Macau was formerly a colony of the Portuguese Empire, after Ming China<\/a> leased the territory as a trading post in 1557. Portugal<\/a> governed the area in a style under Chinese sovereignty and authority until 1887, when it was given perpetual colonial rights for Macau. The colony remained under Portuguese rule until 1999, when it was transferred to China<\/a>. As a special administrative region, Macau maintains separate governing and economic systems from that of mainland China<\/a>.<\/p>\n Originally a sparsely populated collection of coastal islands, the territory has become a major resort city and the top destination for gambling tourism. It is the ninth-highest recipient of tourism revenue and its gaming industry is seven times larger than that of Las Vegas<\/a>. Although the city has one of the highest per capita incomes in the world, it has severe income inequality. Its GDP per capita by purchasing power parity is one of the highest in the world and higher than any country in the world in 2014 according to the World Bank.<\/p>\n Macau has a very high Human Development Index<\/a>. The government of Macau calculates its own HDI. Macau has the fourth-highest life expectancy in the world. The territory is highly urbanized and most development is built on reclaimed land; two-thirds of total land area is reclaimed from the sea<\/a>.<\/p>\n The first known written record of the name “Macau”, rendered as “Ya\/A Ma Gang” (“\u4e9e\/\u963f-\u5abd\/\u99ac-\u6e2f”), is in a letter dated 20 November 1555. The local inhabitants believed that the sea-goddess Mazu (alternatively called A-Ma) had blessed and protected the harbor and called the waters around A-Ma Temple<\/a> using her name. When Portuguese explorers first arrived in the area and asked for the place name, the locals thought they were asking about the temple and told them it was “Ma Kok” (\u5abd\u95a3). The earliest Portuguese spelling for this was Amaqu\u00e3o. Multiple variations were used until Amac\u00e3o \/ Amacao and Mac\u00e3o \/ Macao became common during the 17th century, gradually standardizing as Macao, and Macau today.<\/p>\n Macau Peninsula had many names in Chinese, including Jing’ao (\u4e95\u6fb3\/\u93e1\u6fb3), Haojing (\u6fe0\u93e1), and Haojing’ao (\u6fe0\u93e1\u6fb3). The islands Taipa<\/a>, Coloane<\/a>, and Hengqin<\/a> were collectively called Shizimen (\u5341\u5b57\u9580). These names would later become Aomen (\u6fb3\u9580), Oum\u00fan in Cantonese and translating as “bay gate” or “port gate”, to refer to the whole territory.<\/p>\n The region is first known to have been settled during the Han dynasty<\/a>. Macau did not develop as a major settlement until the Portuguese arrived in the 16th century. The first European visitor to reach China by sea was the explorer Jorge \u00c1lvares<\/a>, who arrived in 1513. Merchants first established a trading post in Hong Kong<\/a> waters at Tam\u00e3o<\/a> (present-day Tuen Mun<\/a>), beginning regular trade with nearby settlements in southern China. Military clashes between the Ming and Portuguese navies followed the expulsion of the Tam\u00e3o traders in 1521. Despite the trade ban, Portuguese merchants continued to attempt settling on other parts of the Pearl River estuary, finally settling on Macau. Luso-Chinese trade relations were formally reestablished<\/a> in 1554 and Portugal soon after acquired a permanent lease for Macau in 1557, agreeing to pay 500 taels<\/a> of silver as annual land rent.<\/p>\n The initially small population of Portuguese merchants rapidly became a growing city. The Roman Catholic Diocese of Macau<\/a> was created in 1576, and by 1583, the Senate<\/a> had been established to handle municipal affairs for the growing settlement. Macau was at the peak of its prosperity as a major entrep\u00f4t<\/a> during the late 16th century, providing a crucial connection in exporting Chinese silk to Japan during the Nanban trade period<\/a>. Although the Portuguese were initially prohibited from fortifying Macau or stockpiling weapons, the Fortaleza do Monte<\/a> was constructed in response to frequent Dutch naval incursions<\/a>. The Dutch attempted to take the city in the 1622 Battle of Macau<\/a>, but were repelled successfully by the Portuguese. Macau entered a period of decline in the 1640s following a series of catastrophic events for the burgeoning colony: Portuguese access to trade routes was irreparably severed when Japan halted trade<\/a> in 1639, Portugal revolted against Spain in 1640<\/a>, and Malacca<\/a> fell to the Dutch in 1641.<\/p>\n Maritime trade with China was banned in 1644 following the Qing conquest<\/a> under the Haijin policies<\/a> and limited only to Macau on a lesser scale while the new dynasty focused on eliminating surviving Ming loyalists<\/a>. While the Kangxi Emperor<\/a> lifted the prohibition in 1684, China again restricted trade under the Canton System<\/a> in 1757. Foreign ships were required to first stop at Macau before further proceeding to Canton<\/a>. Qing authorities exercised a much greater role in governing the territory during this period; Chinese residents were subject to Qing courts and new construction had to be approved by the resident mandarin<\/a> beginning in the 1740s. As the opium trade became more lucrative during the eighteenth century, Macau again became an important stopping point en route to China.<\/p>\n Following the First Opium War<\/a> and establishment of Hong Kong, Macau lost its role as a major port. Firecracker and incense production, as well as tea and tobacco processing, were vital industries in the colony during this time. Portugal was able to capitalise on China’s post-war weakness and assert its sovereignty; the Governor of Macau<\/a> began refusing to pay China annual land rent for the colony in the 1840s, and annexed Taipa and Coloane, in 1851 and 1864 respectively.<\/p>\n Portugal also occupied nearby Lapa<\/a> and Montanha<\/a>, but these would be returned to China by 1887, when perpetual occupation rights over Macau were formalized in the Sino-Portuguese Treaty of Peking.<\/a> This agreement also prohibited Portugal from ceding Macau without Chinese approval. Despite occasional conflict between Cantonese authorities and the colonial government, Macau’s status remained unchanged through the republican revolutions of both Portugal in 1910<\/a> and China in 1911<\/a>. The Kuomintang<\/a> further affirmed Portuguese jurisdiction in Macau when the Treaty of Peking was renegotiated in 1928.<\/p>\n During the Second World War<\/a>, the Empire of Japan<\/a> did not occupy the colony and generally respected Portuguese neutrality<\/a> in Macau. 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. Portugal was later given over US$20 million in compensation for the damage in 1950.<\/p>\n Refugees from mainland China swelled the population as they fled from the Chinese Civil War<\/a>. Access to a large workforce enabled Macau’s economy to grow as the colony expanded its clothing and textiles manufacturing industry, developed tourism, and legalized casino gaming. However, at the height of the Cultural Revolution<\/a>, residents dissatisfied with the colonial administration rioted in the 1966 12-3 incident<\/a>, in which 8 people were killed and over 200 were injured. Portugal lost full control over the colony afterwards, and agreed to cooperate with the communist authorities in exchange for continued administration of Macau.<\/p>\n Following the 1974 Carnation Revolution<\/a>, Portugal formally relinquished Macau as an overseas province and acknowledged it as a “Chinese territory under Portuguese administration.” After China first concluded arrangements on Hong Kong’s future<\/a> with the United Kingdom<\/a>, it entered negotiations with Portugal over Macau in 1986. They were concluded with the signing of the 1987 Joint Declaration on the Question of Macau<\/a>, in which Portugal agreed to transfer the colony in 1999 and China would guarantee Macau’s political and economic systems for 50 years after the transfer. In the waning years of colonial rule, Macau rapidly urbanized and constructed large-scale infrastructure projects, including Macau International Airport<\/a> and a new container port<\/a>. Macau was transferred to China on 20 December 1999, after 442 years of Portuguese rule.<\/p>\n Following the transfer, Macau liberalized its casino industry (previously operating under a government-licensed monopoly) to allow foreign investors, starting a new period of economic development. The regional economy grew by a double-digit annual growth rate from 2002 to 2014, making Macau one of the richest economies in the world on a per capita basis. Political debates have centered on the region’s jurisdictional independence and the central government’s<\/a> adherence of “one country, two systems”<\/a>. While issues such as national security legislation<\/a> have been controversial, Macanese residents have generally high levels of trust in the government.<\/p>\n In 2015, the borders of Macau were redrawn by the state council, shifting the land border north to the Canal dos Patos<\/a> and expanding the maritime border significantly. The changes increased the size of Macau’s maritime territory by 85 square kilometers.<\/p>\n Macau is on China’s southern coast, 60 km (37 mi) west of Hong Kong, on the western side of the Pearl River estuary. It is surrounded by the South China Sea<\/a> in the east and south, and neighbors the Guangdong city of Zhuhai<\/a> to the west and north. The territory consists of Macau Peninsula, Taipa, and Coloane. A 1 km2 (0.39 sq mi) parcel of land in neighbouring Hengqin island that hosts the University of Macau<\/a> also falls under the regional government’s jurisdiction. The territory’s highest point is Coloane Alto<\/a>, 170.6 metres (560 ft) above sea level.<\/p>\n Urban development is concentrated on peninsular Macau, where most of the population lives.<\/p>\n The peninsula was originally a separate island with hilly terrain, which gradually became a tombolo<\/a> as a connecting sandbar formed over time. Both natural sedimentation and land reclamation expanded the area enough to support urban growth. Macau has tripled its land area in the last century, increasing from 10.28 km2 (3.97 sq mi) in the late 19th century to 32.9 km2 (12.7 sq mi) in 2018.<\/p>\n Cotai<\/a>, the area of reclaimed land connecting Taipa and Coloane, contains many of the newer casinos and resorts established after 1999. The region’s jurisdiction over the surrounding sea was greatly expanded in 2015, when it was granted an additional 85 km2 (33 sq mi) of maritime territory by the State Council. Further reclamation is currently underway to develop parts of the Macau New Urban Zone<\/a>. The territory also has control over part of an artificial island to maintain a border checkpoint for the Hong Kong\u2013Zhuhai\u2013Macau Bridge<\/a>.<\/p>\n Macau has a capitalist service economy largely based on casino gaming and tourism. It is the world’s 83rd-largest economy, with a nominal GDP<\/a> of approximately MOP433 billion (US$53.9 billion). Although Macau has one of the highest per capita GDPs, the territory also has a high level of wealth disparity<\/a>. Macau’s gaming industry is the largest in the world, generating over MOP195 billion (US$24 billion) in revenue and about seven times larger than that of Las Vegas.<\/p>\n The regional economy is heavily reliant on casino gaming. The vast majority of government funding (79.6 per cent of total tax revenue) comes from gaming. Gambling as a share of GDP peaked in 2013 at over 60 per cent, and continues to account for 49.1 per cent of total economic output. The vast majority of casino patrons are tourists from mainland China, making up 68 per cent of all visitors. Casino gaming is illegal in both the mainland and Hong Kong, giving Macau a legal monopoly on the industry in China.<\/p>\n Casino gambling was legalised in 1962 and the gaming industry initially operated under a government-licensed monopoly granted to the Sociedade de Turismo e Divers\u00f5es de Macau<\/a>. This license was renegotiated and renewed several times before ending in 2002 after 40 years. The government then allowed open bidding for casino licenses to attract foreign investors. Along with an easing of travel restrictions on mainland Chinese visitors, this triggered a period of rapid economic growth; from 1999 to 2016, Macau’s gross domestic product multiplied by 7 and the unemployment rate dropped from 6.3 to 1.9 per cent. The Sands Macao<\/a>, Wynn Macau<\/a>, MGM Macau<\/a>, and Venetian Macau<\/a> were all opened during the first decade after liberalization of casino concessions. Casinos employ about 24 per cent of the total workforce in the region.<\/p>\n Export-oriented manufacturing previously contributed to a much larger share of economic output, peaking at 36.9 per cent of GDP in 1985 and falling to less than 1 per cent in 2017. The bulk of these exports were cotton textiles and apparel, but also included toys and electronics. At the transfer of sovereignty in 1999, manufacturing, financial services, construction and real estate, and gaming were the four largest sectors of the economy. Macau’s shift to an economic model entirely dependent on gaming caused concern over its overexposure to a single sector, prompting the regional government to attempt re-diversifying its economy.<\/p>\n The government traditionally had a non-interventionist role in the economy and taxes corporations at very low rates. Post-handover administrations have generally been more involved in enhancing social welfare to counter the cyclical nature of the gaming industry. Economic growth has been attributed in large part to the high number of mainlander visits to Macau, and the central government exercises a role in guiding casino business growth through its control of the flow of tourists. The Closer Economic Partnership Arrangement<\/a> formalized a policy of free trade between Macau and mainland China, with each jurisdiction pledging to remove remaining obstacles to trade and cross-boundary investment.<\/p>\n Due to a lack of available land for farming, agriculture is not significant in the economy. Food is exclusively imported to Macau and almost all foreign goods are transshipped through Hong Kong.<\/p>\n Macau has a highly developed road system, with over 400 km (250 mi) of road constructed in the territory. Automobiles drive on the left (unlike in both mainland China and Portugal), due to historical influence of the Portuguese Empire. Vehicle traffic is extremely congested, especially within the oldest part of the city, where streets are the most narrow. Public bus services operate over 80 routes, supplemented by free hotel shuttle buses that also run routes to popular tourist attractions and downtown locations. About 1,500 black taxicabs are licensed to carry riders in the territory. The Hong Kong\u2013Zhuhai\u2013Macau Bridge, opened in 2018, provides a direct link with the eastern side of the Pearl River estuary. Cross-boundary traffic to mainland China may also pass through border checkpoints at the Portas do Cerco<\/a> and L\u00f3tus Bridge<\/a>.<\/p>\n Macau International Airport serves over 8 million passengers each year and is the primary hub for local flag carrier Air Macau.<\/a><\/p>\n The territory’s first rail network, the Macau Light Rapid Transit<\/a>, is currently under construction and expected to begin operations in 2019. The Taipa line<\/a> will connect 11 metro stations throughout Taipa and Cotai. Ferry services to Hong Kong and mainland China operate out of Outer Harbour Ferry Terminal<\/a>, Inner Harbour Ferry Terminal<\/a>, and Taipa Ferry Terminal<\/a>. Daily helicopter service is also available to Hong Kong and Shenzhen.<\/p>\n The Regional flag of the Macau Special Administrative Region of the People’s Republic of China (Chinese: \u4e2d\u83ef\u4eba\u6c11\u5171\u548c\u570b\u6fb3\u9580\u7279\u5225\u884c\u653f\u5340\u5340\u65d7; Portuguese: Bandeira regional da Regi\u00e3o Administrativa Especial de Macau da Rep\u00fablica Popular da China) is light green with a lotus flower above the stylised Governador Nobre de Carvalho Bridge<\/a> and water in white, beneath an arc of five golden five-pointed stars: one large star in the center of the arc with two smaller stars on each side of the large star.<\/p>\n The lotus was chosen as the floral emblem of Macau. The Governor Nobre de Carvalho Bridge is a bridge linking the Macau Peninsula<\/a> and the island of Taipa<\/a>. The bridge is one of the most recognizable landmarks for the territory. The water beneath the lotus and the bridge symbolize Macau’s position as a port and its role played in the territory. The five five-pointed stars echo the design of the flag of the People’s Republic of China<\/a>, symbolizing the relationship Macau has with its sovereign state.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The Regional flag of the Macau Special Administrative Region of the People’s Republic of China (Chinese: \u4e2d\u83ef\u4eba\u6c11\u5171\u548c\u570b\u6fb3\u9580\u7279\u5225\u884c\u653f\u5340\u5340\u65d7; Portuguese: Bandeira regional da Regi\u00e3o Administrativa Especial de Macau da Rep\u00fablica Popular da China) is light green with a lotus flower above the stylised Governador Nobre de Carvalho Bridge and water in white, beneath an arc of five golden five-pointed stars: one large star in the center of the arc with two smaller stars on each side of the large star.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4277,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[36,8,84,59,5,6,7,29],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4127"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4127"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4127\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4277"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4127"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4127"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4127"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2020\/01\/Macau-in-China-300x255.png\" "\\"\\"")
<\/a>Etymology:<\/h2>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2020\/01\/Macau-in-Traditional-and-Simplified-Characters-251x300.png\" "\\"\\"")
<\/a>History:<\/h2>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2020\/01\/Map-of-Macau-in-1639-300x202.jpg\" "\\"\\"")
<\/a>![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2020\/01\/Macau-1870-300x233.jpg\" "\\"\\"")
<\/a>![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2020\/01\/A-Chinese-Official-and-Woman-Macau-1880-238x300.jpg\" "\\"\\"")
<\/a>![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2020\/01\/St-Pauls-Cathedral-in-18th-Century-288x300.jpg\" "\\"\\"")
<\/a>![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2020\/01\/Macau-Map-1954-300x231.jpg\" "\\"\\"")
<\/a>Geography:<\/h2>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2020\/01\/Aerial-View-of-Macau-300x199.jpg\" "\\"\\"")
<\/a>Economy:<\/h2>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2020\/01\/Casinos-on-the-Macau-Skyline-300x156.jpg\" "\\"\\"")
<\/a>Transportation:<\/h2>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2020\/01\/Air-Macau-Airbus-A321-200-at-Macao-International-300x213.jpg\" "\\"\\"")
<\/a>Flag of Macau:<\/h2>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2020\/01\/Flag-of-Macau-300x200.png\" "\\"\\"")
<\/a>