The Portuguese began to trade with the island of Timor in the early 16th century and colonized it in mid-century. Skirmishing with the Dutch in the region eventually resulted in an 1859 treaty in which Portugal ceded the western portion of the island. Imperial Japan occupied Portuguese Timor from 1942 to 1945, but Portugal resumed colonial authority after the Japanese defeat in World War II. East Timor declared itself independent from Portugal on 28 November 1975 and was invaded and occupied by Indonesian forces nine days later. It was incorporated into Indonesia in July 1976 as the province of Timor Timur (East Timor). An unsuccessful campaign of pacification followed over the next two decades, during which an estimated 100,000 to 250,000 individuals lost their lives. On 30 August 1999, in a UN-supervised popular referendum, an overwhelming majority of the people of Timor-Leste voted for independence from Indonesia. Between the referendum and the arrival of a multinational peacekeeping force in late September 1999, anti-independence Timorese militias - organized and supported by the Indonesian military - commenced a large-scale, scorched-earth campaign of retribution. The militias killed approximately 1,400 Timorese and forcibly pushed 300,000 people into western Timor as refugees. Most of the country's infrastructure, including homes, irrigation systems, water supply systems, and schools, and nearly 100% of the country's electrical grid were destroyed. On 20 September 1999, the Australian-led peacekeeping troops of the International Force for East Timor (INTERFET) deployed to the country and brought the violence to an end. On 20 May 2002, Timor-Leste was internationally recognized as an independent state. In late April 2006, internal tensions threatened the new nation's security when a military strike led to violence and a near breakdown of law and order. At Dili's request, an Australian-led International Stabilization Force (ISF) deployed to Timor-Leste in late May. In August, the UN Security Council established the UN Integrated Mission in Timor-Leste (UNMIT), which included an authorized police presence of over 1,600 personnel. The ISF and UNMIT restored stability, allowing for presidential and parliamentary elections in April and June 2007 in a largely peaceful atmosphere. In February 2008, a rebel group staged an unsuccessful attack against the president and prime minister. The ringleader was killed in the attack and most of the rebels surrendered in April 2008. Since the unsuccessful attacks the government has enjoyed one of its longest periods of post-independence stability.

Southeastern Asia, northwest of Australia in the Lesser Sunda Islands at the eastern end of the Indonesian archipelago; note - Timor-Leste includes the eastern half of the island of Timor, the Oecussi (Ambeno) region on the northwest portion of the island of Timor, and the islands of Pulau Atauro and Pulau Jaco

8 50 S, 125 55 E

Southeast Asia

slightly larger than Connecticut

706 km

tropical; hot, humid; distinct rainy and dry seasons

mountainous

gold, petroleum, natural gas, manganese, marble

140 sq km (2008)

floods and landslides are common; earthquakes; tsunamis; tropical cyclones

widespread use of slash and burn agriculture has led to deforestation and soil erosion

Timor comes from the Malay word for "East"; the island of Timor is part of the Malay Archipelago and is the largest and easternmost of the Lesser Sunda Islands

Austronesian (Malayo-Polynesian), Papuan, small Chinese minority

Tetum (official), Portuguese (official), Indonesian, English

Roman Catholic 98%, Muslim 1%, Protestant 1% (2005)

1,177,834

1.981% (2011 est.)

25.7 births/1,000 population (2011 est.)

5.89 deaths/1,000 population (July 2011 est.)

0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2011 est.)

DILI (capital) 166,000 (2009)

370 deaths/100,000 live births (2008)

3.13 children born/woman (2011 est.)

12.3% of GDP (2009)

0.1 physicians/1,000 population (2004)

urban: 86% of population

rural: 63% of population

total: 69% of population

urban: 14% of population

rural: 37% of population

total: 31% of population (2008)

urban: 76% of population

rural: 40% of population

total: 50% of population

urban: 24% of population

rural: 60% of population

total: 50% of population (2008)

NA

NA

NA

40.6% (2002)

16.8% of GDP (2009)

republic

13 administrative districts; Aileu, Ainaro, Baucau, Bobonaro (Maliana), Cova-Lima (Suai), Dili, Ermera (Gleno), Lautem (Los Palos), Liquica, Manatuto, Manufahi (Same), Oecussi (Ambeno), Viqueque

28 November 1975 (independence proclaimed from Portugal); note - 20 May 2002 is the official date of international recognition of Timor-Leste's independence from Indonesia

Independence Day, 28 November (1975)

20 May 2002 (effective date)

civil law system based on the Indonesian model; note - new penal code based on the Portuguese model was passed by Parliament and promulgated in 2009; new civil code expected to be promulgated in 2011

has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; accepts ICCt jurisdiction

17 years of age; universal

unicameral National Parliament (number of seats can vary from 52 to 65; members elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms)

Supreme Court of Justice - constitution calls for one judge to be appointed by National Parliament and rest appointed by Superior Council for Judiciary; note - until Supreme Court is established, Court of Appeals is highest court

Democratic Party or PD [Fernando de ARAUJO]; National Congress for Timorese Reconstruction or CNRT [Xanana GUSMAO]; National Democratic Union of Timorese Resistance or UNDERTIM [Cornelio DA Conceicao GAMA]; National Unity Party or PUN [Fernanda BORGES]; People's Party of Timor or PPT [Jacob XAVIER]; Revolutionary Front of Independent Timor-Leste or FRETILIN [Mari ALKATIRI]; Social Democratic Association of Timor or ASDT [Francisco Xavier do AMARAL]; Social Democratic Party or PSD [Zacarias Albano da COSTA]; Sons of the Mountain Warriors or KOTA [Manuel TILMAN] (also known as Association of Timorese Heroes)

NA

ACP, ADB, AOSIS, ARF, ASEAN (observer), CPLP, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ITU, MIGA, NAM, OPCW, PIF (observer), UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, Union Latina, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WHO, WMO

red, with a black isosceles triangle (based on the hoist side) superimposed on a slightly longer yellow arrowhead that extends to the center of the flag; a white star - pointing to the upper hoist-side corner of the flag - is in the center of the black triangle; yellow denotes the colonialism in Timor-Leste's past; black represents the obscurantism that needs to be overcome; red stands for the national liberation struggle; the white star symbolizes peace and serves as a guiding light

In late 1999, about 70% of the economic infrastructure of Timor-Leste was laid waste by Indonesian troops and anti-independence militias. Three hundred thousand people fled westward. Over the next three years a massive international program, manned by 5,000 peacekeepers (8,000 at peak) and 1,300 police officers, led to substantial reconstruction in both urban and rural areas. By the end of 2005, refugees had returned or had settled in Indonesia. The country continues to face great challenges in rebuilding its infrastructure, strengthening the civil administration, and generating jobs for young people entering the work force. The development of oil and gas resources in offshore waters has greatly supplemented government revenues. This technology-intensive industry, however, has done little to create jobs for the unemployed because there are no production facilities in Timor-Leste. Gas is piped to Australia. In June 2005, the National Parliament unanimously approved the creation of a Petroleum Fund to serve as a repository for all petroleum revenues and to preserve the value of Timor-Leste's petroleum wealth for future generations. The Fund held assets of US$6.6 billion as of October 2010. The economy continues to recover strongly from the mid-2006 outbreak of violence and civil unrest, which disrupted both private and public sector economic activity. The government in 2008 resettled tens of thousands of an estimated 100,000 internally displaced persons (IDPs); most IDPs returned home by early 2009. Government spending increased markedly in 2009 and 2010, primarily on basic infrastructure, including electricity and roads. Limited experience in procurement and infrastructure building has hampered these projects. The underlying economic policy challenge the country faces remains how best to use oil-and-gas wealth to lift the non-oil economy onto a higher growth path and to reduce poverty.

$3.051 billion (2010 est.)

$2.877 billion (2009 est.)

$2.547 billion (2008 est.)

$628 million (2010 est.)

6.1% (2010 est.)

12.9% (2009 est.)

11% (2008 est.)

$2,600 (2010 est.)

$2,500 (2009 est.)

$2,300 (2008 est.)

414,200 (2007)

20% (2006 est.)

42% (2003 est.)

31.9 (2007 est.)

38 (2002 est.)

38.4% of GDP (2010 est.)

6.9% (2010 est.)

0.7% (2009 est.)

11% (31 December 2010 est.)

11.2% (31 December 2009 est.)

$142.6 million (31 December 2010 est.)

$157.4 million (31 December 2009 est.)

$294 million (31 December 2010 est.)

$269.7 million (31 December 2009 est.)

$127.1 million (31 December 2008 est.)

$100 million (31 December 2007 est.)

$NA

coffee, rice, corn, cassava, sweet potatoes, soybeans, cabbage, mangoes, bananas, vanilla

printing, soap manufacturing, handicrafts, woven cloth

8.5% (2004 est.)

NA kWh (2008 est.)

NA kWh (2008 est.)

0 kWh (2009 est.)

0 kWh (2009 est.)

87,500 bbl/day (2010 est.)

2,600 bbl/day (2010 est.)

86,000 bbl/day (2009 est.)

2,205 bbl/day (2009 est.)

553.8 million bbl (1 January 2011 est.)

0 cu m (2009 est.)

0 cu m (2009 est.)

0 cu m (2009 est.)

0 cu m (2009 est.)

200 billion cu m (1 January 2006 est.)

$1.161 billion (2007 est.)

$9.2 million (2009 est.)

$10 million (2005 est.)

coffee, sandalwood, marble; note - potential for oil and vanilla exports

$384.9 million (2009 est.)

$202 million (2004 est.)

food, gasoline, kerosene, machinery

$406.2 million (31 December 2010 est.)

$249.9 million (31 December 2009 est.)

the US dollar is used

2,400 (2010)

600,600 (2010)

1 public TV broadcast station broadcasting nationally and 1 public radio broadcaster with stations in each of the 13 administrative districts; one commercial TV broadcast station broadcasting in parts of Dili only, a few commercial radio stations, and roughly a dozen community radio stations (2009)

.tl

206 (2010)

2,100 (2009)

6 (2010)

8 (2010)

Dili

Timor-Leste Defense Force (Forcas de Defesa de Timor-L'este, Falintil (F-FDTL)): Army, Navy (Armada) (2010)

18 years of age for voluntary military service; no conscription; 18-month service obligation (2011)

NA

Timor-Leste-Indonesia Boundary Committee has resolved all but some sections of border along Timor-Leste's Oecussi exclave; maritime boundaries with Indonesia remain unresolved; many refugees who left Timor-Leste in 2003 still reside in Indonesia and refuse repatriation; in 2007, Australia and Timor-Leste signed a 50-year development zone and revenue sharing agreement in lieu of a maritime boundary

NA