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Back to article: MACAO (A-Ma-ngao, " Harbour of the goddess A-Ma "; Port. Macau)

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MACAO (A-Ma-ngao, " Harbour of the goddess A-Ma "; Port. Macau), a Portuguese settlement on the coast of China, in 22° N., 132° E. Pop. (1896), Chinese, 74,568; Portuguese, 3898; other nationalities, 161—total, 78,627. It consists of a tongue of land 2 M. in length and less than 1 m. in breadth, running S.S.W. from the island of Hiang Shang (Port. Ancam) on the western side of the estuary of the Canton River. Bold and rocky hills about 300 ft. high occupy both extremities of the peninsula, the picturesque city, with its flat-roofed houses painted blue, green and red, lying in the undulating ground between. The forts are effective additions to the general view, but do not add much to the strength of the place. Along the east side of the peninsula runs the Praya Grande, or Great Quay, the chief promenade in Macao, on which stand the governor's palace, the administrative offices, the consulates and the leading commercial establishments. The church of St Paul (1594–1602), the seat of the Jesuit college in the 17th century, was destroyed by fire in 1835. The Hospital da Misericordia (1569) was rebuilt in 164o. The Camoens grotto, where the exiled poet found . leisure to celebrate the achievements of his ungrateful country,