Macau Universities Colleges and Schools

Macau (also spelled Macao), overseas territory of Portugal, on the southeastern coast of China, west of Hong Kong. It consists of a peninsula and three islands—Coloane and the two Taipa islands, located on the estuary of the Zhu Jiang (Chu Chiang), near its mouth on the South China Sea. It has a total area of 16 sq km (6 sq mi).
The city of Macau occupies most of the hilly peninsula; its border with the Chinese province of Guangdong (Kwangtung) is marked by the massive Barrier Gate erected by the Portuguese in 1849. Macau City is the commercial and administrative center of the province and has more than 80% of the total population. The islands are mostly rocky and contain several villages and some small agricultural plots. The peninsula is linked by bridge to one of the Taipa islands, which in turn is connected by causeway with Coloane.
Macau is a free port. Manufactures include textiles, footwear, firecrackers, electronic equipment, precision instruments, and handicrafts, and the city has an active fishing fleet and exports fish products. Tourism is an important industry, with many visitors attracted by the gambling casinos. Macau has no airport but is connected by ferry to Guangzhou and Hong Kong. The population is about 95% Chinese.
Macau is the oldest permanent European settlement in the Far East. First visited by Portuguese navigators in the early 16th century, it was established as a trading colony in 1557. It soon flourished as the principal trading port between China and the West. In 1849 the Portuguese proclaimed sovereignty of the settlement; this act was formally recognized by China in a treaty in 1887. By the end of the 19th century, with the silting of its harbor and the growth of the port of Hong Kong, Macau lost its preeminence in Chinese trade. As its trade declined, Macau gained a reputation as a smuggling and gambling center. Its population was swelled by refugees from Communist China after 1949. In 1967 the city experienced severe pro-Communist riots. In the late 1970s, Macau was given increased administrative and economic independence. In 1987, Portuguese and Chinese negotiators reached agreement on the return of Macau to China in 1999. Population (1989 estimate) 484,000.