Cova Lima Municipality

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Cova Lima
Municipality of East Timor
Município Cova Lima (Portuguese) Munisípiu Kovalima (Tetum)
Mountain area in Cova Lima
Seal Official map
Cova Lima in     East Timor
OpenStreetMap
Coordinates: 9°19′S 125°15′E / 9.317°S 125.250°E / -9.317; 125.250
Country	East Timor
Capital	Suai
Administrative posts	Fatululic Fatumean Fohorem Zumalai Maucatar Suai Tilomar
Area
• Total	1,198.6 km2 (462.8 sq mi)
• Rank	7th
Population  (2015 census)
• Total	65,301
• Rank	9th
• Density	54/km2 (140/sq mi)
• Rank	9th
Households (2015 census)
• Total	12,564
• Rank	8th
Time zone	UTC+09:00 (TLT)
ISO 3166 code	TL-CO
HDI (2017)	0.618[1] medium · 3rd
Website	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]

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]

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.

The administrative posts of Cova Lima are Fatululic, Fatumean, Fohorem, Zumalai, Maucatar, Suai, and Tilomar.^[9]

Media related to Cova Lima (Municipality) at Wikimedia Commons

• Cova Lima Municipality – official site (in Tetum with some content in English)
• Cova Lima Municipality – information page on Ministry of State Administration site (in Portuguese and Tetum)