Dubious Distinction

Years ago, when living very remotely in Montana, I was keenly aware of the state’s population density (6 per square mile, or about 2.3 persons per square km). At the time, I noticed that the tiny colony of Macau was the world’s most densely populated area, never imagining that someday I’d be living here! And enjoying it immensely! Then we moved to Pennsylvania (106 per square km), Portugal returned Macau to the People’s Republic, and I no longer paid much attention to population density statistics. Meanwhile, Macau’s land area of 15 square kilometers was practically doubled, to 28, by filling in the mud flats between the islands of Coloane and Taipa to create the Cotai Strip (get it?) where the major new casinos are being built. Game, set, and match, or so I figured.

This past Monday, the South China Morning Post carried a small article on Page A2, titled “Crowded Macau Takes Monaco’s Title.” The upshot is that while Macau’s area has grown, so has its population so that, once again, it is the world’s most densely populated region. For the record, there are 19,078 people per square kilometer here, or 49,412 per square mile. What’s more, there are several virtually uninhabited areas in Macau, with lovely – and empty – hiking trails. I’ve been on all of them and have seen fewer than a dozen other people in total. That’s good news if one likes the great outdoors, but it also implies that where people do live in Macau they are packed in pretty tightly.