[muh-kou] 
| 1. | a Portuguese overseas territory in S China, in the delta of the Zhu Jiang River and including two small adjacent islands. 280,000; 6 sq. mi. (16 sq. km). |
| 2. | the seaport and capital of this territory. |
| Ma·cao also Ma·cau (mə-kou') An administrative region of southeast China comprising Macao Peninsula and two offshore islands in the South China Sea west of Hong Kong. A Portuguese trading post was established here in 1557 and became a free port in 1849. Macao was a Portuguese overseas province until 1999, when it reverted to Chinese sovereignty. The city of Macao, coextensive with the peninsula, is the capital. Population: 457,000. |