Geographic Location & Area

Macau is located in the Guangdong province, on the western bank of the Pearl River Delta, at latitude 22? 14’ North, longitude 113? 35’ East and connected to the Gongbei District by the Border Gate (Portas do Cerco) isthmus.

Macao SAR is a part of China’s territory. It is located on the Southeast coast of China to the west of the Pearl River Delta. Bordering on Guangdong Province, it locates 60km from Hong Kong and 145km from the city of Guangzhou. Local time is eight hours ahead of Greenwich Mean Time.

The Macau Special Administrative Region has an area of 27.3 sq. km, comprised of the Macau Peninsula (with 8.7 sq. km and connected to Mainland China), the islands of Taipa (6.3 sq. km) and Coloane (7.6 sq. km) and the reclaimed area COTAI (4.7 sq. km). Two bridges connect Macau to Taipa (one of them is 2.5 km long and the other is 4.5 km long). The longest one (Friendship Bridge) leads directly to Macau International Airport located on the Island of Taipa. The islands are connected by a causeway which is 2.2 km long.

Besides the Barrier Gate (Portas do Cerco), the visitor can access Mainland China through the COTAI Frontier Post. Immigration and Customs are located in the reclaimed area between the islands of Taipa and Coloane.

Population

The population of Macao was estimated at 461,100 as in March 2004. Population density is over 16,000/km2, and the northern part of the peninsula of Macao is regarded as one of the most densely populated areas in the world.

Macao’s population has undergone rapid demographic growth over the last two decades, increasing at an annual rate of around 4%. There is also an impressive flow of people in and out of the territory. A total of 25 million annual people-flow are recorded.

51.9% of Macao’s total population are female. 18.6% of Macao residents are under 15 years of age, and 73.4% are aged between 15 and 64. 7.9% of the population are over 65 years old. Average life span for both sexes is over 78 years old, the longest in Asia after Japan.

According to the 2001 census, of the population of 435,000, 95% of Macao residents are of Chinese nationality, 2% are Portuguese and 1% are Filipinos.

Both of Chinese and Portuguese are the official languages in Macao. Over 97% of Macao’s population speak Chinese and Portuguese is spoken by around 0.7%, the rest of population speaks English, Filipino and other languages.

Over 80% of Macao’s population have been living in the territory for over ten years. By birthplace, 45% of the population were born in Macao and another 45% were born in the mainland while less than 10% of residents are from other places.

Political Background

In 1987 the Sino-Portuguese Joint Declaration on the future of Macau was signed by the People's Republic of China and the Portuguese Government. According to its provisions, China resumed sovereignty over Macau on December 20th, 1999. As a Special Administrative Region of China, Macau enjoys a high degree of autonomy.

Macau retains its political, economic and social system for 50 years, with its own executive, legislative and judicial authorities, at the same time continuing to enjoy all the advantages of free port status as a separate customs territory. 

The Chinese government has affirmed its confidence in Macau's future prosperity and stability, which will help guarantee the success of its "One Country, Two Systems" policy.

Language

Chinese and Portuguese are the official languages, Cantonese being most widely spoken. The official languages are used in government departments in all official documents and communications. English is generally used in trade, tourism and commerce.

Currency

The Pataca is pegged to the Hong Kong dollar, at approximately the same value and through the Hong Kong dollar to the US dollar. The Hong Kong currency is a second currency in Macau. Roughly eight Patacas equal one US dollar. There are no exchange restriction nor any limit to the repatriation of profit and capital.

Climate

Macau located at the west bank of Pearl River Delta in South China, is the intersection of Mainland China and South China Sea. It is also located at the south of tropic of Cancer. The winds directions in winter and summer are opposites. Therefore, Macau is in the monsoon region and from the climate classification is considered mild and rainy in summer. The most comfortable period begins from the middle of October to December.  

Macao’s climate is warm and humid with a fairly wide variation in temperature over the year. From June to September, the temperature can rise to over 30?C while it can drop to below 10?C from November to February. The average temperature rarely drops below 14?C. Macao’s weather is also influenced by tropical cyclones from the South Pacific Ocean during the typhoon season.

Health

Macau is one of the most developed countries in Asia in terms of public health provision. Here, the average life expectancy is 75.5 years for men and 79.9 years for women.

Vaccination certificates are required only in exceptional circumstances, either in Macau or through the region, where vaccinations are needed. Visitors are not advised to have any particular vaccinations.

Tap water is safe to drink both in Macau and on the islands. Its quality is regularly checked and guaranteed by the Health Department according to international standards.

Besides western medicine, visitors can find several Traditional Chinese Medicine Doctors.

Safety and Security

Macau is a very safe place. There are police stations and reporting centres throughout the territory and for emergency dial 999. There are also two new 24 hour emergency hotline numbers 110 and 112 meant to facilitate emergency calls by tourists from the mainland and abroad.

Getting to Macau

International visitors can access to Macau by air (from Taiwan, Beijing, Shanghai, Manila, Bangkok and Singapore etc). Visitors can also access to Macau from Hong Kong (by helicopter or fast ferry) and mainland China (by land).