MACAU

Special Administrative Region

 Introduction
• It is located on the
Southeast coast of China
to the western bank of
the Pearl River Delta.

Bordering on Guangdong
Province, it locates 60km
from Hong Kong and
145km from the city of
Guangzhou.
 History
• Macau did not develop as a major settlement
until the Portuguese arrived in the 16th
century.
• In 1557 it was leased to Portugal as a
trading post but in a exchange for a annual rent
of 500 tael in order to stay in Macau, it
remained under Chinese sovereignty and
authority until 1887, the Portuguese came to
consider and administer it as a de facto colony.
• Following the signing of the Treaty of Nanking
between China and Britain in 1842, establishing
the benefit of "the most favoured nation" for
them, the Portuguese attempted to conclude a
similar treaty in 1862, but the Chinese refused,
owing to a misunderstanding over the
sovereignty of Macau.
• In 1887 the Portuguese finally managed to
secure an agreement from China that Macao
was Portuguese territory.
• In 1999 it was handed over to China.
 Geography
• On the southern coast of
China. It is located at the
south of Guangdong
Province, on the tip of
the peninsula formed by
the Zhujiang (Pearl
River) estuary on the
east and the Xijiang
(West River) on the west.
• The region comprises the Macau Peninsula and the islands of
Taipa and Coloane. Macau was once an island but gradually a
connecting sandbar turned into a narrow isthmus.
Land reclamation in the 17th century made Macau into a
peninsula, and a barrier gate was built to mark the separation
between the peninsula and the mainland. Pre-colonial records
show that Macau totalled only 2.78 km (1.07 sq mi) but began to
2

increase as a result of Portuguese settlement. Land growth has

accelerated since the last quarter of the 20th century as result of
continued land reclamation, especially on Taipa and Coloane. In
2014, the total land area was approximately 30.3 km 2

(11.7 sq mi).
• There is a 0.34 km (0.21 mi) long border between Macau and
mainland China and a forty-kilometer-long coastline. The main
border crossing between Macau and China is the
Portas do Cerco (Barrier Gate) Frontier Checkpoint on the
Macau side, and the Gongbei checkpoint on the Chinese side.
 Ethnic Composition
Ethnic groups: Chinese 88.7%, Portuguese 1.1%,
mixed 1.1%, other 9.2% (includes Macanese - mixed
Portuguese and Asian ancestry) (2016 est.)
 Culture
• Macau has a diverse
culture firmly rooted in
Cantonese culture, with
a mix of influences from
East Asia and Western
Europe. Macau is
known for being the
largest gambling center
in the world.
Thank You