Military clashes between the Ming and Portuguese navies followed the expulsion of the Tamão traders in 1521. Merchants first established a trading post in Hong Kong waters at Tamão (present-day Tuen Mun), beginning regular trade with nearby settlements in southern China. The first European visitor to reach China by sea was the explorer Jorge Álvares, who arrived in 1513. Macau did not develop as a major settlement until the Portuguese arrived in the 16th century. In 1277, approximately 50,000 refugees fleeing the Mongol conquest of China settled in the coastal area. In 1152, during the Song dynasty (960–1279 AD), it was under the jurisdiction of the new Xiangshan County. It was administratively part of Dongguan Prefecture in the Jin dynasty (266–420 AD), and alternated under the control of Nanhai and Dongguan in later dynasties. The region is first known to have been settled during the Han dynasty. Main articles: History of Macau and History of Chinaĭuring the Qin dynasty (221–206 BC), the region was under the jurisdiction of Panyu County, Nanhai Prefecture of the province of Guangdong. These names would later become Aomen ( 澳門), Oumún in Cantonese and translating as "bay gate" or "port gate", to refer to the whole territory. The islands Taipa, Coloane, and Hengqin were collectively called Shizimen ( 十字門). The Macau Peninsula had many names in Chinese, including Jing'ao ( 井澳/鏡澳), Haojing ( 濠鏡), and Haojing'ao ( 濠鏡澳). The 1911 reform of Portuguese orthography standardised the spelling Macau however, the use of Macao persisted in English and other European languages. Multiple variations were used until Amacão / Amacao and Macão / Macao became common during the 17th century. The earliest Portuguese spelling for this was Amaquão. 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" ( 媽閣). The local inhabitants believed that the sea goddess Matsu (alternatively called A-Ma) had blessed and protected the harbour and called the waters around A-Ma Temple using her name. The first known written record of the name "Macau", rendered as "Ya/A Ma Gang" ( 亞/阿-媽/馬-港), is found in a letter dated 20 November 1555. Ou 3mun 4*2 Deg 6bid 6 Heng 4jing 3 Kêu 1 Īo-men T'e-pieh Hsing-cheng-ch'ü (Ao-men T'e Ch'ü) The territory is highly urbanised two-thirds of the total land area is built on land reclaimed from the sea. It has a very high Human Development Index, as calculated by the Macau government, and the fourth-highest life expectancy in the world. The city has one of the highest per capita incomes in the world, and its GDP per capita by purchasing power parity is one of the highest in the world. Originally a sparsely populated collection of coastal islands, Macau, often referred to as the "Las Vegas of the East", has become a major resort city and a top destination for gambling tourism, with a gambling industry seven times larger than that of Las Vegas. The unique blend of Portuguese and Chinese architecture in the city's historic centre led to its inscription on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2005. Macau is a special administrative region of China, which maintains separate governing and economic systems from those of mainland China under the principle of " one country, two systems". The colony remained under Portuguese rule until 1999, when it was transferred to China.
Portugal later gained perpetual colonial rights in the Sino-Portuguese Treaty of Peking. Portugal paid an annual rent and administered the territory under Chinese sovereignty until 1887. With a population of about 680,000 and an area of 32.9 km 2 (12.7 sq mi), it is the most densely populated region in the world.įormerly a Portuguese colony, the territory of Portuguese Macau was first leased to Portugal as a trading post by the Ming dynasty in 1557. Macau or Macao ( English: / m ə ˈ k aʊ/ ( listen) Portuguese: Chinese: 澳門 Cantonese: ), officially the Macao Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China ( MSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China in the western Pearl River Delta by the South China Sea. None for local vehicles, 粤Z for cross-boundary vehicles