Flag Fact Friday: East Timor

The flag of East Timor is one of the youngest flags since it has been adopted in May 2002. It is composed of a red leaf with two triangles on the left side - an elongated yellow one and a narrower black one. Moreover, a white five-pointed star is located in the black triangle. The flag dates back to 1975 when the island was liberated from the Portuguese domination. In the same year, however, the island was invaded by Indonesia and East Timor has not regained the independence until 2002. The flag has been inspired by a flag of revolutionary party Fretilin, where red indicates sacrifices made during the revolution. The black color reminds the people of their colonial past and the yellow triangle symbolizes hope for better tomorrows. Traditionally, the white color of the star symbolizes peace and freedom.