Asia's youngest nation East Timor became the 11th member of the Southeast Asian bloc ASEAN at its summit. It also marked ASEAN’s first expansion in years, after Cambodia last joined it in 1999. Also Read: NCERT Notes for UPSC, CDS, NDA, CAPF AC & AFCAT Written Exam
Important GK Facts for UPSC CDS NDA AFCAT SSC CGL CPO SI Exam
ASEAN: ASEAN was established in 1967 in Bangkok (Thailand) with the signing of the ASEAN Declaration (Bangkok Declaration).
It has its secretariat in Jakarta, Indonesia.
Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, and Thailand are the founding members of ASEAN.
It has 10 member countries. Other members are Myanmar, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, and Brunei.
As per regular practice, the ASEAN Summit is held twice annually.
The first ASEAN Summit was held in Bali, Indonesia on 23-24 February 1976.
On 30 April 1999, Cambodia joined the ASEAN family and became the 10th member of this Association.
East Timor: East Timor is an island country in the Eastern Lesser Sunda Islands, at the southern extreme of the Malay Archipelago in Southeast Asia.
It is bounded by the Wetar Strait in the north and the Ombai Strait in the northwest.
East Timor, also known as Timor Leste, was colonised by Portugal in the 18th century and remained under its control until 1975.
When the Portuguese withdrew, Indonesian troops invaded and annexed East Timor as its 27th province.
In a 1999 UN-supervised referendum, the East Timorese voted for independence. The country was officially recognised by the United Nations (UN) in 2002.
Highest Point: Mount Tatamailau
Rivers: The most significant rivers are the Lakla, Lies and Seical.
Capital City: Dili
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