East Timor (Timor-Leste)

East Timor is located on the eastern half of the island of Timor, which is part of Indonesia. The country also comprises two nearby island, plus an unconnected chunk of the western part of Timor island. The capital is Dili, and the population is around 1,201,542. East Timor's area is about 5,743 square miles, making it slightly larger than the state of Connecticut.

East Timor has had a long hard road to independence. It has been inhabited for at least 42,000 years, and was an important part of Asian trade networks before European colonization in the 17th century. Portugal colonized the eastern part of Timor in 1520, and nearly a century later, the Netherlands claimed the western part of the island of Timor as well as some surrounding islands. The fight over this island lasted until 1860, when Netherlands and Portugal signed a treaty dividing the island between the two countries.

During WWII, Japan occupied East Timor, resulting in the deaths of between 40,000 and 70,000 East Timorians. in 1949, the Netherlands gave up its colonies of the Dutch East Indies, creating the nation of Indonesia, which included West Timor. In 1975, Portugal gave up its colonies, including East Timor. Fearing Communist takeover, Indonesia invaded East Timor, occupying it until 1999. The USA and many western nations were supportive of this takeover, although the United Nations was not. The period of 1975-1999 was marked by Indonesia inflicting massive human rights violations on the people of East Timor. The U.N. deployed a peacekeeping force in 1999, which led to East Timor becoming independent in 2002.

Photo credit: momentum.tl

About 80% of East Timorian households are engaged in agriculture, most of them subsistence farmers. However, some products, such as coffee, cinnamon, cocoa, and sandalwood are grown for export. There is oil off of East Timor's shores, whose revenue pays for nearly all of the government's annual budget, with very little going to the surrounding countryside.

Photo credit: momentum.tl

FUN FACT: East Timor was the the last place to eliminate leprosy in Southeast Asia. The disease was declared conquered in East Timor in 2011.

BONUS: Morten Harket from the band a-ha wrote a song called East Timor in 1996.