Macau: Flag and Facts
Macau's flag is green with a white lotus flower over a stylized bridge and water, beneath an arc of five gold five-pointed stars.
- Official name
- Macao Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China
- Region
- Eastern Asia
- Population
- 644,426 (2024)
- Languages
- Portuguese, Chinese
- Currency
- Macanese pataca
- Area
- 30 km² (12 sq mi)
- People
- Macanese
- Calling code
- +853
- Highest point
- Alto Coloane 172 m
- Independence
- none (special administrative region of China)
- National symbols
- lotus blossom
- Borders
- China
- Status
- Territory (not a sovereign country)
About Macau
The lotus is the territory's floral emblem, and its three petals represent the peninsula and two islands that make up Macau. The five stars echo the flag of China, since Macau is now a special region under Chinese rule.
Portuguese ships first reached the area in 1513, and by the 1550s Portuguese traders paying tribute to China had settled here. It became the official trade hub for China and Japan, as well as the earliest European settlement in the Far East. Declared neutral in the Sino-Japanese War and in World War II, it sheltered both Chinese and European refugees. Portugal made it an overseas province in 1951, then agreed in 1987 to hand it back to China in 1999. Under the deal, Macau was promised a high degree of self-rule for 50 years, except in defense and foreign affairs. The land is mostly flat.
Did you know?
- Macau covers just 30 square kilometers, so Washington, D.C. is over six times bigger.
- Alto Coloane, Macau's highest point, is 172 m tall.
- The local currency is the Macanese pataca.
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Questions about Macau
What languages are spoken in Macau?
Chinese and Portuguese are both used in Macau.
Is Macau a country?
No. Macau is a special administrative region of China, so it has no independence date.
Sources
- CIA World Factbook, checked October 8, 2026
- REST Countries data (mledoze/countries), checked October 8, 2026
- Flag artwork: flag-icons (MIT), checked October 8, 2026
Facts are compiled from these open sources and rewritten in our own words. Spotted something out of date? Tell us.