"Macao" redirects here. For other uses, see Macau (disambiguation). Coordinates: 22°10′N 113°33′E

Macau Special administrative region Macao Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China Chinese: 中華人民共和國澳門特別行政區 Cantonese Yale romanisation: Jūng'wàh Yàhnmàhn Guhng'wòhgwok Oumún Dahkbiht Hàhngjingkēui Portuguese: Região Administrativa Especial de Macau da República Popular da China Flag of Macau Flag Official seal of Macau Emblem Location of Macau within China Location of Macau within China Sovereign state People's Republic of China Portuguese lease 1557 Treaty of Peking 1 December 1887 Sino-Portuguese Joint Declaration 26 March 1987 Transfer from Portugal 20 December 1999 Largest parish by population Nossa Senhora de Fátima Official languages Chinese[1][2][a]Portuguese[1][2][b] Regional language Cantonese[a]Macanese Portuguese Official scripts Traditional Chinese[b]Portuguese orthography Ethnic groups (2016) 88.4% Han Chinese 4.6% Filipino 2.4% Vietnamese 1.7% Portuguese 2.8% Others[3] Demonym(s) Macau[c] Government Devolved executive-led government within a socialist republic[6] • Chief Executive Ho Iat Seng • Administration and Justice Secretary André Cheong Weng-chon • Assembly President Kou Hoi In • Court President Sam Hou Fai Legislature Legislative Assembly National representation • National People's Congress 12 deputies • Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference 29 delegates[7] Area • Total 115.3 km2 (44.5 sq mi) • Water (%) 73.7 Highest elevation (Coloane Alto) 172.4 m (565.6 ft) Population • 2021 estimate 682,300 • Density 21,340/km2 (55,270.3/sq mi) (1st) GDP (PPP) 2020 estimate • Total Increase $40 billion[8] (115th) • Per capita Decrease $58,931[8] (9th) GDP (nominal) 2020[8] estimate • Total Decrease $26 billion[8] (100th) • Per capita Decrease $38,769[8] (23rd) Gini (2013) 35[9] medium HDI (2019) Increase 0.922[d] very high · 17th Currency Macanese pataca (MOP) Time zone UTC+08:00 (Macau Standard Time) Date format dd-mm-yyyy yyyy年mm月dd日 Mains electricity 220 V–50 Hz Driving side left Calling code +853 ISO 3166 code MOCN-MO Internet TLD .mo.澳門.澳门 Licence plate prefixes None for local vehicles, 粤Z for cross-boundary vehicles Macau or Macao (English: /məˈkaʊ/ (listen); Portuguese: [mɐˈkaw]; Chinese: 澳門; Cantonese: [ōu.mǔːn]), officially the Macao Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China (MSAR),[e] is a city and special administrative region of China in the western Pearl River Delta by the South China Sea. With a population of about 680,000[11] and an area of 32.9 km2 (12.7 sq mi), it is the most densely populated region in the world.

Formerly a Portuguese colony, the territory of Portuguese Macau was first leased to Portugal as a trading post by the Ming dynasty in 1557. Portugal paid an annual rent and administered the territory under Chinese sovereignty until 1887. Portugal later gained perpetual colonial rights in the Sino-Portuguese Treaty of Peking. The colony remained under Portuguese rule until 1999, when it was transferred to China. Macau is a special administrative region of China, which maintains separate governing and economic systems from those of mainland China under the principle of "one country, two systems".[12] The unique blend of Portuguese and Chinese architecture in the city's historic centre led to its inscription on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2005.[13]

Originally a sparsely populated collection of coastal islands,[14] Macau, often referred to as the "Las Vegas of the East", has become a major resort city and a top destination for gambling tourism, with a gambling industry seven times larger than that of Las Vegas.[15] The city has one of the highest per capita incomes in the world, and its GDP per capita by purchasing power parity is one of the highest in the world.[16][17] It has a very high Human Development Index, as calculated by the Macau government,[10] and the fourth-highest life expectancy in the world.[18] The territory is highly urbanised; two-thirds of the total land area is built on land reclaimed from the sea.[