East Timor

East Timor is a country in Southeast Asia. Its independence from Portugal was declared on November 28, 1975 and officially recognized on May 20, 2002, making it the first new nation of the 21st century.

The island was originally colonized in the 16th Century by Portugal. In 1975 the eastern portion of the island declared its independence from Portugal, but was short lived. Although Portugal did withdrawal from the region, Indonesia stepped right in. In July, 1976 the United Nations recognized East Timor as a non-self governing province belonging to Indonesia. Natives fought Indonesian troops over the next two decades, until 1999, when the UN stepped in. A vote was held and 78% of the population selected independence from Indonesia. Their government formed over the following three years, leading up to their fully recognized independence on September 27, 2002.

• Google News Search: East Timor
• New York Times Topics: East Timor
• Topix: East Timor News
• Time: East Timor's President Shot by Rebels (February 11, 2008)
  • Nobel Peace Prize winner President Jose Ramos-Horta was shot by rebel soldiers in his home. He was airlifted to Darwin, Australia, where he is in critical but stable condition.

• Official Site: Culture

• Wikipedia: Culture of East Timor

• Fact Rover: East Timor People

• • This page was created by Lorraine Szontagh, a Part Time Guide in the Mahalo Greenhouse (see the original), and curated by Travis.

• If you'd like to help us create the best spam free search results on the Internet, apply to be a Part Time Guide!</em>