What is the main religion in East Timor?

the Catholic Church
The majority of the population of East Timor is Christian, and the Catholic Church is the dominant religious institution, although it is not formally the state religion.

Why did Japan invade Timor?

Japan occupied Portuguese (East) Timor in February 1942, not to incorporate the neutral territory into the Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere but to expel Australian troops who had occupied the colony two months earlier on the assumption that Japan would invade.

Why did the Japanese want to invade Timor?

Neutral Portuguese Timor had not been originally included among the Japanese war objectives, but after Allied occupation violated its neutrality the Japanese decided to invade.

Is East Timor poor?

East Timor continues to be one of the world’s poorest countries, with GDP per capita standing at $3,949 (2011). It is ranked 147 out of 187 (2011) countries in the UN’s Human Development Index. As of 2015, Timor-Leste had a population of 1.17 million and an annual growth rate at 1.8\%.

What was the result of the East Timor War?

Elsewhere, East Timorese resistance continued, but by 1978 the annexation of East Timor by Indonesia was essentially complete. During the initial years of the Indonesian invasion and occupation, more than 100,000 East Timorese died as a direct result of the conflict.

Why did East Timor declare independence from Indonesia?

Indonesian dictator Suharto, who had ordered the 1975 invasion, was ousted from power in 1998, and East Timorese renewed their calls for independence. In 1999, the people of East Timor voted overwhelmingly for independence in a referendum, leading to bloody attacks by Indonesian militia forces.

What happened to the UDT in Timor Leste?

By the end of August, the UDT remnants were retreating toward the Indonesian border. A UDT group of nine hundred crossed into West Timor on 24 September 1975, followed by more than a thousand others, leaving Fretilin in control of East Timor for the next three months.

What was the significance of East Timor to the Ford administration?

For the Ford administration, East Timor was a place of little significance, overshadowed by US–Indonesian relations. The fall of Saigon in mid-1975 had been a devastating setback for the United States, leaving Indonesia as the most important ally in the region.