East Timor's road to independence - achieved on 20 May 2002 - was long and traumatic.
The people of the first new nation of the century suffered some of the worst atrocities of modern times.
An independent report commissioned by the UN transitional administration in East Timor said that at least 100,000 Timorese died as a result of Indonesia's 25-year occupation, which ended in 1999.
Portugal began to establish colonial control over Timor in the 16th century, when the island was divided into small states. The Netherlands later colonised the west of the island, which was formally partitioned between the two imperial powers in 1916.
Portugal invested little in Timor, and withdrew unilaterally in 1975 after deciding to dissolve its colonial empire.
Indonesia invaded within days of the Timorese declaration of independence, and used force to crush popular resistance.