Insular Southeast Asia - Dragons and Tigers: A Geography of South, East and Southeast Asia - page 480

1 0 °

JOINT PETROLEUM
DEVELOPMENT AREA
(Formerly "Timor Gap")

ENERGY RESOURCES IN THE
TIMOR SEA
Oil and gas field
Maritime Median
Line Boundary
Road

15 °

Dili National capital

Mountain over
1,800 m. (5,900 ft.)

0 100 200 Kilometers

0 100 Miles

50

130 °

Longitude East of Greenwich

Figure 16-23
Timor-Leste and the Timor Gap. From H. J. de Blij and P . O. Muller, Geography: Realms, Regions and
Concepts , 14th edition, 2010, p. 572. Originally rendered in color. © H. J. de Blij and P . O. Muller.
Reprinted with permission of John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Indonesia and Australia agreed on a maritime boundary
greatly favoring Australia in 1972. Once East Timor be-
came independent, it wanted to get rid of this boundary
and replace it with one based on United Nations recom-
mendations. The United Nations boundary would be
midway between the island and Australia and give the
bulk of the resources to Timor-Leste. Australia rejected

this proposal. However, in 2004, the two countries ham-
mered out a proposal to develop the Greater Sunrise gas
field. Revenues will be shared with Timor-Leste gaining
US$3.5 billion in tax and royalty payments. The problem
of the maritime boundary has yet to be solved.
East Timor is one of Asia' is poorest countries with
42 percent of its people living below the official poverty