Timor-Leste, also known as East Timor, officially the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste, is a country in Southeast Asia. It comprises the eastern half of the island of Timor, the coastal exclave of Oecusse in the island's northwest, and the islands of Atauro and Jaco, for a total land area of 15,007 square kilometres (5,794 sq mi). Timor-Leste shares a land border with Indonesia to the west; Australia is the country's southern neighbour, across the Timor Sea. Dili, on the north coast of Timor, is its capital and largest city. Timor was settled over time by various Papuan and Austronesian peoples, which created a diverse mix of cultures and languages linked to Southeast Asia and Melanesia. 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. The subsequent Indonesian occupation was characterised by extreme abuses of human rights, including torture and massacres, a series of events named the East Timor genocide. Resistance continued throughout Indonesian rule and in 1999, a United Nations–sponsored act of self-determination led Indonesia to relinquish control of the territory. On 20 May 2002, Timor-Leste became the first new sovereign state of the 21st century. That same year, relations with Indonesia were established and normalised, with Indonesia also supporting Timor-Leste's accession into ASEAN. The national government is 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 and ASEAN, and is an observer of the Pacific Islands Forum. The country remains relatively poor, with an economy that relies heavily on natural resources, especially oil, and foreign aid. The total population is over 1.34 million at the 2022 census, and is heavily skewed towards young people because of 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. Most of the population is Roman Catholic, which coexists alongside strong local traditions and beliefs, especially in rural areas.
Name "Timor" is derived from timur, meaning 'east' in Malay, thus resulting in a tautological place name meaning 'East East'. In Indonesian, this results in the name Timor Timur (the name of the former de facto Indonesian province; Timor Leste is used instead to refer to the country). In Portuguese, the country is called Timor-Leste (Leste meaning 'east'). In Tetum, it is Timór Lorosa'e (lorosa'e means "east", literally translated as 'where the sun rises'). The official names under its constitution are "Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste" in English, "República Democrática de Timor-Leste" in Portuguese, and "Repúblika Demokrátika Timór-Leste" in Tetum. The official short form of the name is "Timor-Leste", and it uses the ISO codes TLS and TL.
History
Prehistory and Classical era
Cultural remains at Jerimalai on the eastern tip of Timor-Leste have been dated to 42,000 years ago. The first known inhabitants are those who arrived during the Australo-Melanesian migration through the region, likely bringing the precursors to today's Papuan languages. A later migration of Austroasiatic-speakers is suspected, although no such languages remain. The arrival of Austronesian peoples brought new languages, and merged with existing cultures on the island. Timorese origin myths recount settlers sailing around the eastern end of the island before landing in the south. These people are sometimes noted as being from the Malay Peninsula or the Minangkabau highlands of Sumatra. Austronesian migration to Timor may be associated with the development of agriculture on the island. While information is limited about the political system of Timor during this period, the island had developed an interconnected series of polities governed by customary law. Small communities, centred around a particular sacred house, were part of wider sucos (or principalities), which were themselves part of larger kingdoms led by a liurai. Authority within these kingdoms was held by two individuals, with the worldly power of the liurai balanced by the spiritual power of a rai nain, who was generally associated with the primary sacred house of the kingdom. These polities were numerous and saw shifting alliances and relations, but many were stable enough that they survived from initial European documentation in the 16th century until the end of Portuguese rule. From perhaps the thirteenth century, the island exported sandalwood, which was valued both for its use in crafting and as a source of perfume. Timor was included in Southeast Asian, Chinese, and Indian trading networks by the fourteenth century, exporting sandalwood, honey, and wax. The island was recorded by the Majapahit Empire as a source of tribute. It was sandalwood that attracted European explorers to the island in the early sixteenth century. Early European presence was limited to trade, with the first Portuguese settlement being on the nearby island of Solor.
Portuguese era (1769–1975)
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