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

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. 

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The East Timor Flag

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.

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Our East Timor Resources