East Timor

Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste, commonly known as East Timor (Listening / i ː ˌ ː st you mɔr /) (Tetum: Timor Loro-sa'e) is a state in South Asia. That includes the eastern half of the island of Timor, the nearby islands of Atauro and Jaco, and Oecussi, an enclave on the northwest coast of the island, in Indonesia, West Timor. The small country of 15,410 km ² (5400 km ²) is located about 640 km (400 miles) northwest of Darwin, Australia.

East Timor was colonized by Portugal in the 16th century and was known as Portuguese Timor until Portugal's decolonization of the country. At the end of 1975, East Timor declared its independence, but later that year was invaded and occupied by Indonesia and was declared the 27th province of Indonesia the following year. In 1999, after the UN-sponsored act of self-determination in Indonesia relinquish control over the territory and East Timor became the first new sovereign state in the 21st century, May 20, 2002. East Timor is one of only two Roman Catholic countries primarily in Asia, the other being the Philippines.

East Timor has a lower-middle income economy continues to suffer the effects of an independence struggle for decades against Indonesia, which caused damage to infrastructure and displaced thousands of civilians. It is placed 120th Development Index (HDI).