Pante Macassar

Pante Macassar (Portuguese: Pante Macassar, Tetum: Pante-Makassár) is a city in the Pante Macassar administrative post on the north coast of East Timor, 152 kilometres or 94 miles to the west of Dili, the nation's capital. It has a population of 4,730 (Stand 2006). It is the capital of the Oecusse exclave (former Oecussi-Ambeno).

Pante Macassar Pante Macassar (Portuguese) Pante-Makasár (Tetum)
City
Pante Macassar Location in East Timor
Coordinates: 9°12′S 124°23′E
Country	East Timor
Municipality	Oecusse
Administrative post	Pante Macassar
Area
• Total	357.30 km2 (137.95 sq mi)
Elevation	189 m (620 ft)
Population  (2015 census)
• Total	12,352
• Density	35/km2 (90/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+09:00 (TLT)
Climate	Aw

Map of Pante Macassar subdistrict

The name literally means "beach of Makassar," alluding to the erstwhile trade with Makassar in Sulawesi (South Celebes).[1] Locally Pante Macassar is known also as "Oecussi," which is commonly translated as "water pot",[1] and was the name of one of the two original kingdoms that form the exclave. The other was Ambeno. During the Portuguese colonisation, the city was also known as Vila Taveiro.

Lifau, in the outskirts of the present city, was the place where the Portuguese first disembarked on Timor and was the first capital of Portuguese Timor. It continued as capital until 1769, when that was transferred to Dili because of constant attacks from the Topasses.

Due to its distance from the remainder of East Timor, Oecussi-Ambeno, and specifically Pante Macassar, became the first territory occupied by Indonesia on 29 November 1975.

In 1999, in the tumult that accompanied the referendum for independence, Pante Macassar was particularly affected by the destructiveness of the pro-integration militias, supported by the Indonesian army. Sixty-five civilian supporters of independence were hanged, and 90 percent of the buildings were burned down.

Twice a week, a ferry boat from Dili arrives, for a journey that takes 12 hours (which is half a day).