By the end of Portuguese rule, Macau was administratively divided into two municipalities (Portuguese: concelhos) and seven civil parishes (Portuguese: freguesias). Parishes were administrative subdivisions of the municipalities. After the 1999 handover to China, parishes are still officially recognized divisions but for symbolic reasons only.
Parishes were formerly administrative divisions falling under the former two municipalities of Macau: Macau and Ilhas. Following the 1999 transfer of sovereignty over Macau from Portugal to China, these municipalities were formally abolished on 31 December 2001 by Law No. 17/2001. While their administrative functions have since been removed, these parishes are still retained nominally. Since the abolition of the municipalities, some of the municipal services are now handled by the Municipal Affairs Bureau.
Prior to the dissolution of the municipalities in 2001, the first five parishes listed in the table below fell under the Municipality of Macau while the remaining two fell under the Municipality of Ilhas, totalling to seven parishes.[1]
| Parish / Area | Chinese | Area (km2)[2] |
|---|---|---|
| Parish | ||
| Nossa Senhora de Fátima | 花地瑪堂區 | 3.2 |
| Santo António | 花王堂區 | 1.1 |
| São Lázaro | 望德堂區 | 0.6 |
| São Lourenço | 風順堂區 | 1.0 |
| Sé (including Novos Aterros Urbanos de Macau Zona B) | 大堂區 (包括新城B區) | 3.4 |
| Nossa Senhora do Carmo (including Novos Aterros Urbanos de Macau Zona E) | 嘉模堂區 (包括新城E區) | 7.9 |
| São Francisco Xavier | 聖方濟各堂區 | 7.6 |
| Other area | ||
| Zona do Aterro de Cotai | 路氹填海區 | 6.0 |
| Universidade de Macau (Ilha de Montanha (Hengqin) campus) | 澳門大學 (橫琴校區) | 1.0 |
| Novos Aterros Urbanos de Macau Zone A | 新城A區 | 1.4 |
| Zona de Administração de Macau na Ilha Fronteiriça Artificial da Ponte Hong Kong–Zhuhai–Macau (the southern part of the reclaimed island at the western end of the Hong Kong–Zhuhai–Macau Bridge)[3] |
港珠澳大橋珠澳口岸 | 0.7 |
The parishes of Nossa Senhora do Carmo and São Francisco Xavier are coterminous with the natural borders of the islands of Taipa and Coloane, respectively.
Each municipality was run by a municipal chamber (Portuguese: câmara municipal), with a supervising municipal assembly (Portuguese: assembleia municipal).
|
Municipality of Macau Concelho de Macau 澳門市 (pinyin: Àomén Shì; Cantonese Yale: Oumùhn Síh) |
Coterminous with the Macau Peninsula. Its seat was also known as Cidade do (Santo) Nome de Deus de Macau (= City of the (Holy) Name of God of Macau, full motto: Cidade do (Santo) Nome de Deus de Macau, Não Há Outra Mais Leal, lit. City of the (Holy) Name of God of Macau, None Is More Loyal) |
|
Municipality of Ilhas Concelho das Ilhas 海島市 (pinyin: Hǎidǎo Shì; Cantonese Yale: Hóidóu Síh;) |
Coterminous with the islands of Taipa and Coloane. |
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Note: The civil parishes are purely symbolic. There are currently no political administrative subdivisions in Macau, and instead, the Municipal Affairs Bureau handles some of the functions formerly handled by the abolished municipalities, the former had replaced the Civic and Municipal Affairs Bureau that was formed in 2002. | ||||||
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