Timor. Lanham, Maryland: Scarecrow Press. p. 67. ISBN 9780810867543.

Bibliography

Media related to Cova Lima (Municipality) at Wikimedia Commons

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