East Timor, also known as Timor-Leste, officially the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste, is a country in Southeast Asia. It comprises the eastern half of the island of Timor, the exclave of Oecusse on the island's north-western half, and the minor islands of Atauro and Jaco. The western half of the island of Timor is administered by Indonesia. Australia is the country's southern neighbour, separated by the Timor Sea. The country's size is 14,950 square kilometres (5,770 sq mi). Dili, on the north coast of Timor, is its capital and largest city.
Timor was settled by Papuan and Austronesian peoples, which are reflected in the country's diverse mix of cultures and languages reflecting links to Southeast Asia and Melanesia. East Timor came under Portuguese influence in the sixteenth century, remaining a Portuguese colony until 1975. Internal conflict preceded a unilateral declaration of independence and an Indonesian invasion and annexation. Resistance continued throughout Indonesian rule and in 1999, a United Nations–sponsored act of self-determination led to Indonesia relinquishing control of the territory. On 20 May 2002, as Timor-Leste, it became the first new sovereign state of the 21st century. That same year, relations with Indonesia were established and normalized, with Indonesia also supporting East Timor's accession into ASEAN.
The national government runs on a semi-presidential system, with the popularly elected president sharing power with a prime minister appointed by the National Parliament. Power is centralised under the national government, although many local leaders have informal influence. The country maintains a policy of international cooperation, and is a member of the Community of Portuguese Language Countries, an observer of the Pacific Islands Forum, and an applicant for ASEAN membership. The country remains relatively poor, with an economy that relies heavily on natural resources, especially oil, and foreign aid.
The total population is over 1.34 million at the 2022 census, and is heavily skewed towards young people due to a high fertility rate. Education has led to increasing literacy over the past half-century, especially in the two official languages of Portuguese and Tetum. High ethnic and linguistic diversity is reflected by the 30 indigenous languages spoken in the country. The majority of the population is Catholic, which coexists alongside strong local traditions and beliefs, especially in rural areas. (Full article...)
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Mountain area in Cova Lima
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. The capital of the municipality is Suai, which lies 136 km from Dili, the national capital. (Full article...)
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Maria Ângela Guterres Viegas Carrascalão (born 10 April 1951) is an East Timorese journalist, author, university teacher and former Minister of Justice. She is a member of the Timorese Democratic Union (Portuguese: União Democrática Timorense (UDT)). (Full article...)
The following are images from various East Timor-related articles on Wikipedia.
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An East Timorese dish of ikan sabuko with batar daan, rice and budu. (from Cuisine of East Timor)
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Indonesian soldiers pose in November 1975 in Batugade, East Timor with a captured Portuguese flag. (from History of East Timor)
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East Timorese independence referendum, 1999 (from History of East Timor)
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An East Timorese wedding in 2006 (from Culture of East Timor)
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Bibinka - a grilled and layered coconut cake. (from Cuisine of East Timor)
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Campaigning for reading in Timor-Leste. (from Culture of East Timor)
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Detailed map of East Timor (from Geography of East Timor)
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Arms of Portuguese Timor (1935–1975) (from History of East Timor)
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A re-enactment of the Santa Cruz Dili massacre, November 1998 (from History of East Timor)
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Portuguese soldiers in East Timor (from History of East Timor)
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Major General Peter Cosgrove (right) Australian commander of the United Nations backed peace keeping operation (INTERFET) to East Timor. (from History of East Timor)
Religions in East Timor
Southeast Asia
Other countries
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