East Timor

 


Learn about East Timor, also known as Timor-Leste, with the kids, with the help of our flag printables, colouring pages and location worksheets.

A traditional house in East Timor
A traditional house in East Timor

Learn about Timor Leste

A Little Geography:

  • Occupying the eastern half of the island of Timor in south-east Asia, East Timor lies north of Australia. Indonesia shares the island on its western border.
  • Most of the 1.2m population make a living from agriculture, with coffee and sandlewood exports a major industry. Recent offshore oil and gas discoveries may provide a large income in future.
  • The capital, Dili, on the north of the island, is the largest port.

A Little History:

  • The Democratic Republic of Timor Leste was created in 2002, and is one of the world’s youngest nations.
  • Humans lived on the island 44,600 years ago in Laili Cave, the oldest human habitation site in Wallacea.
  • Timor Leste was a Portugal  colony from 1702 until 1975. Known as Portuguese Timor, it remained largely undeveloped.
  • Indonesia invaded from the west soon after the Portuguese departure, leading to a turbulent four decades of repression and resulting in the deaths of a large minority of the population.

And Some Interesting Facts:

  • Legend has it that a boy once saved a young crocodile from death and was rewarded later by the crocodile who grew into an island which become Timor. The mountainous island shape resembles a crocodile with a raised back. Timorese do not like to kill crocodiles and they now pose a threat on many beaches.
  • The 1996 Noble Peace was shared by Hose Ramos-Horta, a future President, and Carlos Filipe Ximines Belo, a Catholic Bishop, who fought for independence.
  • Atauro Island, 23 km offshore froml Dili, is the most biodiverse coral reef in the world, with 643 marine species identified so far!
  • Timor Leste is a whale-watching and dolphin-watching hot spot due to migration from the Indian to Pacific Oceans.
  • Timor Leste plans to be the world’s first country to recycle all its plastic waste, when a $40m plant opens in 2020. 

The East Timor Flag

Flag of East Timor or Timor-Leste

The flag of East Timor features yellow and black triangles on a red background. The white star is symbolic of peace. The flag was officially adopted on May 20, 2002.


Our East Timor Resources

Timor Leste Flag Printable

Timor Leste Flag Printable

We have four different sizes of the Timor Leste flag to print out in this 4-page pdf file, ranging from large (one flag on a page of A4) to very small...

Timor Leste Location Worksheet

Timor Leste Location Worksheet

Locate Timor Leste on a map of Asia with these two worksheets. The guided version is easier as all countries and capitals are marked.

 

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