Timor-Leste

<p>The island of Timor was actively involved in Southeast Asian trading networks for centuries, and by the 14th century, it exported sandalwood, slaves, honey, and wax. The sandalwood trade attracted the Portuguese, who arrived in the early 16th century; by mid-century, they had colonized the island, which was previously ruled by local chieftains. In 1859, Portugal ceded the western portion of the island to the Dutch. Imperial Japan occupied Portuguese Timor from 1942 to 1945, but Portugal resumed colonial authority after the Japanese defeat in World War II. The eastern part of Timor declared itself independent from Portugal on 28 November 1975, but Indonesian forces invaded and occupied the area nine days later. It was incorporated into Indonesia in 1976 as the province of Timor Timur (East Timor or Timor Leste). Indonesia conducted an unsuccessful pacification campaign in the province over the next two decades, during which as many as 250,000 people died. <br><br>In a UN-supervised referendum in 1999, an overwhelming majority of the people of Timor-Leste voted for independence from Indonesia. However, anti-independence Timorese militias -- organized and supported by the Indonesian military -- began a large-scale, scorched-earth campaign of retribution, killing approximately 1,400 Timorese and displacing nearly 500,000. Most of the country's infrastructure was destroyed, including homes, irrigation systems, water supply systems, schools, and most of the electrical grid. Australian-led peacekeeping troops eventually deployed to the country and ended the violence. In 2002, Timor-Leste was internationally recognized as an independent state.</p> <p>In 2006, Australia and the UN had to step in again to stabilize the country, which allowed presidential and parliamentary elections to be conducted in 2007 in a largely peaceful atmosphere. In 2008, rebels staged an unsuccessful attack against the president and prime minister. Since that attack, Timor-Leste has made considerable progress in building stability and democratic institutions, holding a series of successful parliamentary and presidential elections since 2012. Nonetheless, weak and unstable political coalitions have led to periodic episodes of stalemate and crisis. The UN continues to provide assistance on economic development and strengthening governing institutions. Currently, Timor-Leste is one of the world's poorest nations, with an economy that relies heavily on energy resources in the Timor Sea.</p>

Southeastern Asia, northwest of Australia in the Lesser Sunda Islands at the eastern end of the Indonesian archipelago; note - Timor-Leste includes the eastern half of the island of Timor, the Oecussi (Ambeno) region on the northwest portion of the island of Timor, and the islands of Pulau Atauro and Pulau Jaco

8 50 S, 125 55 E

Southeast Asia

slightly larger than Connecticut; almost half the size of Maryland

706 km

tropical; hot, humid; distinct rainy and dry seasons

mountainous

gold, petroleum, natural gas, manganese, marble

350 sq km (2012)

most of the population is concentrated in the western third of the country, particularly around Dili

floods and landslides are common; earthquakes; tsunamis; tropical cyclones

the island of Timor is part of the Malay Archipelago and is the largest and easternmost of the Lesser Sunda Islands; the district of Oecussi is an exclave separated from Timor-Leste proper by Indonesia; Timor-Leste is the only Asian country located completely in the Southern Hemisphere

Austronesian (Malayo-Polynesian) (includes Tetun, Mambai, Tokodede, Galoli, Kemak, Baikeno), Melanesian-Papuan (includes Bunak, Fataluku, Bakasai), small Chinese minority

Tetun Prasa 30.6%, Mambai 16.6%, Makasai 10.5%, Tetun Terik 6.1%, Baikenu 5.9%, Kemak 5.8%, Bunak 5.5%, Tokodede 4%, Fataluku 3.5%, Waima'a 1.8%, Galoli 1.4%, Naueti 1.4%, Idate 1.2%, Midiki 1.2%, other 4.5% (2015 est.)

Catholic 90.7%, other 7.1%, Protestant Evangelical 1.9%; less than 1%: Islam, Buddhist, Hindu (2022 est.)

1.28% (2025 est.)

23.39 births/1,000 population (2025 est.)

6.86 deaths/1,000 population (2025 est.)

-3.73 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2025 est.)

most of the population is concentrated in the western third of the country, particularly around Dili

281,000 DILI (capital) (2018)

23 years (2016 est.)

192 deaths/100,000 live births (2023 est.)

2.79 children born/woman (2025 est.)

1.35 (2025 est.)

0.75 physicians/1,000 population (2020)

3.8% (2016)

31.9% (2020 est.)

56.4% (2022 est.)

one of only two predominantly Christian nations in Southeast Asia, the other being the Philippines

air pollution and deterioration of air quality; water quality, scarcity, and access; land and soil degradation; forest depletion; deforestation and soil erosion from slash-and-burn agriculture; loss of biodiversity

tropical; hot, humid; distinct rainy and dry seasons

20.4 micrograms per cubic meter (2019 est.)

8.215 billion cubic meters (2022 est.)

semi-presidential republic

12 municipalities (<em>municipios</em>, singular - <em>municipio</em>) and 1 special adminstrative region* (<em>regiao administrativa especial</em>); Aileu, Ainaro, Baucau, Bobonaro (Maliana), Covalima (Suai), Dili, Ermera (Gleno), Lautem (Lospalos), Liquica, Manatuto, Manufahi (Same), Oe-Cusse Ambeno* (Pante Macassar), Viqueque

civil law system based on the Portuguese model

accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations; accepts ICCt jurisdiction

17 years of age; universal

Democratic Party or PD <br>National Congress for Timorese Reconstruction or CNRT <br>National Unity of the Sons of Timor (Haburas Unidade Nasional Timor Oan or KHUNTO) <br>People's Liberation Party or PLP <br>Revolutionary Front of Independent Timor-Leste or FRETILIN

ACP, ADB, AOSIS, ARF, ASEAN, CPLP, EITI (compliant country), FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ITU, MIGA, NAM, OPCW, PIF (observer), UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, Union Latina, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WHO, WMO

28 November 1975 (from Portugal); 20 May 2002 (from Indonesia)

Restoration of Independence Day, 20 May (2002); Proclamation of Independence Day, 28 November (1975)

<strong>description:</strong> red with a black isosceles triangle (based on the left side) on a slightly longer yellow arrowhead that extends to the center of the flag; a white star is in the center of the black triangle<br><br><strong>meaning:</strong> yellow stands for past colonialism, black for obscurantism that needs to be overcome, and red for the struggle for freedom; the white star represents peace and a guiding light

Mount Ramelau

red, yellow, black, white

lower middle-income Southeast Asian economy; government expenditures funded via oil fund drawdowns; endemic corruption undermines growth; foreign aid-dependent; wide-scale poverty, unemployment, and illiteracy

$1.881 billion (2024 est.)

maize, rice, coconuts, root vegetables, vegetables, cassava, other meats, pork, beans, coffee (2023)

printing, soap manufacturing, handicrafts, woven cloth

-57% (2023 est.)

615,900 (2024 est.)

21.6% (of GDP) (2022 est.)

China 46%, Singapore 25%, Japan 15%, Indonesia 5%, USA 3% (2023)

crude petroleum, natural gas, coffee, scrap iron, telephones (2023)

Indonesia 34%, China 26%, Singapore 9%, Taiwan 5%, India 4% (2023)

refined petroleum, rice, cars, plastic products, trucks (2023)

<p>the US dollar is used</p>

7 TV stations (3 nationwide satellite coverage;&nbsp;2 terrestrial coverage, mostly in Dili; 2 cable) and 21 radio stations (3 nationwide coverage) (2019)

.tl

4W

11 (2025)

2 (2025)

Timor-Leste Defense Force (Falintil-Forcas de Defesa de Timor-L'este, Falintil (F-FDTL)): Land Component, Air Force Component, Naval Component<br><br>Ministry of Interior: National Police of Timor-Leste (Polícia Nacional de Timor-Leste, PNTL) (2025)

approximately 2,000 Defense Forces&nbsp; (2025)

the military is lightly armed with a limited inventory consisting mostly of donated equipment from countries such as Australia, China, Portugal, South Korea, and the US (2025)

18 years of age for voluntary military service for men and women; according to Timorese law on military service, all citizens 18-30 must contribute to the defense of independence, sovereignty, and territorial integrity of the country and render their contribution through defense and security institutions (2025)

the Timor-Leste Defense Force (F-FDTL) has both external defense and internal security roles; it also engages in national development missions, international peacekeeping, and regional security cooperation; the F-FDTL has ties with a variety of partners, including Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, Indonesia, Malaysia, New Zealand, the Philippines, Portugal, the UN, and the US (2025)