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Welcome to the East Timor portal / Bem-vindo ao portal de Timor-Leste
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 - of which the western half is administered by
Indonesia - the
exclave of
Oecusse on the island's north-western half, and the minor islands of
Atauro and
Jaco.
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.
East Timor was settled by waves of
Austronesian and
Papuan peoples, which are reflected in the country's diverse mix of cultures and languages reflecting its links to Southeast Asia and
Melanesia despite its small area. 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. Aside from oil,
coffee is 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 as
Singapore,
Bali, and
Darwin. 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.
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...)
Manatuto Vila has 3,692 inhabitants (Census 2015) and is capital of the subdistrict and district Manatuto. It is on the north coast of
Timor, 64 km (40 mi) (about 50 km (31 mi) as the crow flies) east of
Dili, the national capital, on the way to
Baucau. The capital is known for its salt production and abundance of tamarind. (Full article...)
Image 9Major General
Peter Cosgrove (right) Australian commander of the United Nations backed peace keeping operation (
INTERFET) to East Timor. (from History of East Timor)