East Timor
Name
| Official name | Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste — República Democrática de Timor-Leste; Repúblika Demokrátika Timór-Leste |
|---|---|
| Short forms | Timor-Leste, the official name; East Timor, the English translation; Timór Lorosa'e, "Timor of the rising sun," in Tetum |
| Former names | Portuguese Timor (1702–1975); Timor Timur, the 27th province of Indonesia (1976–1999) |
| Demonym | Timorese; East Timorese |
| Meaning of the name | Timur, "east," in Malay — the easternmost of the Lesser Sunda Islands — with leste, "east," in Portuguese: east of the east |
| Motto | "Unidade, Acção, Progresso" — unity, action, progress |
Quick facts
| Capital | Dili — the Portuguese capital from 1769; about 280,000 |
|---|---|
| Other towns | Baucau; Maliana; Suai; Pante Macassar in Oecusse; Lospalos; Aileu; Ermera |
| Official languages | Portuguese and Tetum; Indonesian and English the working languages of the Constitution; some 30 local languages — Mambai, Makasae, Fataluku, Baikeno |
| Currency | United States dollar — USD, $ — since 2000, with Timorese centavo coins since 2003 |
| Time zone | UTC+9, all year — the same as Tokyo and Seoul |
| Calling code | +670 |
| Internet domain | .tl — .tp until 2015 |
| ISO 3166 codes | TL · TLS · 626 |
| Vehicle registration code | TL |
| Driving side | Left |
| Electricity | 220 V, 50 Hz; plug types C, E, F and I |
| Independence | Declared 28 November 1975, from Portugal; restored 20 May 2002, after the Indonesian occupation and the UN transition |
| National days | 20 May, Restoration of Independence Day; 28 November, Proclamation of Independence Day; 30 August, Popular Consultation Day, for the referendum of 1999; 12 November, National Youth Day, for the Santa Cruz massacre of 1991; 7 December, Heroes' Day |
| Constitution | 20 May 2002 — the Constitution of the Democratic Republic, adopted by the Constituent Assembly on 22 March 2002 |
| Population | 1,341,737 at the census of 2022; about 1.4 million (UN and CIA World Factbook, 2025 est.) |
| Area | 14,874 km² (5,743 sq mi) — the eastern half of Timor, the Oecusse exclave of 814 km², and the islands of Ataúro and Jaco |
Flag & national symbols
| National flag | A red field with a black triangle at the hoist over a longer yellow one, and a white star in the black — red for the struggle, black for the colonial obscurantism to be overcome, yellow for the traces of colonialism, the star the light that guides; first raised on 28 November 1975 and restored at midnight on 20 May 2002.Flag of East Timor |
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| Coat of arms | A shield with a star, a book and a cogwheel, a spear, an arrow and a rifle, in a circle with the motto and the name of the republic — Belak Timor-Leste, adopted 18 January 2007 |
| National anthem | "Pátria" ("Fatherland") — words by Francisco Borja da Costa, music by Afonso Redentor Araújo; first sung 28 November 1975; adopted 2002 |
| National motto | "Unidade, Acção, Progresso" |
| National colors | Red, yellow, black and white |
| National animal | None designated — the saltwater crocodile, the "grandfather" of the founding legend, in which the island is a crocodile turned to land; widely cited |
| National tree | Sandalwood — the wood that brought the Portuguese in the 16th century; widely cited |
| National dish | Ikan pepes and batar da'an — corn, beans and pumpkin; widely cited |
| Symbol status | The flag, arms and anthem are fixed by the Constitution and the law of 2007; the animal, tree and dish are widely cited, none designated |
Geography
| Location | Maritime Southeast Asia — the eastern half of Timor, the last of the Lesser Sunda Islands, 640 km northwest of Darwin across the Timor Sea; Indonesian West Timor the neighbor |
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| Land border | 253 km (157 mi) with Indonesia — the main border and the border of the Oecusse exclave |
| Coastline | 706 km (439 mi) |
| Highest point | Tatamailau — Mount Ramelau — 2,963 m (9,721 ft) |
| Lowest point | The Timor Sea and the Savu Sea, 0 m |
| Mean elevation | About 700 m |
| Rivers and lakes | Short rivers that run dry — the Laclo, the Lois; Lake Ira Lalaro in the east, the largest, about 22 km²; the hot springs of Marobo |
| Terrain | A spine of mountains the length of the island; the north coast steep and dry, the south coast with plains and swamps; the Oecusse exclave; Ataúro, 25 km off Dili, and Jaco at the eastern tip |
| Climate | Tropical with a monsoon — the wet season from December to April, the dry from May to November; the north drier than the south |
| Natural hazards | Floods and landslides in the rains — the floods of April 2021 killed some 40 in Dili; earthquakes and tsunamis; cyclones; drought |
| Natural resources | Oil and gas in the Timor Sea — Bayu-Undan, depleted in 2023, and Greater Sunrise, undeveloped; gold, manganese, marble; sandalwood, once; coffee |
| Land use | Agricultural land about 25%; forest about 50% |
| National parks | Nino Konis Santana National Park at the eastern tip, 2007 — the first, with Jaco and Lake Ira Lalaro; the marine park of Ataúro |
| UNESCO World Heritage | None inscribed — Nino Konis Santana and the Tais weaving on the lists, the Tais inscribed as intangible heritage in need of safeguarding in 2021 |
| Administrative divisions | 14 units — 12 municipalities, the Special Administrative Region of Oecusse-Ambeno since 2015, and Ataúro, a municipality since 2022; 65 administrative posts and 442 sucos |
People
| Population | 1,341,737 (census of 2022); about 1.4 million (2025 est.) |
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| Population density | About 90 per km² (235 per sq mi) |
| Population growth | About 1.8% a year |
| Median age | About 20 years — among the youngest in Asia |
| Life expectancy | About 70 years |
| Fertility rate | About 3 births per woman |
| Urban population | About 33% |
| Adult literacy | About 70% |
| Ethnic groups | Austronesian peoples — the Tetum, Mambai, Tukudede, Galoli, Kemak and Baikeno — and Papuan peoples — the Bunak, Makasae and Fataluku; small Chinese and Portuguese-Timorese communities |
| Languages | Tetum spoken by about 80%; Portuguese by about 30%, growing with the schools; Indonesian by the generation of the occupation; English; the local languages by district |
| Religion | Roman Catholic about 97% — the highest share of any country but the Vatican, the Church the refuge of the occupation years; Protestant about 2%; Muslim under 1% |
| Human Development Index | 0.634 (2023 data, 2025 report) — medium; about 142nd of 193 |
| Poverty | About 40% below the national poverty line; child stunting among the highest rates in the world |
| Sport | Football; the Tour de Timor mountain-bike race; the Timorese at every Olympics since 2004 with no medal yet |
| Diaspora | Some 30,000 in Australia, Portugal, Britain, Indonesia and Ireland; the seasonal workers of Australia |
Government
| Form of government | Semi-presidential republic under the Constitution of 2002 — the president head of state, elected for five years; the prime minister head of government, answerable to the National Parliament |
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| President | José Ramos-Horta (independent, backed by the CNRT), since 20 May 2022 — the fourth and sixth president, in office before in 2007–2012; the exile diplomat of the resistance and the Nobel Peace laureate of 1996; elected in the runoff of 19 April 2022 with 62.1%; born 26 December 1949; shot and gravely wounded in the attacks of 11 February 2008 |
| Prime Minister | Kay Rala Xanana Gusmão (National Congress for Timorese Reconstruction, CNRT), since 1 July 2023 — the fifth and ninth prime minister; the commander of Falintil in the mountains, seven years in Indonesian prisons, the first president of the republic in 2002–2007, prime minister before in 2007–2015; born 20 June 1946 |
| The 2023 election | The National Parliament elected 21 May 2023: the CNRT 41.6% and 31 of 65 seats; Fretilin 25.8% and 19; the Democratic Party 9.3% and 6; the Enrich the National Vision Party and the People's Liberation Party the rest; a CNRT-led coalition |
| Parliament | The National Parliament — 65 members elected for five years by proportional representation, a 4% threshold; a third of the candidates women by law |
| The next elections | The presidential election due in March 2027; the parliamentary in May 2028 |
| ASEAN | The eleventh member since 26 October 2025 — admitted at the 47th summit in Kuala Lumpur, the bloc's first expansion since Cambodia in 1999, fourteen years after the application of 2011; observer status from 2022 |
| Legal system | Civil law on the Portuguese and Indonesian models; the Court of Appeal the highest court pending a Supreme Court |
| Municipalities | 14, each with an administrator appointed by the government; the Oecusse region with its own authority |
| The occupation | Indonesia invaded on 7 December 1975, nine days after the declaration of independence, and annexed the territory in 1976; the truth commission CAVR found at least 102,800 deaths from killings, hunger and illness in 1975–99, other estimates above 180,000; the Santa Cruz massacre of 12 November 1991; the referendum of 30 August 1999 — 78.5% for independence — followed by the militia violence, the Australian-led INTERFET force and the UN administration UNTAET to 2002 |
| The Timor Sea | The maritime boundary with Australia settled by the treaty of 6 March 2018, the first under the UN's compulsory conciliation; Greater Sunrise, some 5 trillion cubic feet of gas, still undeveloped over where to pipe it — Timor-Leste insists on its own south coast |
| United Nations | Member since 27 September 2002 — the 191st |
| Regional memberships | ASEAN (2025); the Community of Portuguese Language Countries (2002); the g7+ of fragile states, which it founded in 2010; the WTO (2024); the Pacific Islands Forum as an observer |
Economy
| GDP (nominal) | About US$2 billion (2025, IMF) — the non-oil economy; about US$3 billion with petroleum in the years of production |
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| GDP per capita | About US$1,500 (2025), non-oil |
| GDP per capita (PPP) | About US$5,000 (2025) |
| GDP growth | About 3–4% a year (2024–25) |
| Economy by sector | Services about 60%, agriculture about 20% — employing most — industry about 20%, most of it construction |
| Currency | United States dollar (USD) |
| The Petroleum Fund | The sovereign wealth fund of 2005, filled by the Bayu-Undan field — about US$18 billion, invested abroad, funding about 80% of the budget; drawn above its sustainable income every year, with exhaustion warned for the 2030s unless Greater Sunrise flows |
| Oil and gas | Bayu-Undan, produced 2004–2023, depleted; Greater Sunrise, shared with Australia 70–30 since 2018, undeveloped; the Tasi Mane project of a south-coast pipeline, refinery and airport |
| Coffee | The largest non-oil export — organic arabica from the hills of Ermera, some 10,000 metric tons a year; Starbucks a buyer since 1996 |
| Agriculture | Maize, rice, cassava, sweet potatoes; the sandalwood that brought the Portuguese, cut out |
| Public finances | A budget of about US$2 billion a year, most of it transfers from the fund; a graduation from least developed status planned for 2026 and deferred |
| Income classification | Lower-middle income (World Bank); a least developed country |
Transport & infrastructure
| Main airport | Presidente Nicolau Lobato International Airport, Dili — flights to Denpasar, Darwin and Singapore; Baucau, the longer runway; Oecusse |
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| Airline | Aero Dili, since 2023 |
| Main port | Tibar Bay, the deep-water port opened September 2022 west of Dili, replacing the old port of Dili; Oecusse |
| Railways | None |
| Roads | About 6,000 km (3,700 mi), a third paved; the north coast road from Dili to the borders; the Dili–Baucau highway |
| The ferry | Dili to Oecusse and Ataúro — the Berlin-Nakroma of 2007 and its successors |
History in dates
| c. 40,000 BC | The first people — the caves of Lene Hara and Laili |
|---|---|
| 16th century | Portuguese traders for the sandalwood; the Dominicans from 1556 |
| 1702 | A Portuguese governor at Lifau in Oecusse |
| 1769 | The capital moves to Dili |
| 1859 · 1914 | The island divided with the Dutch; the border settled |
| 1942–1945 | The Japanese occupation; some 40,000 to 70,000 Timorese die |
| 1974 | The Carnation Revolution in Lisbon opens the way |
| 1975 | The civil war of August; independence declared, 28 November; Indonesia invades, 7 December |
| 1976 | Annexed as Indonesia's 27th province, 17 July |
| 1991 | The Santa Cruz massacre, 12 November |
| 1996 | The Nobel Peace Prize to Bishop Belo and José Ramos-Horta |
| 1999 | The referendum, 30 August — 78.5% for independence; the militia rampage; INTERFET lands, 20 September |
| 2002 | Independence restored, 20 May — Xanana Gusmão president; the UN's 191st member, 27 September |
| 2006 | The crisis of the army and the return of foreign troops |
| 2008 | The attacks on Ramos-Horta and Gusmão, 11 February |
| 2018 | The maritime boundary treaty with Australia, 6 March |
| 2022 | Ramos-Horta president again, 20 May; the Tibar Bay port |
| 2023 | Gusmão prime minister, 1 July |
| 2025 | The eleventh member of ASEAN, 26 October |
Records & firsts
| The first new state of the 21st century | 20 May 2002 |
|---|---|
| The youngest country in Asia | And the newest member of ASEAN |
| The most Catholic country after the Vatican | About 97% |
| The richest reef fish counts on record | Ataúro Island |
| A Nobel Peace Prize before independence | Belo and Ramos-Horta, 1996 |
| The Cristo Rei of Dili | The second-tallest Christ statue, 27 m |
| The first maritime boundary by UN conciliation | With Australia, 2018 |
| A dollar economy | The U.S. dollar with its own centavos |
| East of the east | A name that says it twice |
| The crocodile island | Timor as the grandfather crocodile of legend |
Frequently asked questions
Is it East Timor or Timor-Leste?
Both name the same country. Timor-Leste — Portuguese for "East Timor" — is the official name, which the country asked the world to use at independence in 2002 and which the United Nations, ASEAN and ISO have adopted; the long form is the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste. East Timor is the English translation, still the commoner form in English speech and search. "Timor" itself is the Malay timur, "east," so the name says east twice. This page uses East Timor in its address and heading and Timor-Leste wherever the official name belongs.
What is the official name of East Timor?
The Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste — República Democrática de Timor-Leste in Portuguese, Repúblika Demokrátika Timór-Leste in Tetum — proclaimed on 28 November 1975 and restored on 20 May 2002. It was Portuguese Timor for four centuries, and from 1976 to 1999 the Indonesian province of Timor Timur, a name recognized by almost no other state.
What is the capital of East Timor?
Dili, on the north coast facing the Ombai Strait — the Portuguese capital from 1769 and the national capital since 2002, with about 280,000 people, a fifth of the country; the Cristo Rei statue on its cape the second-tallest in the world after Rio's. Baucau in the east is the second town; Maliana, Suai and Pante Macassar in the Oecusse exclave follow.
How big is East Timor, and how many people live there?
About 14,874 km² (5,743 sq mi) — a little smaller than Connecticut — the eastern half of the island of Timor, the exclave of Oecusse on the Indonesian side of the west, and the islands of Ataúro and Jaco. The census of 2022 counted 1,341,737 people; the UN and the CIA World Factbook estimate about 1.4 million for 2025, half of them under 20 — one of the youngest populations in Asia.
What are the highest and lowest points of East Timor?
Tatamailau — Mount Ramelau — 2,963 m (9,721 ft), in the center of the country, the highest point on the island and a place of pilgrimage with a statue of the Virgin at the summit; and the sea, the Timor Sea to the south and the Wetar and Ombai Straits to the north, where the reefs of Ataúro hold the richest fish counts ever recorded.
Who governs East Timor?
President José Ramos-Horta, the Nobel Peace laureate of 1996, head of state since 20 May 2022 and before that in 2007–2012, whose term runs to May 2027; and Prime Minister Kay Rala Xanana Gusmão, the guerrilla commander of the resistance and the first president of the republic, head of government since 1 July 2023 after his party won the election of May 2023. On 26 October 2025 the country became the eleventh member of ASEAN, the bloc's first expansion since 1999. The presidential election is due in March 2027 and the parliamentary in May 2028.
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