Macau is a special administrative region of China located off the southern coast, covering 11 square miles. It was settled in the 4th millennium BC and became a trading center in the 13th century. The Portuguese arrived in the 16th century and leased the island from China, making it an important trading point. Macau suffered a decline in the mid-19th century but became a tourist haven in recent years, known for its casinos and entertainment venues. It was transferred to China in 1999 and has virtual autonomy over domestic and economic matters.
Macau, like Hong Kong, is a special administrative region of China, located off the southern coast. It covers 11 square miles (29 square km). It is just off the coast of China’s Guangdong province and has a coastline along the South China Sea. The country is also often referred to as Macau, but the spellings are generally interchangeable in international usage.
The region was first settled around the 4th millennium BC, but not much is known about these early settlements. It was assimilated into various Chinese city states in the 1st millennium BC, and when the Qin dynasty unified China in the 2nd century BC, it was included in the empire. During this period the region was mainly used as a staging post by traders and travellers, with few, if any, permanent settlements.
In the 13th century, when the Mongols invaded China, large numbers of refugees from the Song dynasty fled to Macau and made a new home there. Over the next few centuries the area grew slightly and became an important regional trading centre, but remained relatively small and undeveloped.
In the 16th century the Portuguese arrived in Macau, seeing it as a good location to expand their regional trading empire. They leased the island from the Chinese, with the island remaining under Chinese sovereignty, but with the Portuguese having full use of the land. It became an important trading point, particularly in the lucrative trade between China and Japan, facilitated by the Portuguese. The island was attacked several times by the Dutch in the early 17th century, but these attacks were all successfully repulsed, eventually leading to a strengthening of the area’s defenses.
When Japan shut out the West in the mid-17th century, Macau’s lucrative shipbuilding industry suffered immensely. When China later opened trade with a number of other Western powers, it suffered even more. The region underwent a period of rapid decline, reaching a nadir in the mid-19th century when the British acquired Hong Kong and became a dominant trading power in the region.
In 1849 the Portuguese declared the area independent from China and stopped paying the rent. Portugal also expanded territory during this period, acquiring a number of smaller neighboring islands. During World War II Macau remained a neutral port and briefly experienced an economic boom, although it settled down shortly thereafter.
In 1974, Portugal had its Carnation Revolution and gave up all of its territories worldwide. With the new government in place, Portugal immediately entered into negotiations with China to organize a peaceful transfer of power over the island. In the late 1980s, a treaty was finally concluded and the territory entered a period of transition, during which it was still administered by Portugal. In 1999, control was transferred to China, with the stipulation that the region would continue to be administered in much the same way for at least the next 50 years, an arrangement not unlike the one that accompanied the British transfer of power in Hong Kong. As a result, Macao now enjoys a special status, having virtual autonomy over domestic and economic matters.
In recent years Macau has become a tourist haven, particularly for Asian tourists. The region features a number of historical points of interest, such as the 60-meter white jade statue of the goddess A-Ma, various Portuguese chapels and churches, and fortresses from the 16th and 17th centuries. But what it is best known for these days is its many casinos and entertainment venues, which have led it to be described as the Las Vegas of Asia.
Flights arrive daily in Macau from most European hubs via Hong Kong, and more direct flights open daily. It is also closely connected with Hong Kong by sea, with ferries, hydrofoils and boats crossing constantly. Travel to mainland China is also available by sea or air.
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