Flag of East Timor

The national flag of East Timor is rectangular in shape and consists of two isosceles triangles with overlapping bases, with a black triangle, one-third of its length, overlapping a yellow triangle, half of its length. In the center of the black triangle is a white five-pointed star, with one of its rays pointing to the upper left corner of the flag. The rest of the flag is red.

What is the significance of the colors and symbolism of the East Timorese flag?

• Black symbolizes more than four centuries of colonial oppression;
• yellow - the struggle for independence;
• red - the suffering of the people;
• the white star symbolizes hope for the future.

A brief history of the East Timor flag

East Timor did not have its own national flag until it was incorporated into the Portuguese Empire. A flag similar to the modern one was first used in 1702. A proposal to adopt a modified version of the Portuguese flag as the symbol of East Timor was made in 1965, but was not accepted by Portugal. Although the country declared independence in 1975, its flag was only flown for a short time as Indonesian troops invaded the country. 

From 1976 to 1999, when East Timor was part of Indonesia, the red and white flag of Indonesia was used. During the constituent congress in 1998, a new flag of resistance against the Indonesian occupation was proposed - the CNRT (National Council of Resistance of East Timor), after which the United Nations flag flew over the country. This flag became a temporary symbol of the country, and in 2002 it was decided to return to the flag used in 1975. On May 19, 2002, the UN flag was replaced by the flag of East Timor.