East Timor

Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste
  • República Democrática de Timor-Leste (Portuguese)
  • Repúblika Demokrátika de Timór-Leste (Tetum)
Motto: Unidade, Acção, Progresso (Portuguese)
"Unity, Action, Progress"
Anthem: Pátria (Portuguese)
"Fatherland"
Location of East Timor
Capital
and largest city
Dili
8°33′S 125°34′E / 8.55°S 125.56°E / -8.55; 125.56
Official languages
National languages
Working languages
Religion
(2015 census)[1]
  • 0.24% Islam
  • 0.23% other
Demonym(s)
  • East Timorese
  • Timorese
  • Maubere (informal)[2][3]
GovernmentUnitary semi-presidential republic[4]
• President
José Ramos-Horta
Xanana Gusmão
LegislatureNational Parliament
Independence 
16th century
28 November 1975
17 July 1976
25 October 1999
20 May 2002
Area
• Total
14,950 km2 (5,770 sq mi) (154th)
• Water (%)
Negligible
Population
• 2023 estimate
1,354,662 (153rd)
• 2022 census
1,341,737[5]
• Density
89.7/km2 (232.3/sq mi) (137th)
GDP (PPP)2023 estimate
• Total
Decrease $5 billion[6] (173rd)
• Per capita
Decrease $3,747[6] (157th)
GDP (nominal)2023 estimate
• Total
Decrease $2 billion[6] (183rd)
• Per capita
Decrease $1,497[6] (151st)
Gini (2014)28.7[7]
low
HDI (2021)0.607[8]
medium (140th)
CurrencyUnited States dollarb East Timor Centavo (USD)
Time zoneUTC+9 (Timor-Leste Time)
Driving sideleft
Calling code+670
ISO 3166 codeTL
Internet TLD.tlc
  1. Fifteen further "national languages" are recognised by the Constitution
  2. Centavo coins also used
  3. Former use of .tp has been phased out

East Timor,[a] also known as Timor-Leste,[b] 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.[9][10]

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.

  1. ^ "Nationality, Citizenship, and Religion". Government of Timor-Leste. 25 October 2015. Archived from the original on 14 July 2019. Retrieved 29 January 2020.
  2. ^ Hicks, David (15 September 2014). Rhetoric and the Decolonization and Recolonization of East Timor. Routledge. ISBN 9781317695356. Archived from the original on 26 March 2023. Retrieved 12 October 2020 – via Google Books.
  3. ^ Adelman, Howard (28 June 2011). No Return, No Refuge: Rites and Rights in Minority Repatriation. Columbia University Press. ISBN 9780231526906. Archived from the original on 26 March 2023. Retrieved 12 October 2020 – via Google Books.
  4. ^ Shoesmith, Dennis (2003). "Timor-Leste: Divided Leadership in a Semi-Presidential System". Asian Survey. 43 (2): 231–252. doi:10.1525/as.2003.43.2.231. Archived from the original on 14 April 2021. Retrieved 24 August 2020. The semi-presidential system in the new state of Timor-Leste has institutionalized a political struggle between the president, Xanana Gusmão, and the prime minister, Mari Alkatiri. This has polarized political alliances and threatens the viability of the new state. This paper explains the ideological divisions and the history of rivalry between these two key political actors. The adoption of Marxism by Fretilin in 1977 led to Gusmão's repudiation of the party in the 1980s and his decision to remove Falintil, the guerrilla movement, from Fretilin control. The power struggle between the two leaders is then examined in the transition to independence. This includes an account of the politicization of the defense and police forces and attempts by Minister of Internal Administration Rogério Lobato to use disaffected Falintil veterans as a counterforce to the Gusmão loyalists in the army. The December 4, 2002, Dili riots are explained in the context of this political struggle.
  5. ^ "Population by Age & Sex". Government of Timor-Leste. 25 October 2015. Archived from the original on 25 January 2020. Retrieved 29 January 2020.
  6. ^ a b c d "World Economic Outlook Database, October 2023". IMF.org. International Monetary Fund. October 2023. Retrieved 10 December 2023.
  7. ^ "Gini Index coefficient". CIA World Factbook. Archived from the original on 17 July 2021. Retrieved 16 July 2021.
  8. ^ "Human Development Report 2021/2022" (PDF). United Nations Development Programme. 8 September 2022. Archived (PDF) from the original on 8 September 2022. Retrieved 8 September 2022.
  9. ^ Cite error: The named reference :0 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  10. ^ Cite error: The named reference :1 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).


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