East Timor

East Timor is an island country in Southeast Asia. It consists of the eastern half of Timor, nearby Atauro and Jaco, and Oecusse on the northwestern side of the island surrounded by West Timor in Indonesia. Australia is the southern neighbor of the country separated by the Timor Sea. The size of the country is 15,007 square kilometers (5,794 square miles). Dili is its capital.

East Timor was colonized by Portugal in the 16th century and was known as Portuguese Timor until November 28, 1975, when the independent East Timor (Fretilin) ​​Revolutionary Front declared territorial independence. Nine days later, it was invaded and occupied by Indonesian troops. The following year, it was declared as the 27th state of Indonesia. The Indonesian occupation of East Timor was characterized by decades of fierce conflict between separatist forces (especially Fretilin) ​​and the Indonesian army.

In 1999, following the UN-sponsored self-determination law, Indonesia relinquished control of its territory. As East Timor, on May 20, 2002, it became the first new sovereign state of the 21st century and joined the United Nations and the Community of Portuguese Countries. In 2011, Timor-Leste announced its intention to become the 11th member of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). It is one of two predominantly Catholic countries in Southeast Asia, the other is the Philippines, and is the only country in Asia located entirely in the Southern Hemisphere.