Flag of Macau - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

The Regional flag of the Macau
Macau
Macau , also spelled Macao , is, along with Hong Kong, one of the two special administrative regions of the People's Republic of China...

Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China , is light green with a lotus flower above the stylized Governor Nobre de Carvalho Bridge

Ponte Governador Nobre de Carvalho

Governor Nobre de Carvalho Bridge , also known as the Macau-Taipa Bridge , is a dual-lane two-way bridge connecting Macau Peninsula near Casino Lisboa and the island of Taipa at the northern slope of Taipa Pequena . It is the first bridge in Macau, to connect the peninsula and Taipa...

and water in white, beneath an arc of five gold, five-pointed stars: one large in the center of the arc and four smaller ones.

The lotus was chosen as the floral emblem of Macau

Macau

Macau , also spelled Macao , is, along with Hong Kong, one of the two special administrative regions of the People's Republic of China...

. The Governor Nobre de Carvalho Bridge is a bridge linking the Macau Peninsula

Macau Peninsula

Macau Peninsula is the oldest and most populous part of Macau. It has an area of 8.5 km² and is geographically connected to Guandong province, at the northeast, through an isthmus 200-metre wide. The peninsula, together with the city centre of Zhuhai, sits on an island separated from the...

and the island of Taipa

Taipa

Taipa is the smaller of the two islands in the Chinese special administrative region of Macao .- Geography :It is 2.5 kilometres from Macau Peninsula and east of the Lesser Hengqin Island of Zhuhai, Guangdong Province...

. The bridge is one of the most recognisable landmarks for the territory. The water beneath the lotus and the bridge symbolise Macau's position as a port and its role played in the territory. The five five-pointed stars echo the design of the flag of the People's Republic of China

Flag of the People's Republic of China

The flag of the People's Republic of China is a red field charged in the canton with five golden stars. The design features one large star, with four smaller stars in a semicircle set off towards the fly...

, symbolising the relationship Macau has with its sovereign state.

1993 Proposals

Flag	Macau Macau Macau , also spelled Macao , is, along with Hong Kong, one of the two special administrative regions of the People's Republic of China... , but the lotus is stylised differently and is found in a disc, with the stars inside the flower
	A tricolour Tricolour A tricolour is a flag or banner more-or-less equally divided into three bands of differing colours... of red-white-red; the middle band has a depiction of St. Paul's Cathedral in Macau
	A triband Triband Triband may mean:Tri band, an electronic device that can operate in three frequency bandsTriband , a flag with three stripes... with a stylised "M M M is the thirteenth letter of the basic modern Latin alphabet.-History:The letter M is derived from the Phoenician Mem, via the Greek Mu . Semitic Mem probably originally pictured water... " standing for Macau; a large star above four smaller stars representative of China People's Republic of China China , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...
	A vertical bicolour of green and red, resembling the Flag of Portugal Flag of Portugal The flag of Portugal is the national flag of the Portuguese Republic. It is a rectangular bicolour with a field unevenly divided into green on the hoist, and red on the fly. The lesser version of the national coat of arms is centered over the colour boundary at equal distance from the upper and... , with a stylized lotus flower in the lower fly

	A red and blue stylised "M M M is the thirteenth letter of the basic modern Latin alphabet.-History:The letter M is derived from the Phoenician Mem, via the Greek Mu . Semitic Mem probably originally pictured water... " with a large five-pointed star, with a red lotus blossom within the centre of the star, on the upper fly of a white flag with two blue horizontal bands
	Similar to the current flag of Macau, but the flag colour is red, and the emblem excludes the bridge and water underneath the lotus on the current flag
	A stylised lotus flower with an arch of yellow stars on a red flag
	A stylised lotus flower with an arch of yellow stars above the flower on a red flag
	A depiction of the Guia Fortress Guia Fortress The Guia Fortress is a historical military fort, chapel, and lighthouse complex in the St. Lazarus Parish. The complex is a UNESCO World Heritage Site as part of the Historic Centre of Macau.... Lighthouse, the oldest in Asia, under a golden star; a white halo ring forms around the lighthouse, and two light cones divide the upper fly (red in colour) and lower fly (blue in colour)
	A vertical bicolour of green and red, resembling the Flag of Portugal Flag of Portugal The flag of Portugal is the national flag of the Portuguese Republic. It is a rectangular bicolour with a field unevenly divided into green on the hoist, and red on the fly. The lesser version of the national coat of arms is centered over the colour boundary at equal distance from the upper and... , with a white gull in the upper fly and a white depiction of the Gov. Nobre de Carvalho Bridge in the lower fly
	A stylised lotus flower on a red flag with an arch of yellow stars above the flower
	A red triangle with base on hoist and apex on the fly edge, filled with the stars from the flag of China Flag of the People's Republic of China The flag of the People's Republic of China is a red field charged in the canton with five golden stars. The design features one large star, with four smaller stars in a semicircle set off towards the fly...
	A stylised lotus flower, with a red-outlined star within the top petal
	Another depiction of the Gov. Nobre de Carvalho Bridge in the lower fly on a red flag, with the five yellow stars running parallel to the outline of the bridge

Portuguese rule

Prior to the handover of Macau to the People's Republic of China

People's Republic of China

China , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...

by Portugal

Portugal

Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...

in 1999, Macau officially used only the Portuguese flag

Flag of Portugal

The flag of Portugal is the national flag of the Portuguese Republic. It is a rectangular bicolour with a field unevenly divided into green on the hoist, and red on the fly. The lesser version of the national coat of arms is centered over the colour boundary at equal distance from the upper and...

, in contrast to Hong Kong

Hong Kong

Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...

, which, under British

United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...

rule, used a defaced Blue Ensign

Blue Ensign

The Blue Ensign is a flag, one of several British ensigns, used by certain organisations or territories associated with the United Kingdom. It is used either plain, or defaced with a badge or other emblem....

as its flag

Flag of Hong Kong

The Flag of Hong Kong — or Regional Flag of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China — features a white, stylised, five-petal Hong Kong orchid tree flower in the centre of a red field. Its design was adopted on 4 April 1990 at the Third Session of the...

, alongside the Union Jack. In 1967, there were proposals to give each overseas province its own flag, consisting of the Portuguese flag with the local coat of arms, but none was ever adopted.

There was a flag for the Government of Macau

Government of Macau

The Government of the Macau Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China , are headed by secretariats or commissioners and report directly to the Chief Executive of Macau. The affairs of the Government are decided by secretaries, who are appointed by the Chief Executive and...

, with the colony's coat of arms

Coat of arms

A coat of arms is a unique heraldic design on a shield or escutcheon or on a surcoat or tabard used to cover and protect armour and to identify the wearer. Thus the term is often stated as "coat-armour", because it was anciently displayed on the front of a coat of cloth...

on a light blue field.

There was a flag for the municipality or Leal Senado

Leal Senado

This article is about the building. For the organization known as the Leal Senado, see Municipal Council of Macau.The Leal Senado Building was the seat of Macau's government during its time as a Portuguese colony. It is located at one end of the Senado Square...

of Macau, with a Portuguese-style coat-of-arms and two angels as heraldic supporters, which was used at the 1999 handover ceremony.

Macau historical flags

Flag	\|Use	Flag of Flag of Portugal The flag of Portugal is the national flag of the Portuguese Republic. It is a rectangular bicolour with a field unevenly divided into green on the hoist, and red on the fly. The lesser version of the national coat of arms is centered over the colour boundary at equal distance from the upper and... Portugal Portugal Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the... , used in colonial era Portuguese Empire The Portuguese Empire , also known as the Portuguese Overseas Empire or the Portuguese Colonial Empire , was the first global empire in history... Macau Macau Macau , also spelled Macao , is, along with Hong Kong, one of the two special administrative regions of the People's Republic of China...	The Portuguese flag was used in colonial-era Macau, as there was no territorial flag.
	1830–1911	Flag of Flag of Portugal The flag of Portugal is the national flag of the Portuguese Republic. It is a rectangular bicolour with a field unevenly divided into green on the hoist, and red on the fly. The lesser version of the national coat of arms is centered over the colour boundary at equal distance from the upper and... Portugal Portugal Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the... , used in colonial era Portuguese Empire The Portuguese Empire , also known as the Portuguese Overseas Empire or the Portuguese Colonial Empire , was the first global empire in history... Macau Macau Macau , also spelled Macao , is, along with Hong Kong, one of the two special administrative regions of the People's Republic of China...	The Portuguese flag was used in colonial-era Macau, as there was no territorial flag.
	1911–1999	Flag of Flag of Portugal The flag of Portugal is the national flag of the Portuguese Republic. It is a rectangular bicolour with a field unevenly divided into green on the hoist, and red on the fly. The lesser version of the national coat of arms is centered over the colour boundary at equal distance from the upper and... Portugal Portugal Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the... , used in colonial era Portuguese Empire The Portuguese Empire , also known as the Portuguese Overseas Empire or the Portuguese Colonial Empire , was the first global empire in history... Macau Macau Macau , also spelled Macao , is, along with Hong Kong, one of the two special administrative regions of the People's Republic of China...	The Portuguese flag was used in colonial-era Macau, as there was no territorial flag.
	1975–1999	Flag of the Municipality of Macau Municipality of Macau The Municipality of Macau was one of the two municipalities of Macau. Its organs were the municipal council and the municipal assembly... , one of two local municipal governments.	A light blue field charged with the coat of arms of the Municipality of Macau. This was the flag used at the handover to China in 1999.
	1975–1999	Flag of Portuguese colonial Government of Macau Government of Macau The Government of the Macau Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China , are headed by secretariats or commissioners and report directly to the Chief Executive of Macau. The affairs of the Government are decided by secretaries, who are appointed by the Chief Executive and... .	A light blue field charged with the official coat of arms of the portuguese colony of Macau. During the Portuguese administration this flag also represented the territory of Macau in the international forums, although it was not the official flag of the Portuguese colony.

External links

Macau Handover Ceremony 1999

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.

1993 Proposals

Portuguese rule

Macau historical flags

See also

External links