Timor Lorosa’e, also known as Timor Leste, is a small, half-island nation located northwest of Darwin, Australia, and south of Ambon, Indonesia, in the Timor Sea. Its name literally means “east of east” and figuratively refers to the rising sun. For most of its history, the island was named Portuguese Timor, not only to distinguish it as a hub of Portuguese trade but also to differentiate it from the western half of the island known as Dutch, or West, Timor. Colonialism lasted longer in Timor Leste than in most of Southeast Asia, with the country voting for independence in 1999 and gaining it fully in 2002. Because of its geostrategic location on high-profit trade routes and later being occupied by two quasi-colonial Asian powers then ...