Macao

Macao is a special administrative region of China located on the southern coast of the country. Bordering Zhuhai to the north and west, and situated west of Hong Kong across the Pearl River estuary, the territory encompasses the Macau Peninsula, the islands of Taipa and Coloane, the Cotai reclamation zone, and several smaller islets.

A historical turning point for the territory arrived in 1557 when the Ming dynasty leased Portuguese Macau to Portugal as a trading post in exchange for an annual rent. Portugal maintained administration under Chinese sovereignty until the signing of the Sino-Portuguese Treaty of Peking in 1887, which granted Portugal perpetual colonial rights. Following the Carnation Revolution in 1974, Portugal formally relinquished its status as an overseas province and redefined the region as a Chinese territory under Portuguese administration. Subsequent negotiations led to the 1987 Joint Declaration on the Question of Macau, setting the stage for the midnight handover on December 20, 1999, which ended 442 years of Portuguese rule.

Today, Macao operates under the principle of one country, two systems, maintaining separate governing and economic systems from mainland China. Globally recognized as the gambling capital of the world, the territory liberalized its casino industry after the handover to permit foreign investors. This economic shift fueled rapid development, contributing to an elevated Human Development Index of 0.934 as calculated by the Government of Macau, alongside high gross domestic product per capita figures.

As the most densely populated region on Earth, Macao covers a land area of 32.9 square kilometres to accommodate an approximate population of 720,000 people. Extensive land reclamation from the sea, which includes building the Cotai reclamation zone between Taipa and Coloane, has expanded the territory's total area significantly over the past century to support intensive urbanization.