The Macau Peninsula has a gate built on the northern isthmus, for how long did it serve as a border?
Macau Peninsula Macau Peninsula is the most populous and historic part of Macau. It has an area of 8.5 km² (4 x ) and is geographically connected to Guangdong province, at the northeast, through an isthmus 200 m wide. The peninsula, together with the city centre of Zhuhai, sits on an island separated from the continent by distributaries of the Pearl River. The Border Gate (; Portuguese: "Portas do Cerco" ) was built on the northern isthmus. At the south, the peninsula is connected to Taipa Island by three bridges, the Friendship Bridge ("Ponte de Amizade"); the Macau-Taipa Bridge ("Ponte Governador Nobre de Carvalho"); and the Sai Van Bridge ("Ponte de Sai Van"). The longest axis extends 4 km from the Border Gate to the southwestern edge, Barra (媽閣嘴). There is a western Inner Harbour (內港), and an eastern Outer Harbour (外港). The 93 m Guia Hill (松山) is the highest point on the peninsula, which is, on an average, 50 to . Many coastal places are reclaimed from sea. The Historic Centre of Macau, which is entirely in the Macau Peninsula, became a World Heritage Site in 2005.
Battle of Shancaowan The Battle of Shancaowan (), also known as Battle of Veniaga Island (Portuguese:"Batalha da Ilha da Veniaga") was a naval battle between the Ming dynasty coast guard and a Portuguese fleet led by Martim Afonso de Mello that occurred in 1522. The Ming court threatened to expel Portuguese traders from China after receiving news that the Malacca Sultanate, a Ming tributary, had been invaded by the Portuguese. In addition, Portuguese pirates had been conducting slave raids on the Chinese coast, kidnapping children to sell in Portuguese Malacca, which received widespread condemnation by the common people and the court. Portuguese traders were executed in China and the Portuguese embassy was arrested, with their freedom promised on the condition that the Portuguese released and returned Malacca to its sultan. Martim Afonso de Mello arrived at the Pearl River but was blockaded by a Ming fleet. After two weeks without being able to gain a foothold in China they decided to run the blockade and managed to escape with the loss of two ships and several dozen men. The battle was fought off the northwestern coast of Lantau Island, Hong Kong at a location called Sai Tso Wan today.