The Secret History Behind East Timor's Flag
For years, flying East Timor's flag could lead to severe punishment.
The design comes from the flag proclaimed in 1975 by Fretilin, the independence movement, when the country declared independence from Portugal. After the Indonesian takeover, its use was forbidden. When independence came back, the flag was adopted again on May 20, 2002, and the constitution describes it in detail.
It is a red field with two overlapping triangles: a larger yellow one, and a black one on top of it that carries a white five-pointed star. According to the constitution, yellow stands for the traces of colonialism, black for the obscurantism that has to be overcome, red for the struggle for national liberation, and the white star is the light that guides and stands for peace.
The date printed on every East Timor design in our catalog, May 20, 2002, is the day it achieved full independence.
Two triangles and a star that were once forbidden.
Looking for a gift with a story? See our heritage gift guide, or read the story behind any other country's flag on our free Flag Stories page.