Wikipedia portal for content related to East Timor
Welcome to the East Timor portal / Bem-vindo ao portal de Timor-Leste
Map of East Timor
East Timor,also known asTimor-Leste,officially theDemocratic Republic of Timor-Leste,is acountryinSoutheast Asia.It comprises the eastern half of the island ofTimor,theexclaveofOecusseon the island's north-western half, and the minor islands ofAtauroandJaco.The western half of the island of Timor is administered byIndonesia.Australiais the country's southern neighbour, separated by theTimor 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.
East Timor was settled by waves ofAustronesianandPapuanpeoples, which are reflected in the country's diverse mix of cultures and languages reflecting its links to Southeast Asia andMelanesiadespite its small area. East Timor came underPortugueseinfluence in the sixteenth century, remaining aPortuguese colonyuntil 1975. Internal conflict preceded a unilateral declaration of independence and anIndonesian invasionandannexation.Resistance continued throughout Indonesian rule, and, in 1999, aUnited Nations–sponsoredact ofself-determinationled to Indonesia relinquishing control of the territory. On 20 May 2002, asTimor-Leste,it became the first newsovereign stateof the 21st century. That same year, relations with Indonesia were established and normalized, with Indonesia also supporting East Timor'saccessionintoASEAN.
The national government runs on asemi-presidential system,with the popularly electedpresidentsharing power with aprime ministerappointed by theNational 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 theCommunity of Portuguese Language Countries,an observer of thePacific Islands Forum,and an applicant forASEANmembership. The country remains relatively poor, with aneconomythat relies heavily on natural resources, especially oil, and foreign aid. Aside from oil,coffeeis one of East Timor's largest exports, and makes up a substantial percentage of its agricultural output. East Timor also remains one of the most isolated countries in the world, with roughly only 27% of the population having access to the internet in 2017, and having a limited number of direct international flights from nearby areas such asSingapore,Bali,andDarwin.However, despite these challenges, East Timor has built a mostly successful democracy and is regularly considered one of the most free countries in Asia, being ranked as the only fully free and fair democracy in Southeast Asia, and ranking tenth in world press freedom as of 2023, with very high levels of voter participation, independent media, and civil discussion.
Thetotal populationis 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 ofPortugueseandTetum.High ethnic and linguistic diversity is reflected by the30 indigenous languagesspoken in the country. The majority of the population isCatholic,which coexists alongside strong local traditions and beliefs, especially in rural areas. (Full article...)
Bella Galhos (2020)Bella Galhos(born 1972) is a former East Timorese independence activist during the period of Indonesian occupation ofEast Timorand has been a translator, presidential advisor, human rights activist and environmentalist since independence in 2002. (Full article...)
