Macao is a Special Administrative Region of the People’s Republic of China. Territory under Portuguese administration until 1999, it is located on the south coast of China, on the west bank of the Zhu Jiang estuary, Pearl River, about 60 kmfrom Hong Kong.
It has an area of 28.2 km2 , including the islands of Taipa and Coloane. During the Portuguese administration, the capital was named the City of the Holy Name of God of Macau, being linked to the island of Taipa through a bridge that, in turn, communicates with Coloane Island by a road built on a dike. The summer is hot and humid and the winter is more pleasant.
Although Macau has few natural resources and, at the agricultural level, only produces a few vegetables, it plays an extremely important role in the region’s trade. Exports consist of textiles, clothing, fireworks, toys, Chinese wines, incense, camphor chests, artificial flowers and electronic components. China is the supplier of basic necessities, especially food and construction materials.
Tourism, attracted by the picturesque landscape and, above all, by the fascination of gambling in casinos and gambling in the canidrome, is also an extremely important sector for the region’s economy.
The population is 646 800 residents (July 2015 est.), Of which approximately 93% are Chinese and 1% are Portuguese. The most important religions are Buddhist (50%) and Catholic (15%).
The first Portuguese navigator to demand Chinese ports, Jorge Álvares, anchored in Tun Mun, or Tamang, in 1513. Four years later, Tomé Pires was entrusted with the task of meeting in Beijing with Emperor Cheng Te. However, after the Chinese sovereign’s unexpected death, all foreigners were expelled from the region. In 1521, a new embassy followed, headed by Martim Afonso de Melo, but was never received. Chinese ports remained closed to Western trade.
It was only in 1554 that authorization was granted to trade in the ports of Guangdong province, including that of Macau, known by the name of Koi Kiang. In 1557, after the Portuguese managed to drive pirates off the Chinese coast, Emperor Chi-Tsung rewarded Portugal by offering him Macau. Our presence was a guarantee of security and peace throughout the region, in addition to ensuring coastal navigation and the respective maritime trade.
In 1976, Macau became a territory under Portuguese administration, according to a special organic statute contemplated in the Constitution of the Portuguese Republic, promulgated that year. This statute gave Macau administrative, economic, financial and legislative autonomy, with representation of Portuguese sovereignty and local bodies with legislative and executive functions. The governor and the Legislative Assembly became governing bodies of the territory.
This legal system is characterized by respect for fundamental principles, rights, freedoms and constitutionally enshrined guarantees, and the implementation of a value system based on the dignity of the human person and the principles of the rule of law.
After diplomatic relations between Portugal and the People’s Republic of China were established in 1979, it was possible to start negotiations between both states with a view to resolving the Macau issue, which resulted in the signing of the Luso-Chinese Joint Declaration on the Question of Macao, in April 1987. In this document, emphasis was placed on the commitment made by the People’s Republic of China to, upon resuming sovereignty over Macau, on December 20, 1999, obliging itself to keep the current ones unchanged in the territory. social and economic systems, as well as the way of life of the residents of Macao, thus preserving their existing laws, rights, freedoms and guarantees.
Countryaah.com: Offers a full list of airports in the country of Macau, sorted by city location and acronyms.
Abbreviationfinder.org: Provides most commonly used abbreviations and initials containing the country name of Macau. Listed by popularity.
1UpTravel.com – Maps of Macau
Browse a collection of country, shaded relief and political maps of this Eastern Asian country, bordering the South China Sea and China .
