Dili << DEE lee >> is the capital of East Timor, a small country on the island of Timor in Southeast Asia. About 245,000 people live there. Dili is also the country’s main port and largest city. It lies on East Timor’s northern shore.
People have lived in the Dili region for thousands of years. Portuguese traders began to visit the area in the 1500’s. Portugal gradually gained control of eastern Timor. In 1769, it made Dili the capital of its colony there.
After Portugal withdrew from East Timor in 1975, Indonesia took over and ruled the region harshly. In 1999, the East Timorese voted in favor of independence. Opponents of independence reacted violently. About 80 percent of the buildings in Dili were destroyed. Almost 200 of the city’s residents were killed, and most of the population fled before a multinational military force finally stopped the violence. In 2002, East Timor gained independence, with Dili as its capital.
