Coloane

São Francisco Xavier (Coloane) 聖方濟各堂區（路環） Saint Francis Xavier
Freguesia
Hac Sa Bay Park
Freguesia de São Francisco Xavier in Macau
Country	Macau
Region	Municipality of das Ilhas
Area
• Total	7.6 km2 (2.9 sq mi)
Population (2013)
• Total	9,300
• Density	1,200/km2 (3,200/sq mi)
Time zone	Macau Standard (UTC+8)

Coloane Island
Chinese name
Traditional Chinese	路環島
Simplified Chinese	路环岛
Cantonese Jyutping	lou6 waan4 dou2
Literal meaning	Road Ring Island
Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin Lùhuán Dǎo IPA [lûxwǎn tàʊ] Yue: Cantonese Jyutping lou6 waan4 dou2 IPA [lòu wȁːn tǒu] Yale Romanization Lùhhwán Dǎu
Portuguese name
Portuguese	Ilha de Coloane

Coloane
Chinese name
Traditional Chinese	聖方濟各堂區
Simplified Chinese	圣方济各堂区
Cantonese Jyutping	Sing3 Fong1 Zai2 Go3 Tong4 Koe1
Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin Shèngfāngjìgè Tángqū IPA [ʂə̂ŋfáŋtɕîkɤ̂ tʰǎŋtɕʰý] Yue: Cantonese Jyutping Sing3 Fong1 Zai2 Go3 Tong4 Koe1 IPA [ɕɪ̄ŋ fɔ́ːŋ tsɐ̌i kɔ̄ː tsɔ̄ː tʰɔ̏ːŋ kʰœ́ː]
Portuguese name
Portuguese	Freguesia de São Francisco Xavier

Coloane, officially Freguesia de São Francisco Xavier, is one of the two main islands of the Macau Special Administrative Region in China. The island is located directly south of Macau's other main island, Taipa (氹仔), and east of Hengqin Island of Zhuhai in Guangdong province.

Coloane was known in Cantonese as Gau Ou Saan (九澳山, lit. "Nine-inlet Mountain", transcribed in Portuguese as Ká-Hó) and Yim Zou Waan (鹽灶灣, lit. "Salt-stove Bay"). The Portuguese name "Coloane" is derived from the Cantonese pronunciation of Gwo Lou Waan (過路環, lit. "Passing-road Ring").

Geography

See also: Coloane Village

Coloane has an area of 8.07 km² (3 sq mi)}, is 4 km (2 mi) long and is 5.6 km (3 mi) from the Macau Peninsula. It is connected to Taipa by a 2.2 kilometres (1.4 mi) causeway, the Estrada do Istmo, however land reclamation has physically connected the two islands and a new town called Cotai has been built between Taipa and Coloane, which is home to the Cotai Strip and many other casinos under development.

The narrowest part of Coloane is 300 metres (980 ft). The highest points in Macau are eastern and central Coloane, with the highest point being the 171 metres (561 ft) Alto de Coloane (Chin.: 疊石塘山, Port.: Alto de Coloane ). The northern shore of the island is 4.5 metres (15 ft) deep, and is the site of the Macau Deepwater Port. The eastern Hac Sa Beach (Chin.: 黑沙海灘, Port.: Baía de Hác Sá) and the southern Cheoc Van Bay (Chin.: 竹灣, Port.: Baía de Cheoc Van) are popular swimming beaches. At Baía de Hác Sá there is a Portuguese restaurant called "Fernando", famous amongst locals in Macau and tourists from Hong Kong.

History

From the Song Dynasty onwards and until the Portuguese arrival in 1864, Coloane was a sea salt farm for China. After their arrival, the Portuguese made Macau an important trading port, but Coloane remained largely deserted, and was used as a base by pirates until 1910. The island became more populated after the Estrada do Istmo was finished in 1969.

Tourism

Famous sites on the island include:

• Tam Kung Temple (譚公廟), dedicated to Lord Tam, a Taoist god of seafares
• Old Tin Hau Temple (天后古廟)
• A-Ma Statue (媽祖像), built on October 28, 1998 (lunar calendar: September 9)
• Church of Our Lady of Sorrows, Ká-Hó (九澳七苦聖母小堂)
• Chapel of St. Francis Xavier (聖方濟各聖堂), of the Freguesia de São Francisco Xavier (聖方濟各堂區). The chapel, built in 1928, is located on the southern coast of the island and stands near a monument commemorating a victory over pirates in 1910. The chapel used to contain some of the most sacred Christian relics in Asia, including the remains of 26 foreign and Japanese Catholic priests who were crucified in Nagasaki in 1597, as well as those of some of the Japanese Christians who were killed during the Shimabara Rebellion in 1637. Among them was a bone from the arm of St. Francis Xavier, who died in 1552 on Shangchuan Island, 50 miles (80 km) from Macau, before it was transferred to Saint Joseph's Seminary and the Sacred Art Museum [1].
• Museum of Nature and Agriculture (土地暨自然博物館)
• Avenida de Cinco de Outubro (十月初五馬路)
• Hac Sa Bay Park and Coloane Park

• 

  Tam Kung Temple

• 

  Old Tin Hau Temple

• 

  Coloane rocks

• 

  Coloane Pier

See Also

• List of islands and peninsulas of Macau

External links

• Google Maps : Macau / Coloane