Luis Marçal da Costa Tavares.

1. Geography

Manufahi is one of the 12 Municipalities of Timor-Leste, located in the central part of Timor. It is a mountainous region with several high summits such as mount Cablaki, mount Manufahi, and mount Liurai in Fahinehan. It shares borders with the Municipalities of Manatuto (east), Ainaro (west), Aileu (north) and is bordered by the Timor Sea (south). It has four Administrative Posts: Alas, Fatuberliu, Same and Turiscai, which together regroup 21 sucos. In terms of demography, Manufahi has a total population of 56,844 (Census 2015 – projection for 2019) and a population density of 42,84 pp/km² for an area of 1,326.60 km². Tetun, Mambae, Laklei, Tetun Terik are the main languages, although some small areas also speak Bunak and Kemak.

2. Toponymy

Like other Municipalities, the name of Manufahi Municipality has its own history. It is composed of two Tetun words: Maun and Fahe, or Manu and Fahi, depending on the version. The story states that in the years 1911/1912, four siblings who had divided the land between them, eventually submitted to one only, giving the land the name of Maun (Big Brother) and Fahe (Divide). According to another version, in Daisua there was a rooster that flew from the mountain and sat down on the back of a pig and together they traveled through many places, and returned to Manufahi.

3. History

Historically, before the Portuguese established their authority in Manufahi, the land was ruled by the traditional authority of Kings and Queens. The reign of the Manufahi kingdom, located in the south coast of Timor-Leste, started in the 17th century. It became especially rich and powerful between the end of the 19th century and the beginning the 20th century.
The Governor António Coelho Guerreiro established 11 districts on April 20 1859. Manufahi was then named District of Dotic, and was part of a region called Alas composed of Manufahi, Alas, Raemean, Cammnassa and Suai. Under Indonesian occupation, Manufahi was an independent district, and later became a Municipality.

4. Climate

In term of climate, Manufahi Municipality aligns with the majority of Timor-Leste. From May to July it rains on average twice a week. November to April registers a high amount of rain, with an average of 2 hours of rain per day. From August to October, the climate is dry and hot without rain. Temperatures averages between 23°C and go down to 27°C.

5. Points of interest

The points of interest in Manufahi Municipality include Mount Cablaki, Dom Boaventura Statue, Antiga Prison, and Betano Coast.