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Timor-Leste
Independence Issue of 2002

Stamp Day Semi-Postals of 1961
One stamp from the set of four celebrating Timor-Leste's independence.

From 1885 until 1973 stamps were issued for the Portuguese colony of Timor. On November 28, 1975, the Revolutionary Front for an Independent East Timor (Fretilin) declared independence. Nine days later, Timor was invaded by Indonesia and it was incorporated into Indonesia as its twenty-seventh province in 1976 despite on-going resistance from groups seeking independence. In 1999, following the United Nations-sponsored act of self-determination, Indonesia relinquished control of the territory and on April 29, 2000 two stamps were issued by the United Nations Transitional Authority in East Timor. On May 20, 2002 Timor-Leste became independent and joined the United Nations and the Community of Portuguese Language Countries. Four stamps issued on that day to mark independence were a 25 cent denomination depicting a crocodile, a 50 cent denomination depicting palm fronds (seen above), a one dollar denomination depicting coffee beans and a picker and a two dollar denomination depicting the flag. Another issue in the same year consisted of a 10 cent denomination depicting the flag and President Xanana Gusmao and a 50 cent denomination depicting the flag and a map of the country. On November 28, 2005 another set of four stamps was issued to commemorate the thirtieth anniversary of independence from Portugal.

Map of Timor-Leste
Timor-Leste consists of the eastern half of the island of Timor, the nearby islands of Atauro
and Jaco, and Oecusse, an exclave on the northwestern side Indonesian West Timor.


Bibliography

"East Timor." Wikipeida: The Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc.
     3 Apr. 2018. Web. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/East_Timor.

"Timor." Standard Postage Stamp Catalogue. 2015.


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