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Hengqin

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Hengqin (横琴岛, 橫琴島; Pinyin: Héngqín Dǎo) is an island in Zhuhai, a prefecture-level city in the Guangdong Province of People's Republic of China. It is adjacent to Ilha da Taipa and Ilha de Coloane of Macao, and is connected to Cotai by bridge. It has a population of about 3,000.

Hengqin was formerly made up of two islands, Da Hengqin (Portuguese: D. João) and Xiao Hengqin (Montanha), which were recently connected as a result of land reclamation. There is a proposal to develop the island into a resort area. The reclaimed island is 96km² (37 square miles) ([link]). It is home to a residential development marketed for its natural beauty along the shoreline.

Both D. João and Montanha were claimed by Portugal, along with the larger former island of Wanzai (Portuguese: Lapa) — now a peninsula — to their north, as part of the territory of Macau, because "Portuguese schools are established there." [link] They were briefly occupied by Portugal before World War II. [link]

Since the land reclamation and development, there has been a growing opinion in Macao that the island should be leased to Macao, where land is very limited and there is little room for further development. By September 1, 2005, plans were revealed that the government of Guangdong Province will allow tax exemptions and adopt flexible immigration control in Hengqin to promote investment from Hong Kong and Macao.

Hengqin is the largest island among the 146 islands of Zhuhai. Its size is roughly 3 times that of Macao. It has broad bays, sandy beaches, strangely-shaped jagged rocks, beautiful scenery, fresh air, and natural vegetation cover.

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