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Sunday 23 November 2014

East Timor

East Timor (also known as Timor-Leste) comprises the eastern half of the island of Timor, the nearby islands of Atauro and Jaco, and Oecusse, an enclave on the northwestern side of the island, within Indonesian West Timor.

East Timor gets its name from the Malay word for "east", timur.

East Timor flag

East Timor was colonized by Portugal in the 16th century, and was known as Portuguese Timor until Portugal's decolonization of the country.

During World War II, the Japanese occupied the region, encountered strong resistance to their attempts to force the population to grow foods for their troops and export. At the time 30% of the population died.

In late 1975, East Timor declared its independence from Portugal, but on December 7 of that year it was invaded and occupied by Indonesia. It was declared Indonesia's twenty seventh province the following year.

In 1999, following the United Nations-sponsored act of self-determination, Indonesia relinquished control of the territory, and East Timor became the first new sovereign state of the 21st century on May 20, 2002.

East Timor is one of only two predominantly Christian nations in Southeast Asia, the other being the Philippines.

East Timor uses the United States dollar, but produces its own coins to facilitate smaller transactions
 
East Timor is the only country in Asia that is located entirely in the Southern Hemisphere.

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