Macau Introduction

Macau Special Administrative Region is located on the southeastern coast of China, at latitude 22o4′ North and longitude 113o5′ East. The territory comprises a peninsula and two islands in the Pearl River Delta of Guangdong Province.

The total area of Macau is 26.8 km2-the peninsula has 8.5 km2, Taipa 6.2 km2, Coloane 7.6 km2 and the reclaimed land between Taipa and Coloane has 4.5 km2.

The city of Macau is built on the peninsula; two bridges of 2.5 km and 4.5 km respectively link it to its nearest island of Taipa, which in turn is joined to Coloane by a 2.2 km-long causeway. At the extreme northern end of the peninsula, on a narrow isthmus, is the imposing gateway (Portas do Cerco, or Border Gate), which leads to the Zhuhai and Zhongshan areas of China.

The climate in Macau ranges from moderate cold to hot, with an average temperature of just 20oC (69oF). The humidity is high with an average range between 75% and 90%.

Population: approximately 470 thousand people in Macau (Chinese 95%, Portuguese and others 5%). Chinese and Portuguese are the 2 official languages of Macau.Cantonese is naturally the dominant speaking Chinese dialect, but Mandarin is also widely spoken. English is spoken by the trade, commerce and tourist services.

History
The zone which is nowadays called Macau was at first inhabited by fishermen coming from the China province of Fujin and Guangdong, which used the coves between the islands and harbours in this area in order to repair their ships and to get fresh supplies of drinking water.

Jorge Alvares became the first Portuguese to set foot in Southern China in 1513 and this visit was followed by the establishment of a number of Portuguese trading centres in the Pearl River delta. These were eventually consolidated at Macau, which soon wielded, with the permission of the Emperor of China, a virtual monopoly on trade between China and Japan and between both nations and Europe. Besides being the sole commercial entrepot between the two worlds – a situation which was maintained for many years – Macau served as a vital base for merchants as well as for Christian missionaries to China and Japan, an activity which provided the city with some of the most glorious – and tempestuous – moments in its history.

Macau is renowned for the permanent Portuguese presence that began in the mid-1500s and the resulting southern European influence that is still clearly evident in Macau today. Portugal de facto governed Macau for centuries even before the official agreement with China that ceded governance to Portugal in 1887. Macau was returned to Chinese sovereignty in a highly publicized handover on December 20, 1999.

Macau’s official currency is the Macau Pataca (MOP), with 13 denominations of bills and coins. The largest bill denomination is MOP1000 and the largest coin denomination is MOP10 . Hong Kong dollars also freely accepted throughout the city, usually on par with MOP. China’s RMB is increasingly being accepted as well.
1 US dollar (USD = MOP8.0
100 Chinese Renminbi (CNY) = MOP108.0
As Macau has no currency restriction policies, currencies may be exchanged freely. Travelers may exchange foreign currency cash or travelers’ checks in banks, hotels, and business establishments. A 24-hour currency exchange service is available in Hotel Lisboa and the international airport.