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Flag of Timor-Leste

national flag of the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste

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General referenceInterpretive dossier study · Crown Archives visual atlas
Record originEnglish Wikipedia
Text licenseCC BY-SA 4.0
Source revisionJul 2, 2026
Entity authorityQ30768
Source-derived summary

The national flag of Timor-Leste (bandeira nacional de Timor-Leste; bandeira nasionál) consists of a red field with the black isosceles triangle based on the hoist-side bearing a white five-pointed star in the center superimposed on the larger yellow triangle, also based on the hoist-side, that extends to the center of the flag.

Official description of the flag

According to the Constitution of the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste, Part I, Section 15:

"The national flag is rectangular and is formed by two isosceles triangles, the bases of which are overlapping. One triangle is black and its height is equal to two-third of the length overlapped to the yellow triangle, whose height is equal to half the length of the Flag. In the centre of the black triangle there is a white star of five ends, meaning the light that guides. The white star has one of its ends turned towards the left side end of the flag. The remaining part of the flag is red."

With the constitution of the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste on 28 November 1975, the flag was officially adopted for the first time. The symbolism of this flag was given the following meaning:

Black represents the four centuries of colonial oppression.

The yellow arrowhead represents "the traces of colonialism in Timor-Leste's history" and the struggle for independence.

Red stands for the spilled blood of the population.

The white star symbolises hope for a better future.

Editorial summary

Begin with the source’s own compact description: “Flag of Timor-Leste” is national flag of the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste. The dossier treats that line as a proposition to test through Flag, Timor-Leste and national, not as a finished interpretation.

Editorial reviewA concise reference frame for defining the subject, testing terminology and identifying the institution closest to the evidence. The current lead gives the account dated anchors—1975—that can be checked directly. The linked authority record independently contributes the date 1975-11-28. For this dossier, Flag, Timor-Leste and national is the immediate research focus.
Editorial analysis

Why this record matters

The phrase “national flag of the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste” supplies a clear boundary for inquiry. It also exposes the unanswered questions: who defined that boundary, when it became stable and which sources sit outside it.

Evidence profile

Named sources, stable identifiers and responsible institutions provide the strongest route from overview to verifiable evidence. The source revision retrieved here is dated Jul 2, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q30768. None of the 1 selected statements returned an explicit reference. The first chronological checks are 1975.

Critical limits

A concise general-reference account can conceal disagreements about scope, terminology or the weight assigned to individual sources. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.

How to read it

Use the entry as an orientation point, then follow its citations and revision history. Names, dates and institutional relationships should be checked against the original record.

Best used for
  • Subject orientation
  • Search vocabulary
  • Locating named sources
Verify next

The closest primary source, responsible institution and strongest cited specialist reference.

Three-step research path

  1. Establish the record: confirm the title “Flag of Timor-Leste”, its source revision and the description used here.
  2. Expand the search: follow Flag of Timor-Leste primary sources, Flag of Timor-Leste archive and Flag research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
  3. Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.

Questions for further research

  1. Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Flag of Timor-Leste”?
  2. What terminology or title could unlock a more precise catalogue search?
  3. Which cited source is closest to the event, object or claim?
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Source & attribution

This entry incorporates text from Flag of Timor-Leste” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.