Description

East Timor (Timor-Leste) was a Portuguese colony for over 400 years. Shortly after declaring itself independent in 1975 Indonesia invaded and annexed the country. After a long, bloody civil war, an election was held in August 1999, and much to the surprise of Indonesia (though practically no-one else) East Timor voted for independence. Indonesian troops and militia immediately went on a rampage, destroying or looting everything of value in the poor nation. Since then the United Nations has been working to rebuild the nation and re-established it as a full independent country in 2002. In 2004 East Timor issued its first coins as an independent nation. The 5 coin set includes the 1, 5, 10, 25 and 50 Centavos.  The coins feature:

1 Centavo - a nautilus shell.

5 Centavos - rice.

10 Centavos - a chicken.

25 Centavos - an outrigger sailboat.

50 Centavos - coffee beans

The reverse features the denomination.