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 Macau
Travel Tips
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A collection
of important information that can make your trip more enjoyable.
| HISTORY |
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Situated on the Southeastern coast of China in the Guangdong Province, Macau is 60 kilometers west of Hong Kong and 145 kilometers south of Guangzhou, the capital of Guangdong Province. The territory comprises a peninsula and two islands and the total area is 23.8 square kilometers.
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 1513and 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. |
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With the creation of Hong Kong after the first Optium War in 1841, Macau loses its statute of a growing trading centre.
However, Macau has always displayed an atmosphere, which made it different from the surrounding areas.
Today it is still the mixture of the Chinese and Portuguese culture harmoniously maintain and developed by its peoples. |
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| CLIMATE OF MACAU |
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Macau's climate is classified as sub-tropical with high humidity. There are occasional rain and typhoons during July and November. The humidity is the highest in spring and summer (April to September). During the summer the temperature is around 28-33*C. From January to February, the temperature can drop below 10*C.
The best time to visit is during autumn (between October and December), when it is sunny and dry; with temperature around 20-25*C. Avoid coming on Monday or Tuesday, some of the museums close during those weekdays.
You should wear lightweight cotton clothing for the summer and bring along a jacket for the winter. Rain gears are good idea during the rainy season, but I personally would buy them when it is needed. |
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| ECONOMY |
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Because China already played a major role in the economy of Macau, largely through investment, the transfer to Chinese rule was not expected to significantly alter the economy as a whole. Macau’s economy is largely dependent on profits from gambling and tourism. In 2000 6.7 million tourists visited Macau annually, many for the gambling opportunities. Most tourists came from nearby Hong Kong, but large numbers also came from other parts of China, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States.
Industry has long been important to the region’s economy. Although employment in industrial sectors has declined in recent years, the value of manufactured goods has continued to increase modestly. Macau’s chief manufactured products include textiles and clothing, food, toys, and fireworks. Consumer goods account for three-quarters of Macau’s exports. The United States is the largest export market, followed by the countries of the European Union (EU). Hong Kong and other parts of China are Macau’s largest suppliers of imports, which include food, industrial goods, and fuels. In the mid-1990s imports exceeded exports, but the balance of trade was more than offset by the enormous profits earned from gambling and tourism.
Macau’s unit of currency is the pataca (8.03 patacas equal U.S.$1; 2000). Many establishments accept Hong Kong currency as well as patacas. Macau has a total of about 20 local and foreign banks. The Monetary and Foreign Exchange Authority issues the region’s currency, and the Banco Nacional Ultramarino functions as the region’s central bank.
Macau has an excellent transportation network that improved rapidly, especially in links with China, as the return to Chinese rule approached. The region’s principal connections traditionally were shipping routes oriented mainly toward Hong Kong. Ships now serve the region from Hong Kong, other parts of China, Portugal, the United Kingdom, and The Netherlands. Passenger service has consisted mostly of high-speed hydrofoil and catamaran service to Hong Kong, less than one hour away; recently, however, service has been extended to other Chinese ports in the Zhu Jiang Delta. Bus service to towns and cities in the Zhu Jiang Delta has also expanded. The Macau International Airport, which opened in 1995, provides service to Hong Kong and other parts of China.
Macau has a wide range of modern telecommunications and media services, although most television broadcasts originate in Hong Kong. In 1984 a public Cantonese Chinese and Portuguese television station began broadcasting in Macau. One public radio station and one private station broadcast in both Portuguese and Cantonese. In 1996Macau had 10 daily newspapers. |
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| CULTURE |
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The name "Macau", is derived from the name of a Chinese goddess, popular with seafarers and fishermen, known as A-Ma or Ling Ma.
According to legend, a junk sailing across the South China Sea one clear day found itself in a sudden storm. Everybody on board was about to give up all hope of surviving this natural calamity, when an attractive young woman, who had boarded the ship at the very last minute, stood up and ordered the elements to calm down. Miraculously, the gale winds stopped blowing and the sea became calm. Without further incident, the junk arrived safely at the port of Hoi Keang.
The young woman stepped ashore and walked to the crest of the nearby Barra Hill where, in a glowing halo of light and perfume, she ascended into heaven. On the particular spot where she set foot on land, a temple was built in homage to her.
In the 16th century, when Portuguese sailors landed and asked the name of the place, the natives replied A-Ma-Gao (Bay of A-Ma). So the peninsula was renamed. In modern usage, Amagao was shortened to Macau.
However, Macau has always displayed an atmosphere which made it different from the surrounding areas. Today it is still this mixture of the Chinese and Portuguese cultures harmoniously maintained and developed by its people that makes this place a specific cultural entity.
Macau is a Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China since 20 December 1999 and will maintain its social and economical characteristics in accordance to the principle of "one country, two systems".
Macau of tiny dimensions possesses the highest population rate in the world but the per capita income is one of the highest in Asia. There is a cosmopolitan atmosphere, tolerant in practices and living experiences, where, as always, Asia meets Europe and where the Mediterranean cultures live side by side with the Chinese one. |
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| LAND AND RESOURCES |
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Macau covers a total land area of 21 sq km (8.3 sq mi). It consists of the narrow peninsula of Macau and the islands of Taipa and Coloane. Macau’s total area is growing as extensive land reclamation projects add new area to the islands and peninsula. This effort is expected to continue because Macau has a scarcity of level land suitable for development. Bridges and a causeway, or raised highway, link the islands to the peninsula. At the north end of the peninsula, where Macau borders Guangdong Province, the land forms a narrow isthmus.
Macau’s terrain consists of low hills, with no elevation greater than 200 m (650 ft). On the western side of the peninsula, one of the main channels of the Xi He (West River) empties into the South China Sea. Macau has hot, humid summers; cool, dry autumns; and comparatively mild and dry winters with no frost. January temperatures average 16°C (61°F), while temperatures in July average 26°C (79°F). Annual precipitation averages 2,000 mm (80 in), with most rainfall occurring during the summer months. Typhoons in summer and early autumn sometimes produce heavy rainfall and flooding that can cause serious damage to crops and other property.
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| PEOPLE |
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The population of Macau in 1991 was 355,693. By 2002 the population had increased to 461,833, yielding a very high population density of 21,153 persons per sq km (54,786 per sq mi). Much of Macau’s recent and rapid population growth is a result of increased migration from other parts of China, largely from Guangdong Province. The peninsula is very densely crowded. The islands of Taipa and Coloane contain some undeveloped areas, but these are rapidly becoming urbanized.
Most people in Macau are ethnic Chinese and either came from, or their ancestors came from, Guangdong Province. Other groups living in the region include migrants from Hong Kong and Macanese people, who are of mixed Portuguese and Chinese ancestry.
Macau has two official languages: Cantonese, the regional Chinese dialect and the dominant tongue spoken by Macau residents, and Portuguese. Macanese have both Cantonese and Portuguese language skills. Many locals also speak Putonghua (Mandarin Chinese) and English. Most Chinese people in Macau are Buddhists, and the region contains several important Buddhist temples. Roman Catholicism, the religion of about 6 percent of the population, is the dominant Christian faith.
Education levels in Macau are low. Only about one-quarter of the population has a secondary-level education, and less than 5 percent has a college education. About 7 percent of the people are illiterate. Macau has one of the highest standards of living in Asia, $14,170 per capita in 2000. However, this wealth is concentrated in the hands of a relatively small, educated, and dominant elite. The region has a much larger number of poor residents who have problems finding adequate housing and jobs. Observers believe these difficulties are likely to increase if rural Chinese people continue to migrate from neighboring Guangdong Province, adding to the region’s already high population density.
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