East Timor Map

The Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste, commonly known as East Timor (Tetum: Timór Lorosa'e), is one of the world's newest countries: after a long struggle, it gained independence from Indonesia in 2002 and is now an off-the-beaten-path destination for diving and adventure.

East Timor sits at the transition area between Southeast Asia and Oceania. Most countries would call East Timor as being part of Southeast Asia, except the people from East Timor themselves who would consider themselves as being part of Oceania. A former Portuguese colony, it is one of only two countries in Asia with a Roman Catholic majority, the other one being the Philippines.