A country of the western Pacific Ocean made up of the eastern part of the island of Timor, a small coastal enclave in the western part, and one offshore island. It was an overseas province of Portugal from 1914 until 1975 and was annexed by Indonesia in 1976. East Timor voted for independence in 1999 and achieved full independence in 2002. Dili is the capital. Population: 1,080,000.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2007. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.