East Timor

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

East Timor, officially the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste or Timor-Leste (Malay: Timor, East, Portuguese: Leste, East), is a country in Southeast Asia comprising the eastern half of the island of Timor, the nearby islands of Atauro and Jaco, and Oecussi-Ambeno, an exclave on the northwestern side of the island, within Indonesian West Timor. The small country of 5,376 square miles (14,609 square kilometres) is located about 400 miles (640 km) northwest of Darwin, Australia.

The name "Timor" derives from timor or timur, the word for "east" in Indonesian and Malay which became "timor" in Portuguese. The Portuguese name Timor-Leste (pron. IPA: [ti'moɾ 'lɛʃtɨ]) and the unofficial Tetum name Timór Lorosa'e are sometimes used in English. Lorosa'e (the word for "east" in Tetum) literally means "rising sun".

At $800 [1], East Timor has one of the the lowest per capita GDP (Purchasing Power Parity adjusted) in the world. Its Human Development Index (HDI), however, corresponds to a medium degree of human development and places East Timor 142nd among the world's nations.

Colonized by Portugal in the sixteenth century, East Timor was known as Portuguese Timor for centuries. It was invaded and occupied by Indonesia in 1975 and declared the country's 27th province the following year. Following the 1999 UN-sponsored act of self-determination that year, Indonesia relinquished control of the territory and East Timor became the first new sovereign state of the twenty-first century on May 20, 2002. Alongside the Philippines, East Timor is one of only two predominantly Roman Catholic countries in Asia, and the only Portuguese-speaking sovereign state in Asia.

Contents 1 History 1.1 Early history 1.2 Portuguese Colonization 1.3 Indonesian occupation 1.4 Independence 1.5 2006 crisis 2 Politics 3 Districts and municipalities 4 Geography 5 Economy 6 Demographics 7 Religion 8 Languages 9 Culture 10 Sports 10.1 International Sports Associations 10.2 Participation in international events 11 Public holidays 12 See also 13 References 14 External links

[edit] History

Main article: History of East Timor

[edit] Early history

Timor was originally populated as part of the human migrations that have shaped Australasia more generally. It is believed that descendents from at least three waves of migration still live in the country. The first were related to the principal indigenous groups of New Guinea and Australia, and arrived before 40,000 years ago. Around 3000 BC, a second migration brought Austronesians, who later continued eastward and colonized Island Oceania, and are possibly associated with the development of agriculture on Timor. Finally, proto-Malays arrived from south China and north Indochina.^[1][2] The mountainous nature of the country meant that these groups could remain separate, and explains why there is so much linguistic diversity in East Timor today.

Timor was incorporated into Chinese and Indian trading networks of the fourteenth century as an exporter of aromatic sandalwood, slaves, honey and wax. Early European explorers report that the island had a number of small chiefdoms or princedoms in the early sixteenth century. One of the most significant is the Wehale kingdom in central Timor, with its capital at Laran, West Timor, to which the Tetum, Bunaq and Kemak ethnic groups were aligned.

[edit] Portuguese Colonization

The Portuguese were the first Europeans to colonize South-East Asia when they arrived in the sixteenth century. They established outposts in Timor as well as in several of the surrounding islands. However, during the House of Habsburg's rule over Portugal, all the surrounding outposts were lost and eventually came under Dutch control by the mid seventeenth century. The area became a colony in 1702 with the arrival of the first governor from Lisbon. In the eighteenth century, the Netherlands gained a foothold on the Western half of the island, and was formally given West Timor in 1859 through the Treaty of Lisbon. The definitive border was established by the Hague Treaty of 1916, and it remains the international boundary between the successor states East Timor and Indonesia.

In late 1941, Portuguese Timor was briefly occupied by Dutch and Australian troops in an attempt to pre-empt a Japanese invasion of the island. The Portuguese Governor protested the invasion, and the Dutch forces returned to the Dutch side of the island. When the Japanese landed and drove the small Australian force out of Dili, the mountainous interior became the scene of a guerrilla campaign, known as the Battle of Timor, waged by Allied forces and Timorese volunteers against the Japanese. The struggle resulted in the deaths of between 40,000 and 70,000 Timorese. Following the end of the war, Portuguese control was reinstated.

The process of decolonisation in Portuguese Timor began in 1974, following the change of government in Portugal in the wake of the Carnation Revolution. Owing to political instability and more pressing concerns over the decolonisation of Angola and Mozambique, Portugal effectively abandoned East Timor and it unilaterally declared itself independent on November 28, 1975. Nine days later, it was invaded and occupied by Indonesian forces before the declaration could be internationally recognised.

[edit] Indonesian occupation

Indonesia alleged that the East Timorese FRETILIN party, which received some vocal support from the People's Republic of China, was communist. Fearing a Communist domino effect in Southeast Asia – and in the wake of its failed South Vietnam campaign– the United States, along with its ally Australia, supported the pro-Western Indonesian government's actions despite Portugal being a founding member of NATO.

An Indonesian invasion was launched over the western border on 7 December 1975. Two days before the invasion of Dili and subsequent annexation, U.S. President Gerald Ford and Secretary of State Henry Kissinger met President Suharto in Jakarta where Ford made it clear that "We will understand and will not press you on the issue. We understand the problem and the intentions you have." Kissinger added: "It is important that whatever you do succeeds quickly [because] the use of US-made arms could create problems."^[3] U.S. arms sales to Indonesia continued under subsequent U.S administrations including that of Bill Clinton, although it did eventually discontinue U.S. support of Suharto's regime. As "Timor Timur", the territory was declared the twenty-seventh province of Indonesia in July 1976. Its nominal status in the UN remained that of a "non-self-governing territory under Portuguese administration."

The East Timorese guerrilla force, Falintil, fought a campaign against the Indonesian forces from 1975 to 1999, some members being trained in Portugal by Portugese special forces.

Indonesian rule in East Timor was often marked by extreme violence and brutality, such as the Dili massacre and the Liquiçá Church Massacre. From 1975 until 1993, attacks on civilian populations were only nominally reported in the Western press. Death tolls reported during the occupation varied from 60,000 to 200,000^[4]. A detailed statistical report prepared for the Commission for Reception, Truth and Reconciliation in East Timor cited a lower range of 102,800 conflict-related deaths in the period 1974-1999, namely, approximately 18,600 killings and 84,200 'excess' deaths from hunger and illness.^[5] Since each data source used under-reports actual deaths, this is considered a minimum. Amnesty International estimated deaths at 200,000^[6].

[edit] Independence

Following a UN-sponsored agreement between Indonesia, Portugal and the United States and a surprise decision by the Indonesian President B. J. Habibie, a UN-supervised popular referendum was held on August 30, 1999. The East Timorese voted for full independence from Indonesia, but violent clashes, instigated primarily by the Indonesian military (see Scorched Earth Operation) and aided by Timorese pro-Indonesia militias, led by Eurico Guiterres, broke out soon afterwards. A peacekeeping force (INTERFET, led by Australia) intervened to restore order. Militias fled across the border into Indonesia, from which they attempted sporadic armed raids, particularly along the southern half of the main border held by the New Zealand Army. As these raids were repelled and international moral opinion forced Indonesia to withdraw tacit support, the militias dispersed. INTERFET was replaced by a UN force of International Police, the mission became known as UNTAET, and the UNTAET Crime Scene Detachment was formed to investigate alleged atrocities. The result of these actions caused Osama Bin Laden to place a fatwa on Australia and Australian interests. [2] [3] [4] [5] [6]

Following a visit by Xanana Gusmão to Lisbon, Portugal agreed to recognise East Timor's independence on May 20, 2002. On September 27, East Timor joined the United Nations.

[edit] 2006 crisis

Main article: 2006 East Timor crisis

Unrest started in the country in April 2006 following riots in Dili. A rally in support of 591 East Timorese soldiers dismissed for deserting their barracks turned into rioting; five people were killed and over twenty thousand fled their homes. Fierce fighting between pro-government troops and disaffected Falintil troops broke out in May 2006 [7]. While unclear, the motives behind the fighting appeared to be the distribution of oil funds and the poor organization of the Timorese army and police, including former Indonesian police and former Timorese rebels. Prime Minister Mari Alkatiri called the violence a "coup" and welcomed offers of foreign military assistance from several nations [8] [9]. By May 25, 2006, Australia, Malaysia, New Zealand, and Portugal sent troops to Timor, attempting to quell the violence [10] [11].

On June 22, 2006, President Gusmão delivered an ultimatum on a national television broadcast, saying that he would resign as President the following day if Prime Minister Alkatiri did not resign. Prime Minister Mari Alkatiri replied that he would only resign if Fretilin wanted him to do so. On 25 June, a meeting of Fretilin leaders confirmed Alkatiri's status as Prime Minister and in response, Foreign and Defence Minister José Ramos Horta resigned from office [12]. Pressure was mounting on Mari Alkatiri as 8 more ministers threatened to resign the next day, June 26. On the same day, Prime Minister Mari Alkatiri resigned stating, "I declare I am ready to resign my position as prime minister of the government... so as to avoid the resignation of His Excellency the President of the Republic" [13]. José Ramos Horta was appointed as his successor on July 8, 2006 [14].

In the build-up to the April 2007 Presidential elections there were renewed outbreaks of violence in February and March 2007, particularly in the city of Same. At this point people that had fled the 2006 violence in Dili were still displaced, living in camps around the country.

[edit] Politics

Main article: Politics of East Timor

The Head of state of the East Timorese republic is the president, who is elected by popular vote for a five-year term. Although the role is largely symbolic, the president does have veto power over certain types of legislation. Following elections, the president appoints the leader of the majority party or majority coalition as the prime minister. As head of government, the prime minister presides over the Council of State or cabinet.

The unicameral Timorese parliament is the National Parliament or Parlamento Nacional, whose members are elected by popular vote to a five-year term. The number of seats can vary from a minimum of fifty-two to a maximum of sixty-five, though it exceptionally has eighty-eight members at present, due to this being its first term of office. The East Timorese constitution was modelled on that of Portugal. The country is still in the process of building its administration and governmental institutions.

[edit] Districts and municipalities

Main articles: Districts of East Timor and Subdistricts of East Timor

East Timor is divided into thirteen administrative districts:

1. Lautém 2. Baucau 3. Viqueque 4. Manatuto 5. Dili

6. Aileu 7. Manufahi 8. Liquiçá 9. Ermera

10. Ainaro 11. Bobonaro 12. Cova-Lima 13. Oecussi-Ambeno

The districts are subdivided into 65 subdistricts, 443 sucos and 2,336 towns, villages and hamlets. [15]PDF (213 KiB)

[edit] Geography

Main article: Geography of East Timor

The island of Timor is part of the Malay archipelago and the largest and easternmost of the Lesser Sunda Islands. To the north of the mountainous island are the Ombai Strait and Wetar Strait, to the south the Timor Sea separates the island from Australia, while to the west lies the Indonesian Province of East Nusa Tenggara. The highest point of East Timor is Mount Ramelau (also known as Mount Tatamailau) at 2,963 meters (9,721 ft).

The local climate is tropical and generally hot and humid, characterised by distinct rainy and dry seasons. The capital, largest city and main port is Dili, and the second-largest city is the eastern town of Baucau. Dili has the only functioning international airport, though there are airstrips in Baucau and Oecusse used for domestic flights. Dili's airport runway is unable to accommodate large aircraft^[7].

[edit] Economy

Main article: Economy of East Timor

Prior to and during colonisation, Timor was best known for its sandalwood. In late 1999, about 70% of the economic infrastructure of East Timor was laid waste by Indonesian troops and anti-independence militias, and 260,000 people fled westward. Over the next three years a massive international program led by the UN, manned by civilian advisers, 5,000 peacekeepers (8,000 at peak) and 1,300 police officers, led to substantial reconstruction in both urban and rural areas. By mid-2002, all but about 50,000 of the refugees had returned. This successful UN effort was headed by Special Representative of the Secretary-General, Sérgio Vieira de Mello, later to become High Commissioner for Human Rights (and subsequently killed in Baghdad, August 2003).

The country faces great challenges in continuing to rebuild the infrastructure and strengthen the infant civil administration. One promising long-term project is the joint development with Australia of petroleum and natural gas resources in the waters southeast of Timor.

The Portuguese colonial administration granted a concession to Oceanic Exploration Corporation, [NASDAQ: OCEX.OB] of Denver, Colorado, to develop the petroleum deposits of the Timor Sea. Before the concession could begin to be developed, the Indonesian invasion made it impossible.

Timor Sea petroleum resources were divided between Indonesia and Australia by the Timor Gap Treaty in 1989 [16] which established guidelines for joint exploitation of seabed resources in the area of the "gap" left by then-Portuguese Timor in the maritime boundary agreed between the two countries in 1972. [17] Revenues from the "joint" area were to be divided 50%-50%. Woodside Petroleum and ConocoPhillips began development of some resources in the Timor Gap on behalf of the two governments in 1992.

OCEX currently has a $30B lawsuit against ConocoPhillips pending in US District Court in New York. This lawsuit is the company's sole significant asset; to fund the suit, it relies on the deep pockets of its majority owner, James Neal Blue, who also owns General Atomics (maker of the RQ-1 Predator drone aircraft).

East Timor inherited no permanent maritime boundaries when it attained independence, repudiating the Timor Gap Treaty as illegal. A provisional agreement (the Timor Sea Treaty, signed when East Timor became independent on 20 May 2002) defined a Joint Petroleum Development Area (JPDA), and awarded 90% of revenues from existing projects in that area to East Timor and 10% to Australia. [18] The first significant new development in the JPDA since Timorese independence is the largest petroleum resource in the Timor Sea, the Greater Sunrise gas field. Its exploitation was the subject of separate agreements in 2003 and 2005. Only 20% of the field lies within the JPDA and the rest in waters not subject to the treaty (though claimed by both countries). The initial, temporary agreement gave 82% of revenues to Australia and only 18% to East Timor. [19]

The Government of East Timor has sought to negotiate a definite boundary with Australia at the halfway line between the countries, in accordance with the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. The Government of Australia preferred to establish the boundary at the end of the wide Australian continental shelf, as agreed with Indonesia in 1972 and 1991. Normally a dispute such as this could be referred to the International Court of Justice or the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea for an impartial decision, [20] but the Australian government had withdrawn itself from these international jurisdictions (solely on matters relating to maritime boundaries) shortly before Timorese independence. [21] [22] Nevertheless, under public and diplomatic pressure the Australian government offered instead a last-minute concession on Greater Sunrise gas field royalties alone. [23] On July 7, 2005, an agreement was signed under which both countries would set aside the dispute over the maritime boundary, and East Timor would receive 50% of the revenues (estimated at A$26 billion or about US$20 billion over the lifetime of the project [24]) from the Greater Sunrise development. Other developments within waters claimed by East Timor but outside the JPDA (Laminaria-Corallina and Buffalo) continue to be exploited unilaterally by Australia, however. [25]

East Timor also has a large and potentially lucrative coffee industry, which sells organic coffee to numerous Fair Trade retailers and on the open market.

Currently three foreign banks have a branch in Dili: Australia's ANZ, Portugal's Banco Nacional Ultramarino, and Indonesia's Bank Mandiri.

[edit] Demographics

Main article: Demographics of East Timor

The population of East Timor is about one million. It has grown considerably recently, because of a high birth rate, but also because of the return of refugees. The population is especially concentrated in the area around Dili.

The Timorese are called Maubere collectively by some of their political organizations, an originally derogatory name turned into a name of pride by Fretilin. They consist of a number of distinct ethnic groups, most of whom are of mixed Malayo-Polynesian and Melanesian/Papuan descent. The largest Malayo-Polynesian ethnic groups are the Tetun (or Tetum) (100,000), primarily in the north coast and around Dili; the Mambae (80,000), in the central mountains; the Tukudede (63,170), in the area around Maubara and Liquiçá; the Galoli (50,000), between the tribes of Mambae and Makasae; the Kemak (50,000) in north-central Timor island; and the Baikeno (20,000), in the area around Pante Macassar. The main tribes of predominantly Papuan origin include the Bunak (50,000), in the central interior of Timor island; the Fataluku (30,000), at the eastern tip of the island near Lospalos; and the Makasae, toward the eastern end of the island. In addition, like other former Portuguese colonies where interracial marriage was common, there is a smaller population of people of mixed Timorese and Portuguese origin, known in Portuguese as mestiços. The East Timorese mestiços best-known internationally are Xanana Gusmão, the resistance fighter and national hero, and now President of East Timor; and José Ramos Horta, the spokesman for the resistance movement in exile, and now Prime Minister of East Timor. Mário Viegas Carrascalão, Indonesia's appointed governor between 1987 and 1992, is also a mestiço. East Timor has also tiny Chinese and pure-blooded Portuguese minorities (most of them left the area after the Indonesian invasion).

[edit] Religion

Upon independence, East Timor became one of only two predominantly Roman Catholic Christian countries in Asia (along with the Philippines). The population predominantly identifies as Roman Catholic (90%), though local animist traditions have a persistent and strong influence on the culture. Religious minorities include Muslims (5%) including former Prime Minister of East Timor Mari Alkatiri, and Protestants (3%). Smaller Hindu (0.3%), Buddhist (0.1%) and traditional animist minorities make up the remainder. Church membership grew considerably under Indonesian rule, as Indonesia's state ideology Pancasila does not recognize traditional beliefs and requires all citizens to believe in God. Although the struggle was not about religion, as a deep-rooted local institution, the Church not only symbolized East Timor's distinction from predominantly Muslim Indonesia, but also played a significant role in the resistance movement, as personified by Bishop Carlos Filipe Ximenes Belo, the 1996 Nobel Peace Prize laureate^[8]. The constitution acknowledges the Church's role among the East Timorese people although it also stipulates a secular state that guarantees freedom of religion to everyone.

[edit] Languages

Main article: Languages of East Timor

East Timor's two official languages are Portuguese and Tetum, a local Austronesian language. The predominant form of Tetum, known as Tetun-Dili, grew out of the dialect favored by the colonizers at Dili, and thus has considerable Portuguese influence, but other dialects of Tetum are also widely used in the country, among which Tetun-Terik along the southwestern coast. Indonesian and English are defined as working languages under the Constitution in the Final and Transitional Provisions, without setting a final date. Although the country has only about 1 million inhabitants, another fifteen indigenous languages are spoken: Bekais, Bunak, Dawan, Fataluku, Galoli, Habun, Idalaka, Kawaimina, Kemak, Lovaia, Makalero, Makasai, Mambai, Tokodede and Wetarese.

Under Indonesian rule, the use of Portuguese was banned, but it was used by the clandestine resistance, especially in communicating with the outside world. The language, along with Tetum, gained importance as a symbol of resistance and freedom and was adopted as one of the two official languages for this reason, and as a link to nations in other parts of the world. It is now being taught and promoted widely with the help of Brazil, Portugal and the Latin Union, although its prominence in official and public spheres has been met with some hostility from younger Indonesian-educated Timorese.

According to the 2006 UN Development Report (using data from official census), under 5%^[9] of the Timorese population is literate in Portuguese. However, the validity of this report has been questioned by members of the Timorese National Institute of Linguistics,^[10] which maintains that Portuguese is spoken by up to 25% of Timorese, with the number of speakers more than doubling in the last five years.^{[citation needed]} Along with other local languages, Tetum remains the most common means of communication between ordinary Timorese, while Indonesian is still widely used in the media and school from High School to University. A large proportion of words in Tetum are derived from Portuguese, but it also shares many Malay-derived words with Indonesian. Many Indonesian words are still in common use in Tetum and other Timorese languages, particularly numbers.

East Timor is a member of the Community of Portuguese Language Countries (CPLP), also known as the Lusophone Commonwealth, and a member of the Latin Union. It is the only independent state in Asia with Portuguese as an official language, although this is also one of the official languages of China's Special Administrative Region of Macau.

[edit] Culture

Main article: Culture of East Timor

See also: Music of East Timor

The culture of East Timor reflects numerous influences, including Portuguese, Roman Catholic, and Malay, on the indigenous Austronesian and Melanesian cultures of Timor. Legend has it that a giant crocodile was transformed into the island of Timor, or Crocodile Island, as it is often called. East Timorese culture is heavily influenced by Austronesian legends, although the Catholic influence is also strong.

Illiteracy is still widespread, but there is a strong tradition of poetry. President Xanana Gusmão, for example, is a distinguished poet. As for architecture, some Portuguese-style buildings can be found, along with the traditional totem houses of the eastern region. These are known as uma lulik (sacred houses) in Tetum, and lee teinu (houses with legs) in Fataluku. Craftsmanship is also widespread, as is the weaving of traditional scarves or tais.

[edit] Sports

[edit] International Sports Associations

East Timor has joined many international sport associations, including the International Olympic Committee (IOC). The IOC board has granted full recognition to the East Timorese Olympic Committee (COTL). The IOC had allowed a mainly symbolic four-member team to take part in the 2000 Sydney Games under the Olympic flag as "Independent Olympic Athletes." The Federação de Timor-Leste de Atletismo has joined the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF). The Federação de Badminton de Timor-Leste joined the International Badminton Federation (IBF) in April 2003. The East Timor Cycling Federation has joined the Union Cycliste Internationale. The Confederação do Desporto de Timor Leste has joined the International Weightlifting Federation. East Timor is also a full member of the International Table-Tennis Federation (ITTF). In September 2005, East Timor's national football team joined FIFA.

[edit] Participation in international events

East Timor has taken part in several sporting events. Although the athletes came back with no medals, East Timorese athletes had the opportunity to compete with other Southeast Asian athletes in the 2003 Southeast Asian Games held in Vietnam in 2003. Most of their equipment was lent by the other nations competing.^{[citation needed]} In the 2003 ASEAN Paralympics Games, also held in Vietnam, East Timor won a bronze medal. In the Athens 2004 Olympic Games, six athletes participated in three sports: athletics, weightlifting and boxing).

On East Timor's performance in the 22nd SEA Games in 2003, karate coach Austo Aparício remarked, "This was an opportunity for our athletes to gain experience. East Timor is still young, so it has lots of financial problems." He also commented on his team's karate performance, "We are fairly good at karate and we can make sure that we win a medal in the Philippines, in 2005."

East Timor was also one of the competing nations in the first Lusophony Games, winning a bronze medal in the Volleyball female competiion (finishing third out of three teams), despite the fact the team had lost all its three games.

[edit] Public holidays

East Timor now has public holidays that commemorate historic events in the liberation struggle, as well as those associated with Catholicism. They are defined in Timor-Leste Law no. 10/2005PDF (16.7 KiB).

Date	Name	Notes
January 1	New Year's Day
March-April	Good Friday
May 1	Labour Day
May 20	Independence Restoration Day	Anniversary of transfer of sovereignty from the United Nations transitional government, 2002
May-June	Feast of Corpus Christi
August 30	Popular Consultation Day	Anniversary of the Popular Consultation, 1999
November 1	All Saints' Day
November 2	All Souls' Day
November 12	National Youth Day	Anniversary of the Santa Cruz massacre, 1991
November 28	Proclamation of Independence Day	1975
December 7	National Heroes' Day	Anniversary of Indonesian invasion of East Timor, 1975
December 8	Immaculate Conception
December 25	Christmas Day

In addition, the law defines "official commemorative dates" which are not considered holidays but could be subject to time off from work:

Date	Name
February-March	Ash Wednesday
March-April	Holy Thursday
May-June	Ascension Day
June 1	International Children's Day
August 20	Day of the Armed Forces for the National Liberation of Timor-Leste (FALINTIL)
November 3	National Women's Day
December 10	International Human Rights Day

[edit] See also

Communications in East Timor Foreign relations of East Timor Great Timor Indonesia Military of East Timor

Scouting in East Timor Sports in East Timor Timor Transport in East Timor West Timor

Lists

• List of East Timor-related topics
• List of cities in East Timor
• List of East Timorese people

[edit] References

[edit] External links

Find more information on East Timor by searching Wikipedia's sister projects
	Dictionary definitions from Wiktionary
	Textbooks from Wikibooks
	Quotations from Wikiquote
	Source texts from Wikisource
	Images and media from Commons
	News stories from Wikinews
	Learning resources from Wikiversity

Government

• Timor-Leste.gov Official government site
• Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation Timor-Leste
• Permanent Mission of the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste to the United Nations in Geneva

Other

• East Timor Tourism
• East Timor and Indonesia on the World-Wide Web (ETAN) link directory
• CIA World Factbook on East Timor
• East Timor Institute for Reconstruction Monitoring and Analysis (La'o Hamutuk)
• Timeline of Timor Sea boundary negotiations (Radio Australia)
• "Death of a Nation - The Timor Conspiracy" documentary produced by John Pilger in 1994.
• "Minding the Timor Gap" article on East Timor natural resources in Dollars & Sense
• National Identity in East TimorPDF (791 KiB) A document exploring the fundamental elements that constitute Timorese national identity
• "Dispelling the Myths of Timor"
• Images of Timor Lorosae / Timor-Leste
• Violence and martial arts in East Timor
• East Timor article by Noam Chomsky
• East Timor Retrospective by Noam Chomsky
• East Timor Questions & Answers

Geographic locale

v • d • e Countries and territories of Southeast Asia Sovereign countries  Brunei  Cambodia  East Timor  Indonesia  Laos  Malaysia  Myanmar  Philippines  Singapore  Thailand  Vietnam Non-sovereign territories  Andaman and Nicobar Islands  (India)  Christmas Island  (Australia)  Cocos (Keeling) Islands  (Australia)  Hainan Island  (PRC) Disputed territories Paracel Islands (PRC, ROC, Vietnam)  ·  Macclesfield Islands (PRC, ROC, Vietnam)  ·  Scarborough Shoal (Philippines, PRC, ROC)  ·  Spratly Islands (Brunei, Malaysia, Philippines, PRC, ROC, Vietnam)

International membership and history

v • d • e Community of Portuguese Language Countries (CPLP) Angola • Brazil • Cape Verde • East Timor • Guinea-Bissau • Mozambique • Portugal • São Tomé and Príncipe Observer: Equatorial Guinea • Mauritius v • d • e East Asia Summit (EAS) Australia Brunei Darussalam Cambodia India Indonesia Japan Laos Malaysia Myanmar New Zealand People's Republic of China Philippines Singapore Republic of Korea Thailand Vietnam Potential future members Timor-Leste      Russia v • d • e Portuguese Empire North Africa  15th century 1415–1640  Ceuta 1420           Madeira 1458–1550  Alcácer Ceguer (El Qsar es Seghir) 1471–1550  Arzila (Asilah) 1471–1662  Tangier 1485–1550  Mazagan (El Jadida) 1488–1541  Safim (Safi) 16th century 1505–1769  Santa Cruz do Cabo de Gué (Agadir) 1506–1525  Mogador (Essaouira) 1506–1525  Aguz (Souira Guedima) 1506–1769  Mazagan (El Jadida) 1513–1541  Azamor (Azemmour) 1577–1589  Arzila (Asilah) Sub-Saharan Africa  15th century 1455–1633  Arguin 1470–1975  São Tomé1 1474–1778  Annobón 1478–1778  Fernando Póo (Bioko) 1482–1637  Elmina (São Jorge da Mina) 1482–1642  Portuguese Gold Coast 1496–1550  Madagascar (part) 1498–1540  Mascarene Islands 16th century 1500–1630  Malindi 1500–1975  Príncipe1 1501–1975  Portuguese E. Africa (Mozambique) 1502–1659  St. Helena 1503–1698  Zanzibar 1505–1512  Quíloa (Kilwa) 1506–1511  Socotra 1557–1578  Accra 1575–1975  Portuguese W. Africa (Angola) 1588–1974  Cacheu2 1593–1698  Mombassa (Mombasa) 17th century 1642–1975  Cape Verde 1645–1888  Ziguinchor 1680–1961  São João Baptista de Ajudá 1687–1974  Bissau2 18th century 1728–1729  Mombassa (Mombasa) 1753–1975  São Tomé and Príncipe 19th century 1879–1974  Portuguese Guinea 1885–1975  Portuguese Congo (Cabinda) 1 Part of São Tomé and Príncipe from 1753.   2 Part of Portuguese Guinea from 1879. Southwest Asia  16th century 1506–1615  Gamru (Bandar Abbas) 1515–1622  Hormuz (Ormus) 1515–1650  Muscat 1521–1602  Bahrain Indian subcontinent  15th century 1498–1545  Laccadive Islands (Lakshadweep) 16th century Portuguese India    1500–1663  Cochim (Kochi)    1502–1661  Quilon (Coulão/Kollam)    1502–1663  Cannanore (Kannur)    1507–1657  Negapatam (Nagapattinam)    1510–1962  Goa    1512–1525  Calicut (Kozhikode)    1518–1619  Paliacate (Pulicat)    1521–1740  Chaul    1523–1662  São Tomé de Meliapore    1528–1666  Chittagong    1534–1601  Salsette Island    1534–1661  Bombay (Mumbai)    1535–1739  Baçaím (Vasai-Virar)    1536–1662  Cranganore (Kodungallur)    1540–1612  Surat    1548–1658  Tuticorin (Thoothukudi)    1559–1962  Daman and Diu    1568–1659  Mangalore    1579–1632  Hughli    1598–1610  Masulipatnam (Machilipatnam) 1518–1521  Maldives 1518–1658  Ceilão (Ceylon/Sri Lanka) 1558–1573  Maldives 17th century Portuguese India    1687–1749  São Tomé de Meliapore 18th century Portuguese India    1779–1954  Dadra and Nagar Haveli East Asia and Oceania  16th century 1511–1641  Malacca (Melaka) 1512–1621  Banda Islands 1512–1621  Moluccas (Maluku Islands)    1522–1575  Ternate    1576–1605  Ambon    1578–1650  Tidore 1512–1665  Makassar 1553–1999  Macau 1571–1639  Decima (Dejima, Nagasaki) 17th century 1642–1975  Portuguese Timor (East Timor)1 19th century Macau    1864–1999  Coloane    1851–1999  Taipa    1890–1999  Ilha Verde 20th century Macau    1938–1941  Lapa and Montanha (Hengqin) 1 1975 is the date of East Timor's Declaration of Independence and subsequent invasion by Indonesia. In 2002, the independence of East Timor was recognized by Portugal and the rest of the world. North America and the North Atlantic Ocean  15th century 1432           Azores 1499–1526  Labrador 16th century 1500–1526  Nova Scotia 1500–1526  Terra Nova (Newfoundland) Central and South America  16th century 1500–1822  Brazil 1536–1620  Barbados 17th century 1680–1777  Nova Colônia do Sacramento 19th century 1808–1822  Cisplatina (Uruguay) Portuguese colonization of the Americas