Timor is an island at the south end of the Malay Archipelago , north of the Timor Sea . It is divided between the independent state of East Timor , and West Timor , belonging to the Indonesian province of East Nusa Tenggara . West Timor , was known as Dutch Timor until 1949 when it became Indonesian Timor , a part of the nation of Indonesia which was formed from the old Netherlands East Indies ; while East Timor was known as Portuguese Timor , a Portuguese colony until 1975 .