Portuguese Timor

Portuguese Timor was the name of East Timor when it was under Portuguese control. During this period, Portugal shared the island of Timor with the Netherlands East Indies, and later with Indonesia.

The first Europeans to arrive in the region were Portuguese in 1515. Dominican friars established a presence on the island in 1556, and the territory was declared a Portuguese colony in 1702. Following a Lisbon-instigated decolonisation process in 1974, Indonesia invaded the territory in 1975 ending Portuguese rule. The invasion was never accepted by other countries so Portuguese Timor existed officially until independence of Timor-Leste in 2002.

Read more about Portuguese Timor:  Early Colonialists, Establishment of The Colonial State, Twentieth Century, End of Portuguese Rule