View source for Macau Peninsula

{{Short description|Peninsular part of Macau}}
{{Coord|22.1980|113.5473|type:landmark_source:enwiki-googlemaplink_scale:25000|display=title}}

{{Chinese
|size = 260
|t = 澳門半島
|s = 澳门半岛
|y = Oumún Bundóu
|ci = {{IPAc-yue|ou|3|.|m|un|2|-|b|un|3|.|d|ou|2}}
|j = Ou3mun2 Bun3dou2
|p = Aōmén Bàndǎo
|showflag = j
|por = Península de Macau
|pic = Macau peninsula 2015.png
}}

The '''Macau Peninsula''' is the historical and most populous part of [[Macau]]. It has an area of {{convert|8.5|km²|sp=us}} ({{convert|4|x|1.8|km|sp=us}}) and is geographically connected to [[Guangdong|Guangdong Province]] at the northeast through an [[isthmus]] {{convert|200|m|sp=us}} wide. The [[peninsula]], together with downtown [[Zhuhai]], sits on an [[Zhongshan Island|island]] separated from the continent by [[distributary|distributaries]] of the [[Pearl River]]. The [[Portas do Cerco|Border Gate]] ({{zh|t=關閘}}; {{langx|pt|Portas do Cerco}}) was built on the northern isthmus. At the south, the peninsula is connected to [[Taipa|Taipa Island]] by three bridges, the [[Amizade Bridge (Macau)|Friendship Bridge (''Ponte da Amizade'')]]; the [[Ponte Governador Nobre de Carvalho|Macau-Taipa Bridge (''Ponte Governador Nobre de Carvalho'')]]; and the [[Sai Van Bridge|Sai Van Bridge (''Ponte de Sai Van'')]]. The longest axis extends {{convert|4|km|sp=us}} from the Border Gate to the southwestern edge, Barra (媽閣嘴). There is a western "Inner Harbor" (內港) paralleled by an "Outer Harbor" (外港) to the east. The {{convert|93|m|sp=us}} Guia Hill (松山) is the highest point on the peninsula, which has an average elevation of {{convert|50|to|75|m|sp=us}}. Many coastal places are reclaimed from the sea. The [[Historic Centre of Macau]], which is entirely on the Macau Peninsula, became a [[World Heritage Site]] in 2005.

==Early history==
In 1514, Portuguese explorer [[Jorge Álvares]] arrived at [[Tamão|Tunmen]] in the Pearl River Delta. Álvares likely traveled on [[Malacca|Malaccan]] or Chinese ships and returned with profitable cargo.<ref>{{Cite Cambridge History of China|volume=8|chapter=Chapter 7: Relations with Maritime Europeans, 1514–1662|pages=|ref=CHC}}</ref> A Portuguese settlement was started at Tamão and by 1535 the traders were allowed to anchor their ships in the Macau harbour. In 1887, the [[Sino-Portuguese Treaty of Peking]] was signed, allowing "the perpetual occupation and government of Macau by Portugal".
 
According to ''[[National Geographic]]'', "Macau may never have existed if not for Tamão" where the Portuguese learned "how China, the Pearl River Delta, and the South China Sea worked". The settlement and Jorge Álvares "kickstarted a chain of events that ultimately spawned Macau". A large stone sculpture of Álvares still stands in downtown Macau.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nationalgeographic.com/travel/article/long-lost-city-tamao-hiding-in-plain-sight|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210315175412/https://www.nationalgeographic.com/travel/article/long-lost-city-tamao-hiding-in-plain-sight|url-status=dead|archive-date=March 15, 2021|title=The long lost city of Tamão is hiding in plain sight|accessdate=16 March 2021|author-last1=O'Connell|author-first1=Ronan|website=National Geographic|date=15 March 2021}}</ref> 

==Freguesias==
The peninsula corresponds to the historical [[Municipality of Macau]], one of Macau's two municipalities that were abolished on 31 December 2001 by Law No. 17/2001, following the 1999 transfer of sovereignty over Macau from Portugal to China.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1110/Historic |title=Centre of Macao|accessdate=16 March 2021}}</ref>   

This municipality was divided into five [[freguesia (Macau)|parishes]] (freguesia), and while their administrative functions have since been voided, these parishes are still retained nominally.
{|class="wikitable"
! colspan="2"| Freguesia / Parish
! 2013 Area (km²)<ref>{{cite web|title=Estatístico: Área de solos das freguesias|url=http://www.dscc.gov.mo/ENG/knowledge/geo_statistic.html|publisher=Direcção dos Serviços de Cartografia e Cadastro de Macau|access-date=27 October 2014}}</ref>
! 2013 Area (mi²)
! 2013 Population<ref>{{cite web|title=Estatísticas: Demográficas e Estimativas da População|url=http://www.dsec.gov.mo/Statistic.aspx?NodeGuid=3c3f3a28-9661-4a5f-b876-83d8b3eade28#P19584|publisher=Direcção dos Serviços de Estatística e Censos de Macau|access-date=27 October 2014}}</ref>
! Density (/km²)
! Density (/mi²)
|-
| [[File:Freguesia de Nossa Senhora de Fatima.PNG|40px]]
| [[Nossa Senhora de Fátima, Macau|Nossa Senhora de Fátima]] (花地瑪)
| 3.2
| 1.2
| 237,500
| 74,218
| 197,917
|-
| [[File:Freguesia de Santo Antonio.PNG|40px]]
| [[Santo António, Macau|Santo António]] (花王 / 聖安多尼)
| 1.1
| 0.4
| 129,800
| 118,000
| 324,500
|-
| [[File:Freguesia de Sao Lazaro.PNG|40px]]
| [[São Lázaro]] (望德)
| 0.6
| 0.2
| 33,100
| 55,166
| 165,500
|-
| [[File:Freguesia da Se.PNG|40px]]
| [[Sé, Macau|Sé]] (大)
| 3.4
| 1.3
| 52,200
| 15,352
| 40,154
|-
| [[File:Freguesia de Sao Lourenco.PNG|40px]]
| [[São Lourenço, Macau|São Lourenço]] (風順 / 聖老愣佐)
| 1.0
| 0.4
| 51,700
| 51,700
| 129,250
|-
| 
| Total
| 9.3
| 3.6
| 504,300
| 54,226
| 140,083
|}

== See also ==
* [[Coloane]]
* [[Cotai]]
* [[Amizade Bridge (Macau)|Friendship Bridge]]
* [[Governor Nobre de Carvalho Bridge]]
* [[Macau]]
* [[Sai Van Bridge]]
* [[Taipa]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

== External links ==
{{Commons category-inline|Macau Peninsula}}
{{Wikivoyage-inline|Macau/Peninsula}}
* [https://maps.google.com/maps?ll=22.197962,113.547306&spn=0.033646,0.055532&t=k&hl=en Satellite image of the Macau Peninsula by Google Maps]
* [https://photos.nomadicnotes.com/macau-sar/macau Macau Peninsula photo gallery]

{{Macau Freguesias}}

[[Category:Macau Peninsula| ]]
[[Category:Peninsulas of China]]