In 1513, Portuguese explorer Jorge Álvares arrived in the Pearl River Delta, in the Shenzhen area, which he called Tamão.

In 1887, the Sino-Portuguese Treaty of Peking was signed, allowing "the perpetual occupation and government of Macau by Portugal".

The settlement and Jorge Álvares "kickstarted a chain of events that ultimately spawned Macau".

A large stone sculpture of Álvares stands in downtown Macau.

[2] The population of the Macau Peninsula has been increasing rapidly for decades, particularly since the transfer of sovereignty to the People's Republic of China.