Indonesia
East Timor
South of Indonesia is East Timor, also known as the Democratic
Republic of Timor-Leste. Covering an area of 14,900 square
kilometers, the country has a population of about 780,000 of more
than 10 nationalities, of which 78% are the indigenous people of
East Timor, Indonesian, 2%, and 2% are Chinese. Residents are Roman
Catholic. The language is Tetum. The common currency is U.S. dollars
(East Timor does not issue a national currency). The capital is Dili
(Dili).
National Flag
The flag has a purple background. On the left side, a black
isosceles triangle and a yellow equilateral triangle overlap. The
black isosceles triangle has a white five-pointed star, whichr
symbolizes the pacemaker.
History
In the early 16th and 17th centuries, the Portuguese and Dutch
colonialists invaded the island of Timor five times. The Portuguese
and Dutch signed a treaty in 1859, so East Timor and the provisions
of the European She Seogui Portugal became part of the Dutch East
Indies (now Indonesia). Japan occupied East Timor in 1942. Afte
"World War II" and the restoration of Portugal's colonial rule in
East Timor, the Portuguese listed it as "overseas provinces" in
1951. In 1960, The Fifteenth Session of the General Assembly of the
United Nations adopted resolution No. 1542, declared the island of
East Timor and its subsidiary to be "non-Self-Governing
Territories." This was the scope of decolonization. In 1974, the new
Portuguese government allowed autonomy for East Timor. In 1975,
Indonesia took over East Timor. In October 1999, a referendum was
held in East Timor. Indonesia recognized the results, allowing East
Timor to separate from Indonesia. On May 20, 2002, the Democratic
Republic of East Timor declared its independence.
Economic and Cultural Customs
East Timor is still a relatively backward natural economy, dominated
by agriculture, but the food production is insufficient. The main
agricultural products are corn, rice, and potatoes. The main cash
crops are coffee, rubber, and coconut. East Timor is rich in
minerals; deposits of gold, manganese, chromium, tin, and copper
have been discovered. East Timor has rich reserves of oil and
natural gas. Oil reserves are estimated at 10 million tons.
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