Macao History Timeline
Macao's Information

Land Area | 28 km2 |
---|---|
Total Area | 28km2 |
Population | 597,425 (#168) |
Population Density | 21,336.61/km2 |
Government Type | Presidential Limited Democracy; A Special Administrative Region Of The PRC |
GDP (PPP) | $63.22 Billion |
GDP Per Capita | $96,100 |
Currency | Pataca (MOP) |
Largest Cities |
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- (221BC - 206BC) During Qin Dynasty, region was under jurisdiction of the Nanhai Prefecture of Guangdong Province
- (265AD - 420AD) Macau was part of Dongguan Prefecture in Jin Dynasty
- (960 - 1279) During Song Dynasty, Macau was under jurisdiction of new Xiangshan County
- (1277) Over 50,000 people sought refuge in Macau from invading Mongols
- (1368 - 1644) Fishermen migrated to Macau during Ming Dynasty
- (1513) Portuguese landed on Lintin Island, claimed island for King of Portugal
- (1516) Portuguese traders used Macau as staging port
- (1521) Chinese expelled Portuguese adventurers from coast of Guangdong
- (1536) Portuguese traders allowed to anchor at Haojingao following a ship wreck
- (1540s) Portuguese helped China in eliminating coastal pirates
- (1552 - 1553) Portuguese received permission to erect storage sheds onshore
- (1557) China ceded Macau to Portugal in recognition of their help in defeating pirates
- (1557) Portuguese opened first trading post in Asia in Macau
- (1560s) Jesuits arrived in Macau, began constructing churches, including Cathedral of Saint Paul and schools
- (1564) Portuguese established western trade with India, Japan and China
- (1580s) Dominicans arrived in Macau, began construction of schools and St. Dominic's Church
- (1587) King Philip II of Spain promoted Macau to "City of the Name of God"
- (1662) Battle of Macau: Dutch attacked Macau, but were defeated
- (1639) Japan was closed to trade with Portuguese, which removed one of the vital trade links for Macau control
- (1641) Macau lost its trade with the Far East, causing financial distress
- (1680) Portuguese appointed first government, but remained under partial Chinese control
- (1750 - 1840) Commerce was restricted to local trade, Macau became refuge for European traders and Protestant missionaries
- (1841) British occupied Hong Kong, surpassed Macau as financial hub of southern China, Macau's economy nearly collapsed
- (1844) Portuguese legalized gambling in Macau
- (1845) Portugal declared Macau to be a free port, expelled Chinese soldiers and officials, levied taxes on Chinese residents
- (1848 - 1870s) Macau served as transit port for trade of slave laborers from southern China who were shipped to Cuba and South American countries
- (1887) Chinese government accepted perpetual sovereignty of Portugal over Macau in Treaty of Peking
- (1890) Qingzhou was incorporated into Macau's territory
- (1939 - 1945) During World War II, Macau was only neutral port in South China, became refugee center
- (1943 - 1945) Japanese created virtual protectorate over Macau
- (1951) Portugal designated Macau to be a separate overseas province
- (1954) Macau Grand Prix was established
- (1962) Syndicate formed by Hong Kong and Macau businessmen brought in all forms of gambling
- (1966) Riots broke out between pro-Communist Chinese and Macau police over building permits
- (1966) Portugal offered to hand over administration of Macau to China, offer was declined
- (1974) Following Carnation Revolution in Portugal , Lisbon removed all troops, offered colony back to China
- (1979) Portugal and People's Republic of China established diplomatic relations, Macau was acknowledged as "Chinese territory under Portuguese administration"
- (1987) Agreement reached between Portugal and China that Macau would be returned to China in 1999
- (1995) Macau International Airport opened
- (1999) Transfer of Sovereignty took place, People's Republic of China assumed full sovereignty
- (1999) Edmund Ho elected head of the first post-colonial government
- (2001) American firms built new gambling facilities, half of government revenue was from gambling
- (2005) Macau's Banco Delta Asia was accused of being "a willing pawn for the North Korean government to engage in corrupt financial activities", caused a run on the bank
- (2005) Macau government began construction of over 8,000 social housing apartments
- (2006) Local residents rioted in protests against outsiders who were taking jobs from middle-aged Macanese
- (2006) Government official, Ao Man Long, found guilty of bribe-taking, sentenced to prison
- (2006) Macau overtook Las Vegas as world's strongest casino market
- (2007) Rally against labor shortages turned violent
- (2008) Typhoon Neoguri swept through Macau, forced over 200,000 to evacuate
- (2009) Macau passed its own version of China's Article 23, banning sedition
- (2009) Fernando Chui became chief executive of Macau in the first leadership change since 1999
- (2010) Protests about universal suffrage, housing prices, took place on the anniversary of the transfer of sovereignty
- (2010) Macau labor protest against alleged corruption and illegal labor occurred
- (2011) Gambling revenues were $33 billion
- (2012) Ng Man-sun, a senior figure in Macau's gambling industry was severely beaten by six men in a restaurant
- (2013) Gambling revenue increased to about $46 billion
- (2014) Some of the world's largest casino operators announced expansion plans
This page was last updated on April 7, 2017.
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