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Places in China: Macau Special Administrative Region

As a part of the Pearl River Delta, Macau is often mentioned in the same breath as Hong Kong although Hong Kong is usually the city and region which is often better known unless one is interested in casinos and the gambling scene.

Macau and Hong Kong are the two Special Administrative Regions (SAR) in China, both of which were colonies of European countries until they returned to China in 1999. The Portuguese possessed the colony of Macau for more than 440 years, from 1553 when the Qing Dynasty granted the city to Portugal for an outpost until 1999. The Portuguese had helped eliminate some pirates on the South China Sea and were rewarded by the gift of Macau.

Macau, because it was largely an obscure island, was at times used by China during ancient times as a place to send exiles. Macau had been a part of China since the Qin Dynasty of 221 BC.

The name of Macau evolved from Portuguese mispronunciation of the Cantonese phrase 'A-Ma Gao', meaning the Bay of the female god A-ma. When the Portuguese acquired the colony, it became a trade settlement connecting China with other Portuguese colonies.

Macau had a golden age of prosperity until the mid 1850s when Portugal no longer was strong enough to continue support to the colony. They had already managed to make the Asian colony as European in flavour as they could with colonial architecture and a European blend to the culture of Macau. The architecture and the cultural blend of Asian and the Portuguese still exist in Macau today.

During World War II, Macau and Hong Kong were neutral ports. After the war, both colonies tried to become part of the PRC but were refused. Beijing, the capital of China, wanted Portugal to continue to oversee Macau. Finally in 1999, both Macau and Hong Kong became a part of the People's Republic of China.

Macau sits on the western edge of the Pearl River Delta with Hong Kong on the opposite side. Just as Hong Kong, the weather in Macau is subtropical with hot summers and mild winters.

Although only about thirty-five miles from Hong Kong, the flavour of Macau is very different from that of its neighbour. It is also quite different from the culture of what is often referred to as mainland China. The Portuguese have infused their culture into the Chinese colony making for an interesting cultural blend. Cleanliness is a valued virtue in Macau. Tidy ideas are in all areas of the city and region. Many old buildings and landmarks have been restored or kept in good condition, making Macau a great place for tourism.

The official language of Macau is Cantonese although Portuguese is widely spoken. For the sake of tourism, English is also widely used. The administrative region consists of a peninsula, which is the actual city of Macau, and two islands. The entire population of the region is less than one million. The land area of Macau is 27.3 square kilometres.

Although very small in actual size, Macau is a large city in other ways. It vies with Las Vegas in the United States for its tourism industry, especially in the area of gambling. Amusements of various types are readily available, luring people from around the globe to Asia's largest gambling venue. The world's largest casino, the Venetian Macau, is found in this city rather than in world-famous Las Vegas. There are twenty-six casinos in Macau at last count. Many of the luxury hotels have their own casinos, keeping guests from leaving their premises.

Getting to Macau is relatively easy with so many options available from helicopters to various types of boats to planes. Hotels are plentiful although pre-booking is the safest option.