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East Timor or Timor-Leste? Name Meaning and Pronunciation

East Timor and Timor-Leste are the same country. What the name means, how to say it, the official name, what the UN and ISO use and which name to use.

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East Timor and Timor-Leste are the same country: Timor-Leste is its official name, and “East Timor” is the English translation of it. Both words in the name mean “east”: timur in Malay and leste in Portuguese. The United Nations has used Timor-Leste in all its languages since 2002, so that is the safest name to use today.

Quick answers

QuestionAnswer
Are East Timor and Timor-Leste the same?Yes, the same country
Official nameDemocratic Republic of Timor-Leste · República Democrática de Timor-Leste (Portuguese) · Repúblika Demokrátika Timor-Leste (Tetum)
Short nameTimor-Leste
Tetum name also seenTimor Lorosa’e, “Timor of the rising sun”
What “Timor” meansFrom Malay timur, “east”
What “Leste” meansPortuguese for “east”
Name used by the UNTimor-Leste, in all UN languages since 2002
ISO 3166 codesTL / TLS / 626
PeopleTimorese (also East Timorese)
Former Indonesian nameTimor Timur, the name of the Indonesian province from 1976 to 1999
Name in Chinese东帝汶

Is East Timor the same as Timor-Leste?

Yes. There is only one country with either name. It covers the eastern half of the island of Timor, the islands of Ataúro and Jaco and the Oé-Cusse enclave, and its capital is Dili. “East Timor” is simply the English translation of “Timor-Leste”, the same way people sometimes say “Ivory Coast” for Côte d’Ivoire.

The western half of the island is a different place: West Timor is part of Indonesia, in the province of East Nusa Tenggara. When people search for “Timor and Timor-Leste”, this is usually the difference they mean. See Timor-Leste facts for the country at a glance.

What does Timor-Leste mean?

The name says “east” twice, in two languages:

  • Timor comes from timur, the Malay word for “east”. The island is the easternmost large island of the chain that runs from mainland Southeast Asia towards Australia.
  • Leste is the Portuguese word for “east”, the compass point on the side where the sun rises. Portugal ruled the territory until 1975, and Portuguese is one of the country’s two official languages.

So “Timor-Leste” literally means “East East”, or more naturally “East Timor”. The Tetum name Timor Lorosa’e says the same thing in Tetum: loro means “sun”, and loro sa’e means “sunrise” and “east”. You will see Lorosa’e in some Tetum texts, songs and organisation names, but the Tetum version of the official state title also uses Timor-Leste. Learn more Tetum in our Tetum phrase guide.

What is the official name?

The Constitution, which came into force on 20 May 2002, names the state the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste. In the official languages the title is República Democrática de Timor-Leste (Portuguese) and Repúblika Demokrátika Timor-Leste (Tetum). The short form is Timor-Leste, written with a hyphen.

What do the UN and ISO use?

  • United Nations: Timor-Leste joined the UN on 27 September 2002 as its 191st member. The UN library records Timor-Leste as the country’s official name in all UN languages from September 2002, replacing “East Timor”.
  • ISO 3166: the international country code standard lists the short name Timor-Leste and the full name Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste, with the codes TL (two letters), TLS (three letters) and 626 (numeric). The older codes TP and TMP were used until 2002. The internet domain is .tl.
  • ASEAN: the bloc admitted the country as Timor-Leste, its 11th member, on 26 October 2025.

Why did the name change from East Timor?

Strictly speaking the name did not change: Timor-Leste is the Portuguese name the country gave itself, and “East Timor” was the usual English name for the territory during the struggle for independence. When independence was restored in 2002, the Constitution fixed Timor-Leste as the name, and the UN and ISO adopted it as a single form used in every language, much like Côte d’Ivoire.

Some governments and media still use “East Timor” in English for general purposes. The UK’s Permanent Committee on Geographical Names, for example, still treats East Timor as the common English name, but advises that Timor-Leste should be used in official correspondence with the country.

The Indonesian name Timor Timur

During the Indonesian occupation (1975–1999), Indonesia governed the territory as its province of Timor Timur (“East Timor” in Indonesian), created by Indonesian Law 7 of 1976. Most of the international community never recognised that annexation. After the 1999 referendum and the UN transition, the name Timor Timur fell out of official use; the country’s name in Indonesian today is Timor-Leste. Read the full story in our history of Timor-Leste.

How do you pronounce Timor-Leste?

There is no official English pronunciation guide, but the name follows Portuguese spelling:

  • Timor: TEE-mor, with the stress on the first syllable.
  • Leste: two syllables, les-te, stressed on the first. In Portuguese as spoken in Portugal and Timor-Leste, an s before a consonant sounds like the “sh” in “shoe”, and the final e is very short, so it comes out close to LESH-t(e).

Saying “TEE-mor LESS-tay” will still be understood. In Tetum and Portuguese the name is usually said as one phrase, with no pause at the hyphen. Our language guide covers Tetum and Portuguese pronunciation in more detail.

What are people from Timor-Leste called?

People from Timor-Leste are called Timorese in English, a word the Constitution’s English version also uses. “East Timorese” is also common, especially in older texts and British usage. In Portuguese the word is timorense.

Which name should you use?

For travel, both names work: airlines, booking sites and visa forms may use either. If you want to be accurate and respectful, use Timor-Leste, the name the country uses for itself and the one used by the UN, ISO and ASEAN. In speech, “East Timor” is still widely understood, and nobody in Dili will be offended by it. Avoid “Timor Timur” as a current name, because it refers to the period of Indonesian occupation.

Frequently asked questions

Is East Timor and Timor-Leste the same country?

Yes. Timor-Leste is the official name and East Timor is its English translation. Both refer to the independent country on the eastern half of the island of Timor, with Dili as its capital.

Why is it called Timor-Leste?

Timor comes from the Malay word timur (“east”) and leste is Portuguese for “east”. The country kept the Portuguese form because Portuguese is one of its official languages and the territory was a Portuguese colony until 1975.

What is the official name of Timor-Leste?

The Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste, or República Democrática de Timor-Leste in Portuguese and Repúblika Demokrátika Timor-Leste in Tetum.

How do you pronounce Timor-Leste?

Say TEE-mor for Timor. Leste has two syllables, stressed on the first; in Portuguese the s sounds like “sh”, so it sounds close to LESH-t(e).

What does Lorosa’e mean?

Lorosa’e is Tetum for “sunrise” or “east”, from loro (“sun”). Timor Lorosa’e means “Timor of the rising sun” and is a Tetum name for the country that you will still see.

Is Timor-Leste part of Indonesia?

No. Indonesia occupied the territory from 1975 to 1999 and called it Timor Timur. The Timorese voted for independence in the 1999 referendum, and independence was restored on 20 May 2002. Only West Timor, on the other half of the island, belongs to Indonesia.

What is the country code of Timor-Leste?

The ISO codes are TL and TLS, the internet domain is .tl and the international calling code is +670.

Sources

About Timor-Leste