Timor-Leste in 2027: 25 years of independence

25 years since independence was restored

The country has three independence dates, and all three are public holidays. In October 2025 it became the 11th member of ASEAN. In Dili, the Resistance Museum tells the story of the independence struggle, and Santa Cruz Cemetery marks the 1991 massacre, in which at least 271 people were killed.

1. 28 November 1975

   Independence is proclaimed. Nine days later Indonesia invades, beginning a 24-year occupation.

2. 30 August 1999

   In a UN-supervised vote, 78.5% choose independence, despite widespread militia intimidation.

3. 20 May 2002

   Independence is restored, and Timor-Leste becomes the first new sovereign state of the 21st century.

The first UNESCO biosphere reserve

In June 2026 UNESCO designated Nino Konis Santana, at the eastern tip of the country, a Biosphere Reserve under its Man and the Biosphere Programme, the country's first. It takes in more than 200 bird species, Lake Ira Lalaro, rock art at Ili Kere Kere, the village of Tutuala and Jaco Island, which is sacred to the Fataluku people and has no permanent structures.

Tutuala is a 7 to 9 hour drive from Dili, then 15 minutes by fishing boat to Jaco. Allow at least three days for the round trip.

Reefs with few divers on them

A 2016 Conservation International survey off Atauro Island recorded an average of 253 reef fish species per survey site, the highest recorded anywhere, and 315 at the richest site. Atauro is 25 km across the strait from Dili, and its dive shops take groups of two to four.

Whales off the capital

The deep strait north of Dili is a migration corridor for at least 24 species of whale and dolphin. Pygmy blue whales pass Dili and Atauro October to early December, most reliably late October to November, often within sight of shore. Trips leave from Atauro and from Dili.