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Chinese name |  ['ao men' in pinyin: 'inlet' 'gate'] |
| Population | 500,000 | |
| Area | 29 | |
| Capital | Macau | |
| Main Industries | tourism; gambling | |
| GDP | 248,645 | |
| Foreign Trade | - | |
| Ethnic minorities | - | |
| Urbanization | - | |
The Chinese call Macau (or Macao) Aomen, ao means 'bay' and men means 'gate' or gateway'.
| 1540 | Liampo settlement off coast of Zhejiang Province. |
| 1549 | Liampo destroyed. Settlement moved to Sanchuang. |
| 1552 | Death of Francis Xavier on Sanchuang. |
| 1553 | Sanchuang abandoned. Lampakkau founded south of Canton. |
| 1555 | First Portuguese visit to Canton. |
| 1556-57 | Macau founded as a base for trade and missionary work in Japan. |
| 1636 | Portuguese expelled from Nagasaki. End of Japanese trade with Macau. |
| 1640 | Canton closed to the Portuguese. |
| 1641 | Dutch displaced Portuguese from Malacca. |
| 1757 | Macau lifted restrictions on foreign residents. |
| 1839-42 | First Opium War between Britain and China. |
| 1887 | Sino-Portuguese Treaty of Tianjin. |
| 1941-45 | Macau neutral during Second World War. |
| 1966-67 | Riots connected with Cultural Revolution. |
| 1974 | Portugal divested itself of most colonies. |
| 1979 | Diplomatic relations between China and Portugal established. |
| 1985 | President of Portugal visited China. |
| 1987 | Sino-Portuguese agreement on Macau. |
| 1999 | Macau handed back to China. |
© Copyright Society for Anglo-Chinese Understanding (SACU) 2001 reprinted from China Now 132, Page 18