Overview
Macau is a special administrative region of China located in Asia. It consists of the Macau Peninsula, the islands of Taipa and Coloane, the Cotai reclamation zone between Taipa and Coloane, and several smaller islets. The territory borders Zhuhai to the north and west and lies west of Hong Kong, separated by the Pearl River estuary.
With a population of approximately 720,000 people and a land area of 32.9 square kilometres (12.7 square miles), Macau is the most densely populated region in the world. Two-thirds of the region's total area is built on land reclaimed from the sea.
Geography and Demographics
Macau maintains a unique geographical position at the mouth of the Pearl River estuary, strategically located between mainland China and Hong Kong. The territory is highly urbanised, reflecting its role as one of the world's most visited cities.
The region boasts a very high Human Development Index of 0.934 and has the third-highest life expectancy in the world.
Etymology
The name Macau has origins in local maritime culture. The first known written record of the name, rendered as A Ma Gang (亞/阿-媽/馬-港), appears in a letter dated 20 November 1555. Local inhabitants believed that the sea goddess Matsu, also called A-Ma, had blessed and protected the harbour. When Portuguese explorers arrived and asked for the place name, locals referred them to Ma Kok (媽閣), the temple dedicated to this goddess. The earliest Portuguese spelling was Amaquão, with variations eventually standardising to Macau or Macao by the 17th century.
In Chinese, the Macau Peninsula was known by several names including Jing'ao (井澳/鏡澳), Haojing (濠鏡), and Haojing'ao (濠鏡澳). The islands Taipa, Coloane, and Hengqin were collectively called Shizimen (十字門). These names later became Oumún (澳門), meaning 'bay gate' or 'port gate' in Mandarin.
Early History
During the Qin dynasty (221–206 BC), the region fell under the jurisdiction of Panyu County in Nanhai Prefecture of Guangdong province. The area is first known to have been settled during the Han dynasty and was administratively part of Dongguan Prefecture in the Jin dynasty (266–420 AD). Control alternated between Nanhai and Dongguan in later periods until 1152, when it came under the jurisdiction of Xiangshan County during the Song dynasty (960–1279 AD).
In 1277, approximately 50,000 refugees fleeing the Mongol conquest of China settled in the coastal area.
Portuguese Arrival and Settlement
The first European visitor to reach China by sea was explorer Jorge Álvares, who arrived in 1513. Portuguese merchants initially established a trading post in Hong Kong waters at Tamão (present-day Tuen Mun), beginning regular trade with nearby settlements in southern China.
Early Portuguese attempts to obtain trading posts by force met with military resistance. The Portuguese were defeated by the Ming Chinese at the Battle of Tunmen in Tamão in 1521, losing two ships. Additional defeats followed at the Battle of Sincouwaan near Lantau Island, at Shuangyu in 1548, and near Dongshan County in 1549.
Following these failures, the Portuguese changed their approach and presented themselves peacefully, negotiating the Luso-Chinese agreement in 1554. Luso-Canton trade relations were formally reestablished in 1554, and Portugal acquired a permanent lease for Macau in 1557, agreeing to pay 500 taels of silver as annual land rent to Ming China.
Colonial Period Development
Macau became a crucial stopover on the sea lane connecting Japan with the wider world. The Roman Catholic Diocese of Macau was created in 1576, and by 1583, the Municipal Council of Macau had been established to manage municipal affairs. The territory reached peak prosperity in the late 16th century as a major warehouse, providing a crucial connection in exporting Chinese silk to Japan during the Nanban trade period.
Although initially prohibited from fortifying the territory, the Portuguese constructed the Fortaleza do Monte in response to frequent Dutch naval incursions. The Dutch attempted to take the city in the 1622 Battle of Macau but were successfully repelled by the Portuguese.
Decline and Trade Restrictions
Macau entered a period of decline in the 1640s following a series of events that damaged the colony. Portuguese access to trade routes was severed when Japan halted trade in 1639. After the Portuguese Restoration War of 1640, Portuguese Malacca fell to the Dutch in 1641.
Maritime trade with China was banned in 1644 following the Qing conquest under Haijin policies. Trade was limited only to Macau on a reduced scale while the new dynasty eliminated surviving Ming loyalists. The Kangxi Emperor lifted the prohibition in 1684, though China restricted trade again decades later under the Canton System in 1757, requiring foreign ships to stop first at Macau before proceeding to Canton.
As the opium trade became more lucrative during the 18th century, Macau regained importance as a stopping point on routes to China.
Nineteenth Century and Portuguese Sovereignty
Following the First Opium War and the establishment of Hong Kong by the British, Macau lost its role as a major port. The colony's vital industries shifted to firecracker and incense production, as well as tea and tobacco processing.
Capitalising on China's postwar weakness, Portugal asserted greater control. The Governor of Macau stopped paying annual land rent to China in the 1840s and annexed Taipa in 1851 and Coloane in 1864. Portugal also occupied nearby Lapa and Montanha, though these were returned to China by 1887. In that year, the Sino-Portuguese Treaty of Peking formalised Portugal's perpetual occupation rights over Macau and prohibited Portugal from ceding the territory without Chinese approval.
Despite occasional conflicts between Cantonese authorities and the colonial government, Macau's status remained unchanged through republican revolutions in both Portugal (1910) and China (1911). When the Treaty of Peking was renegotiated in 1928, the Kuomintang further affirmed Portuguese jurisdiction in Macau.
World War II and Beyond
During the Second World War, the Empire of Japan did not occupy the colony and generally respected Portuguese neutrality. However, after Japanese troops captured a British cargo ship in Macau waters in 1943, Japan installed a group of government "advisors" as an alternative to military occupation.
The territory largely avoided military action during the war except in 1945, when the United States ordered air raids on Macau after learning that the colonial government was preparing to sell aviation fuel to Japan. In 1950, the United States paid Portugal more than US$20 million in compensation for war damage.
Modern Era
Macau remained under Portuguese administration until the 1999 handover to China. As a special administrative region, Macau maintains separate governing and economic systems from mainland China under the principle of "one country, two systems".
The unique blend of Portuguese, French, English, Italian, and Chinese architecture in the city's downtown area resulted in its designation as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2005.
Economy and Global Recognition
Macau is famous globally for its casinos, known by the gambling industry as the gambling capital of the world. The gambling industry of Macau is around seven times larger than that of Las Vegas, Nevada. As one of the most visited cities in the world, Macau has one of the highest GDPs per capita and GDPs per capita by purchasing power parity globally.