A city just west of Hong Kong, a highly autonomous special region of China, previously under Portuguese control
or Macao Chinese Aomen Special administrative region (pop., 2002 est.: 438,000), southern China. It lies on the South China Sea coast and consists of a small peninsula, which projects from Guangdong province, and two small islands, about 40 mi (64 km) west of Hong Kong. It occupies a total land area of 8.3 sq mi (21.6 sq km). Macao city is the administrative centre. Portuguese traders first arrived in 1513, and it soon became the chief market centre for the trade between China and Japan. It was declared a Portuguese colony in 1849 and an overseas territory in 1951. In 1999 Portugal returned it to Chinese rule. Tourism and gambling are the mainstays of its economy
{i} region that consists of the Macau Peninsula and two islands in the south China sea (currently under the administrative rule of China, formerly a Portuguese territory)
a Portuguese province on the south coast of China and two islands in the South China Sea; reverts to China in 1999
Macau a small area in southeast China, which was a Portuguese colony from 1557-1999, when it became the Macau Special Administrative Region in China. It is a popular place for tourists. Population: 437,000 (2001)