Description

Macau, a former Portuguese colony, is located on the south coast of China, across the Pearl River estuary from Hong Kong. The territory was acquired by Portugal in 1557 and was transferred back to China in 1999.

Traditionally, the colony consisted of three distinct parts, the peninsula of Macau and the islands of Taipa and Coloane, located further to the south. Throughout the 20th century, Macau’s area increased due to land reclamation; notably from 1912 to 1957, the area of the Macau Peninsula grew from 3.5 to 5.5 km2.

In the earls 1960s, the colonial government commissioned João Carrington Simões da Costa (1891 – 1982), Portugal’s leading geologist and Professor at the University of Potro and his Ph.D. student, Manuel João Lemos de Sousa (b. 1937 and still active), later a famous geologist in his own right, to execute the definitive study of the physical geography and geology of Macau.

The present resulting work features detailed quantitative and statistical analysis of the colony’s geology and topography and is illustrated with 23 monochrome photographic plates (featuring 33 images).

Additionally, and perhaps the highlight of the work, is the large, colorful geological map of the colony, the Esboço geológico da província ultramarina de Macau, completed by Lemos de Sousa in 1963. The detail topographic map is overlaid with 9 geological zones, divided into Modern (land reclamation), Pleistocene and Eruptive (volcanic) classifications.

While several examples of the work appear in institutional collections, it seldom appears on the market.

References: OCLC: 31358445, 640026791.