Timor-Leste, or East Timor, is part of the Community of Portuguese-Language Countries (CPLP) and one of the youngest countries in the world.
It occupies the eastern part of the island of Timor in Southeast Asia, plus the enclave of Ambeno on the northern coast of West Timor, Atauro Island in the north, and Jaco Island on the eastern end of the island.
The country’s only land borders connect it with Indonesia, to the west of the main body of land and to the east, south and west of Ambeno, but it also has a maritime border with Australia in the Timor Sea to the south. .
With an area of 14,874 square kilometers, Timor-Leste is still significantly smaller than Brazil’s smallest state, Sergipe.
Its capital is Dili, located on the northern coast.
Here are some facts about Asia’s newest country:
1. East Timor (Timor-Leste) is an island nation in Southeast Asia bordering Indonesia.
– Source: CIA World Fact Book
2. The name of the country translates as “East-East” as “timor” is derived from the Indonesian and Malay word “timur” which means “east” and “leste” which is the Portuguese word for “east”.
– Source: CIA World Fact Book
3. Archaeological remains found in East Timor suggest that the area has been inhabited for at least 42,000 years, making the site one of the region’s oldest sites of modern human activity.
– Source: University of Wollongong Australia (Journal)
4. East Timor occupies the eastern half of the island of Timor, several small offshore islands and the enclave of Ambeno in West Timor.
– Source: Britannica
5. East Timor was colonized by Portugal during the 1600s. They remained in power almost entirely until 1975.
– Source: BBC News
6. Japan invaded East Timor in 1942 during World War II and occupied the country until 1945.
The invasion and subsequent battles with Australian troops led to the deaths of over 60,000 East Timorese.
– Source: BBC News
7. East Timor first declared independence in 1975 from Portugal. However, just nine days later, it was annexed by Indonesia and declared as its 27th province.
– Source: Lonely Planet, BBC News
8. East Timor became the first new nation of the 21st century after gaining independence from Indonesia in 2002.
– Source: BBC News
9. As such, East Timor is also the youngest country in Asia.
– Source: Lonely Planet
10. Two East Timorese have won the Nobel Peace Prize. In 1996, the prize was awarded jointly to East Timorese activists José Ramos-Horta and Carlos Filipe Ximenes Belo “for their work towards a just and peaceful resolution of the conflict in East Timor”.
– Source: Nobel Prize
11. The flag of East Timor has a red background with a black triangle, a yellow triangle and a white five-pointed star.
Black symbolizes colonial repression, yellow the struggle for independence and red the suffering of the country’s people. The white star expresses hope for the future.
– Source: Britannica
12. East Timor is one of 27 countries that does not have a single UNESCO World Heritage Site.
There are also no properties on the tentative list of sites intended to be submitted for nomination.
– Source: UNESCO, The Telegraph
13. East Timor is located within the Coral Triangle, a marine area in the western Pacific Ocean, home to an incredibly high number of corals (only about 600 different types of reef-building corals).
The region also supports six of the world’s seven species of sea turtles and more than 2,000 species of reef fish.
– Source: WWF
14. East Timor is home to the most biologically diverse waters in the world. In 2016, scientists discovered 643 species in the waters around Atauro Island, many of which are believed to be entirely new.
– Source: The Guardian
15. At least 22 species of cetaceans (aquatic mammals such as whales, dolphins and porpoises) have been found in East Timor waters. These have included spinner dolphins and blue whales.
– Source: The Guardian
16. As well as the four main languages – Tetunese, Portuguese, Indonesian and English – some 32 indigenous languages are also spoken in East Timor.
– Source: CIA World Fact Book
17. Dugongs can also be found in East Timor waters. Dugongs are considered sacred animals to some locals and are not hunted.
However, they are still considered a “vulnerable” species due to several other threats.
– Source: IUCN Red List of Threatened Species
8. East Timor’s national anthem, “Patria” (Homeland), was first used when the country declared independence from Portugal in 1975.
The song’s writer, Francisco Borja Da Costa, was killed in the Indonesian invasion just days later.
– Source: CIA World Fact Book
19. East Timor is one of only two predominantly Christian countries in Southeast Asia; the other is the Philippines.
– Source: CIA World Fact Book
20. East Timor is one of the least visited countries in the world. It received only about 74,000 tourists in 2017. By comparison, Indonesia received nearly 13 million.
– Source: UN World Tourism Organization (UNWTO)
21. A popular tourist attraction in East Timor is the 27-meter-high statue of Jesus Christ, Cristo Rei. The statue was a gift from the Indonesian government in 1996 and there are 570 steps leading up to it.
– Source: Lonely Planet, Atlas Obscura
22. East Timor is one of the poorest countries in Asia when measured by GDP per capita based on purchasing power parity (PPP). It is also the poorest country in East Asia.
– Source: World Bank
23. East Timor is the second hungriest country in the world and suffers from “alarming” levels of hunger, according to the Global Hunger Index 2021.
– Source: Global Huger Index
24. East Timor is also one of the least obese nations in the world. The country ranks 186th out of 191 countries when measured by the prevalence of obesity among adults over 18 years of age.
– Source: World Health Organization
