Timor-Leste’s national flag has a red field with a yellow triangle at the hoist, a smaller black triangle inside it and a white five-pointed star near the hoist.

What does the Timor-Leste flag look like?

The yellow triangle reaches toward the centre of the flag. A black triangle overlays it from the hoist, containing a white star pointing upward.

What do the colors mean?

Official constitutional symbolism links yellow with the traces of colonialism, black with obscurantism that must be overcome, red with the struggle for national liberation and white with peace.

History of the flag

The design was first used when East Timor declared independence from Portugal in November 1975, shortly before the Indonesian invasion. It returned when Timor-Leste restored independence on May 20, 2002.

Timor-Leste flag facts

• First adopted: 1975
• Restored: May 20, 2002
• Colors: red, yellow, black and white
• Star: one white five-pointed star