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中華人民共和國澳門特別行政區 Região Administrativa Especial de Macau da República Popular da China Macao Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China
Flag Coat of arms of Macau Coat of arms
Motto: none
Anthem: March of the Volunteers (national anthem of the PRC)
Capital	none
Largest (most populated) freguesia	Freguesia de Nossa Senhora de Fátima
Official languages	· Chinese (Cantonese and Putonghua de facto) · Portuguese
Government
• Chief Executive	Edmund Ho Hau-wah
Establishment
• Founded by local Chinese	~ 5th century
• occupied by Portugal	1557
• Portuguese colony	August 13 1862
• SAR of the PRC	December 20 1999
• Water (%)	0
Population
• 2006 (3rd qtr) estimate	508,500 (167th)
• 2000 census	431,000
GDP (PPP)	2005 estimate
• Total	$11.5 billion (139th)
• Per capita	$24,300 (2005)
HDI (2003)	0.909 Error: Invalid HDI value (25th)
Currency	Pataca (MOP)
Time zone	UTC+8 (MST)
• Summer (DST)	UTC- (-)
Calling code	853
ISO 3166 code	MO
Internet TLD	.mo
Historically, the capital was "Cidade do Nome de Deus de Macau" (or Macau Peninsula; this name abolished upon reunification). The government headquarters were located in the St. Lawrence Parish. Information obtained from the Direcção dos Serviços de Estatística e Censos (Statistics and Census of the Government of Macao Special Administrative Region) The UN did not calculate the HDI of Macau. The government of Macau calculates its own HDI as of 2003 as 0.909. If included among UN HDI figures, Macau (same figure as the Republic of China) would rank 25th (high), between Singapore and Greece. Information can be obtained from Statistics and Census Service, Macau SAR.

The Macao Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China (Chinese: 中華人民共和國澳門特別行政區 (Pinyin: Aomen Tebie Xingzhengqu) ,"framed":false,"icon":"volumeUp","label":{"html":"in Mandarin"},"data":{"ipa":"","text":"","lang":"en","wikibase":"","file":"Chinese-Macau full name.ogg"},"classes":}">in Mandarin, in Cantonese] ; Portuguese: Região Administrativa Especial de Macau da República Popular da China ,"framed":false,"icon":"volumeUp","label":{"html":"in Portuguese"},"data":{"ipa":"","text":"","lang":"en","wikibase":"","file":"Portuguese-Macau full name.ogg"},"classes":}">in Portuguese], abbreviated as RAEM), commonly known as Macau or Macao (Chinese: 澳門, or informally known as 馬交 maa-gau) is one of the two special administrative regions (SARs) of the People's Republic of China (PRC), along with Hong Kong. Administered by Portugal until 1999, it was the oldest European colony in China, dating back to the 16th century. The administrative power over Macau was transferred to the People's Republic of China (PRC) in 1999.

Besides historical Chinese and Portuguese world-heritage relics, Macau's biggest attraction is its gambling industry and casinos. Though many forms of gambling are legal here, the most popular game is baccarat, which generates over two thirds of the gaming industry's gross receipts.

Name

The name "Macau" (Portuguese pronunciation IPA: [mɐ.'kaw]) is thought to be derived from the Templo de A-Má (Temple of A-Ma or Ma Kok Temple) (媽閣廟, Cantonese Jyutping: Maa1 Gok3 Miu6, local pronunciation: Maa5 Gok3 Miu6 or Maa5 Gok3 Miu5), a still-existing landmark built in 1448 dedicated to the goddess Matsu.

The Chinese name Aomen 澳門 (pinyin: Àomén, Cantonese Jyutping: Ou3 Mun4) means "Inlet Gates". The "gates" refer to two erect gate-like mountains of Nantai (Chinese: 南台; pinyin: Nántái) and Beitai (Chinese: 北台; pinyin: Běitái). Alternately, Ao may derive from Macau's previous name Heong San Ou, as it is geographically situated at "Cross' Door". Macau is also known as Hou Keng Ou (壕鏡澳 Oyster-mirror Inlet), Heong San Ou (香山澳 Xiangshan-ao; Fragrant-mountain Inlet), Lin Tou (蓮島 Liandao; Lotus Island), as well as Soda Port (梳打埠).

History

Imperial times

Historical records show that what was later known as Macau was part of Panyu County, Nanhai District, Guangdong Province, under the Qin empire (221–206 BC). During the Jin Dynasty (265-420), the area was part of Dongguan County and later alternated under the control of Nanhai and Dongguan. In 1152 (during the Song Dynasty, 960–1279), it was identified as administratively part of the new Xiangshan County.

Since at least the 5th century, merchant ships traveling between Southeast Asia and Guangzhou used Haojingao as a way stop for refuge, fresh water, and food.

Members of the southern Song Dynasty and some 50,000 followers were the first recorded inhabitants of the area, seeking refuge in Macau from invading Mongols in 1277. They were able to defend their settlements and establish themselves there. Mong Há has long been the center of Chinese life in Macau and the site of what may be the region's oldest temple, a shrine devoted to the Buddhist Guanyin (Goddess of Mercy).

The Hoklo Boat people were the first to show commercial interest in Macau as a trading center for the southern provinces. During the Ming Dynasty (1368–1643), fishermen migrated to Macau from various parts of Guangdong and Fujian provinces and built the A-Ma Temple in which they prayed for safety on the sea.

Sixteenth to eighteenth centuries

Chinese fishermen have been living and working in the Pearl River Delta for more than four thousand years. The small peninsula and islands that came to be called Macau were first settled by the Portuguese in the sixteenth century. Prior to that, they belonged to various counties within the Chinese Empire, with the village of Mong Ha (Wangxia), located on the Macau peninsula, having been settled during the Yuan Dynasty.

In 1535, the Portuguese obtained the right to anchor ships in Macau harbours and carry out trading activities. In 1553, the Portuguese were enabled to go ashore and establish a settlement, in order to dry out goods drenched by sea water, as a reward for defeating pirates and to serve as middlemen for trade with Japan and India.

In 1557, the Portuguese established a permanent settlement in Macau, and beginning in 1670, Portugal leased the territory, although there was no transfer of sovereignty. Macau prospered as a port and was the subject of repeated attempts by the Dutch to conquer it in the seventeenth century.

Nineteenth century

Following the Opium War (1839-42), Portugal occupied Taipa and Coloane in 1851 and 1864 respectively. In 1887, Portugal and the Qing government signed the Sino - Portuguese Draft Minutes and the Beijing Treaty, in which China ceded to Portugal the right to "perpetual occupation and government of Macau"; conversely, Portugal pledged to seek China's approval before transferring Macau to another country.

Before the 1960s

In 1928, the Kuomintang government and the Portuguese government concluded the "Sino-Portuguese Friendship and Trade Treaty". Making only a few provisions concerning tariff principles and matters relating to business affairs, the treaty failed to mention the question with regard to Macau's position. Consequently, the situation of Portuguese occupation and government of Macau remained unchanged. In 1938, Portuguese troops occupied the island of Hengqin, which had already been settled by Portuguese missionaries. Hengqin was taken by the Japanese in 1941 and reverted to China in the end of World War II.

After the 1960s

In 1966 residents tried to obtain a licence for a private school in Taipa, the first of two islands connected to and forming part of Macau. After being rejected many times they went ahead and started building without permits. On November 15, 1966, Portuguese police arrested the school officials and beat construction workers, residents, and press reporters. As a result, Chinese teachers and students gathered at the Governor’s Palace to protest; some even got inside the Palace to cite the quotations of Mao Zedong and sang Chinese revolutionary songs. On December 3 the government ordered them to be arrested. This stirred up the anger of the general public and more people came to protest. They pulled down the statue of Colonel Vicente Nicolau de Mesquita at Largo do Senado at the city centre, and burned archive documents - some irreplaceable - at the Leal Senado Building and the Holy House of Mercy. Portuguese soldiers from Africa, who came to Macau on holiday, were called in and martial law was declared. As a result of the protests, 11 people were killed by police and 200 were injured. The incident is often referred to as "12-3," with reference to the date of the riots.

The Chinese people adopted a "three no's" approach as a means to continue their struggle with the Government — no taxes, no service, no selling to the Portuguese. They were successful and on January 29, 1967 the Portuguese government of Macau signed a statement of apology. This marked the beginning of equal treatment and recognition of Chinese identity and of de facto Chinese control of the colony, as an official apology underlined the fact that after 1949, administration of Macau continued only at the behest of the Mainland Communist government.

After the leftist military coup of 1974, the now democratic Portuguese government was determined to relinquish all its overseas possessions, but the People's Republic of China did not favor Macau's immediate return to Chinese sovereignty and asked Portugal to continue to administer it. In 1976, Lisbon redefined Macau as a "Chinese territory under Portuguese administration," and granted it a large measure of administrative, financial and economic autonomy. The Chinese Government stated on many occasions that Macau has always been Chinese territory and the issue left by history should be settled through negotiations when conditions were ripe.

Transitional period, handover

Portugal and the People's Republic of China agreed in 1979 to regard Macau as "a Chinese territory under (temporary) Portuguese administration". Negotiations between the Chinese and Portuguese governments on the question of Macau started in June 1986. In 1987, an international treaty, known as the Sino-Portuguese Joint Declaration, was signed to make Macau a Special Administrative Region of the PRC.

In 1998, Chinese (Cantonese) was given official status and the same legal power as Portuguese, the official language.

The Chinese government assumed sovereignty over Macau on December 20, 1999, ending 329 years of Portuguese rule.

Legal system and judiciary

In order to implement the principle of high degree of autonomy, the basic and original framework of the legal system of Macau must also be preserved for at least 50 years after 20 December, 1999 according to the provision made by the Sino-Portuguese Joint Declaration on the Question of Macau.

The legal system is based largely on Portuguese law or Portuguese civil law system. The territory has its own independent judicial system, with a high court. Judges are selected by a committee and appointed by the chief executive. Foreign judges may serve on the courts. In July 1999 the chief executive appointed a seven-person committee to select judges for the SAR. 24 judges were recommended by the committee and were then appointed by Mr. Ho.

Macau has a three-tier court system:

• The Court of the First Instance
• The Court of the Second Instance
• The Court of Final Appeal (Macau's highest court)

Sam Hou Fai is the President, or Chief Justice, of the Court of Final Appeal.

No district court was established because of the limited geographical size of the region. However, administrative courts are additionally created that are special courts for handling administrative, taxation and customs cases and they are lower courts as the Court of the First Instance. Litigants who object to their rulings can appeal to the Court of the Second Instance.

The prosecution of the Macau SAR is an independent body. The Chief Prosecutor of the Macau SAR's prosecution is nominated by the Chief Executive and appointed by the central government of People's Republic of China; the prosecutors are appointed and removed by the Chief Executive. Hence, the Macau SAR prosecution is under strict scrutiny and supervision of the Chief Executive.

No death penalty or life imprisonment is currently imposed in Macau SAR due to the prohibition by the Penal Code of Macau (Article 39). Ampliate reformations in legal system in Macau can be seen after handover. The prominent example is using Chinese language in courts, in addition to the process of legislation.

The Secretariat for Administration and Justice (Macau) is a member of the Macau Government. The Secretariat is responsible for the civil service, legal affairs and municipal affairs in the region.

Government and politics

Introduction

The status of Macau since reverting to People's Republic of China sovereignty on 20 December 1999 is defined in the Sino-Portuguese Joint Declaration and the Basic Law, Macau's constitution promulgated by China's National People's Congress in 1993. The Joint Declaration and the Basic Law specify that Macau's social and economic system, lifestyle, rights, and freedoms are to remain unchanged for at least 50 years.

Under the principle of "one country, two systems" articulated in the Basic Law of Macau, Macau enjoys a high degree of autonomy except in defense and foreign affairs. Macau officials, rather than PRC officials, run Macau through the exercise of separate executive, legislative, and judicial powers. Macau maintains its own separate currency, customs territory, immigration and border controls, and police force. According to surveys examined recently by Transparency International 2006, the Government of Macau is perceived to have one of the least corrupt public sector among Asian nations or territories. Macau ranked number 4 in Asia and 26 worldwide. Hong Kong, Japan and Singapore as well joined Macau as the only Asian states ranking among the top 30 nations or territories; meanwhile Asia's largest nations; People's Republic of China, India, and Indonesia, all execrably scored on the list with 163 ranked nations and territories.

Chief executive

The chief executive is appointed by the People's Republic of China's central government. Election of the Chief Executive after election by an election committee, whose members are nominated by corporate and community bodies. The chief executive's cabinet comprise five policy secretaries. He is advised by an Executive Council that has between 7 and 11 members. Edmund Ho Hau Wah, a community leader and former banker, is the first China-appointed chief executive of the Macau SAR, having replaced General Vasco Rocha Vieira at midnight on December 19, 1999.

Legislative body

The legislative organ of the territory is the Legislative Assembly, a 29-member body comprising 12 directly elected members, 10 appointed members representing functional constituencies and seven members appointed by the chief executive. The Legislative Assembly is responsible for lawmaking and like many other legislatures, it has power to impeach the Chief Executive. It has power to amend the method of electing the chief executive after 2009. The democratic infrastructure of Macau SAR remains powerless. The ability of the legislature to initiate legislation is limited, although it plays a role in shaping legislation. There is little public pressure for democratization.

Political associations

Political associations in the Legislative Council of Macau include: New Democratic Macau Association, United Citizens Association of Macau, Union for Development, Union for Promoting Progress, Alliance for the Development of Macau, New Hope, General Union for the Good of Macau, Convergence for Development.

Elections

The general requirements of suffrage for direct election in Macau is an adult at or over 18 years of age and he or she must be a permanent resident in that region. For indirect election, it is only limited to organizations registered as "corporate voters and a 300-member Election Committee drawn from broad regional groupings, municipal organizations, and central governmental bodies.

Administrative divisions

Macau was formerly divided into two municipalities and seven parishes. Each municipality was run by a municipal council (câmara municipal), with a supervising municipal assembly (assembleia municipal).

When it became a SAR, the municipalities were abolished and the parishes were voided of administrative functions. In their place is a new administrative body, the Civic and Municipal Affairs Bureau (Portuguese: Instituto para os Assuntos Cívicos e Municipais), under the Secretariat for Administration and Justice (Secretaria da Administração e Justiça) of the SAR government. The parishes are still officially recognized but only on a symbolic basis.

Geography

Terrain

Macau is 70 kilometres (43 miles) southwest of Hong Kong and 145 kilometres (90 miles) from Guangzhou. It consists of a peninsula, and the islands of Taipa and Coloane. The peninsula is formed by the Zhujiang (Pearl River) estuary on the east and the Xijiang (West River) on the west. It borders the Zhuhai Special Economic Zone in mainland China. Macau has a generally flat terrain resulting from extensive land reclamation, but numerous steep hills mark the original natural land mass. The Macau peninsula was originally an island, but gradually a connecting sandbar turned into a narrow isthmus. Land reclamation in the seventeenth century made Macau into a peninsula. With a dense urban environment, Macau has no arable land, pastures, forest, or woodland. Because of this deficiency, Macau's people traditionally have looked to the sea for their livelihood.

Climate

Macau has a warm marine temperate climate. Seasonal climate is greatly influenced by the monsoons and therefore temperature difference between summer and winter is fairly noticeable. The average annual temperature of Macau is 22.3 °C. July is the hottest month, with average monthly temperature being 28.6 °C (daytime temperatures are usually above 30 °C). The coldest month is January, with average monthly temperature 14.5 °C (occasionally temperature drops below 10 °C). Located in the coastal region of south the People's Republic of China, Macau has ample rainfall, with average annual precipitation being 2,030 millimetres. However, winter is mostly dry due to the monsoon from mainland China.

Economy

Macau's economy is based largely on tourism, much of it geared toward gambling.

In view of Macau's small population and limited land resources, the Government of Macau has launched a policy of close cooperation with the Pearl River Delta and the neighboring Guangdong province while expanding trade contacts with the rest of the world. Other chief economic activities in Macau are export-geared textile and garment manufacturing, banking and other financial services. The clothing industry has provided about three-fourths of export earnings, and the gaming, tourism and hospitality industry is estimated to contribute more than 50% of Macau's GDP, and 70% of Macau government revenue. Macau is a founding member of the WTO and has a representative office at the organization's headquarters in Geneva. Market-opening pledges largely in the sphere of financial services has been made at the WTO and Macau has maintained sound economic and trade relations with more than 120 countries and regions with European Union and Portuguese-speaking countries in particular.

From 9.1 million visitors in 2000, arrivals to Macau has grown to 18.7 million visitors in 2005, 21.98 million visitors in 2006 and is expected to receive between 24 and 25 million visitors in 2007, with over 50% of the arrivals coming from mainland China. This recent growth has been driven by gambling and related tourism. Tourists from Hong Kong remain numerous, representing about 30% of arrivals. Since the 1999 return to Chinese rule, Triad underworld violence, a dark spot on the economy, has virtually disappeared, to the benefit of the tourism sector. Macau also received the Future Award 2007, for being regarded the most promising future tourism destination in Asia, voted by 26,000 German travel trade members of GoAsia; an association that includes tour operators, airline companies, among many others.

The average growth rate of economy in Macau between 2001 and 2005 were approximately 10% annually. In first two quarter of 2006, the GDP of Macao was grown by 17.7%. The GDP per capita in 2005 was USD $24,300. In the second quarter of 2006, the unemployment rate stood at 3.8%.

Gambling

With the opening of the Sands Macau, the largest casino in the world as measured by total number of table games, in 2004 and Wynn Macau in 2006, gambling revenues from Macau's casinos were for the first time greater than those of Las Vegas Strip (each about $6 billion), making Macau the highest-volume gambling centre in the world. Other casinos and hotels slated to be opened through 2009 are: The Venetian Macao (2007), Four Seasons (2007), MGM Grand Macau (2007), Ponte 16 (2007), Far East Consortium Complex (2007), Grand Hyatt (2007), Galaxy Cotai Megaresort (2008), City of Dreams (2008), Oceanus (2008), Mandarin Oriental (2009). The first Phase of Macau's Cotai Strip is scheduled to open in 2007 and will include 19,000 guest rooms throughout seven resort hotels, with the $1.8 billion Venetian Macao serving as the anchor. The head of Virgin Group Sir Richard Branson is in the latter stage of negotiation to secure land in Macau, where he is going to set up a US$3 billion casino resort complex. As a result, Macau's economy is growing rapidly due to gambling related tourism and construction from the new casino entrants.

Offshore banking

Amongst Bermuda, British Virgin Islands or Bahamas, Macau is one of the most well-known offshore financial centres. and tax havens in a worldwide sense. Banco Nacional Ultramarino, Bank of China, Seng Heng Bank or Tai Fung Bank are among the most influential banks in Macau, to name a few.

There are also many foreign banks registered and established in Macau as well, e.g. Bank of America - Macau, HSBC - Macau, etc. Macau is a free port, low-taxed place and, no policy of monetary control is imposed. To operate offshore service business is entirely feasible in Macau as related offshore law has been in effect since 1999. The offshore finance business is regulated and supervised by the Monetary Authority of Macao, while the regulation and supervision of the offshore non-finance business is mainly controlled by the Macau Trade and Investment Promotion Institute.

Transportation

In Macau visitors will find an efficient bus service, not only in the main city but also on the islands. Visitors can find the destinations, itineraries and stops in the information panels located at every bus stop. All the buses have air conditioning. Between Macau and Taipa visitors can catch buses 11, 22, 28A, 30, 33, 34 or the airport bus AP1. Buses 21, 21A, 25, 26, and 26A connect Macau, Taipa and Coloane. There are other buses circulating around the Macau peninsula.

There are plenty of taxis. The flagfall charge is MOP$11.00. There is no surcharge between Macau and Taipa island, but between Taipa and Coloane, a MOP$2.00 surcharge applies; between Macau and Coloane there is a MOP$5.00 surcharge. Moreover, there is a MOP$3.00 surcharge for each piece of luggage carried in the boot (trunk). In order to eliminate the language barrier between taxi drivers and passengers, the Tourist Office has provided most taxis with a destination guide which includes the names of the most requested destinations in Chinese, Portuguese and English. When used together with a map, this guide will reduce many of the usual misunderstandings.

In the past, the Macau Maritime Museum would arrange for two sailing vessels (which were based on the ancient "junk" form but somewhat remodeled) to tour the inner and outer harbours. Along the trip, the ship's crew would introduce the general lifestyle and customs of the local boat dwellers. Food and drink were occasionally provided during the trip. However, due to the land reclamation works in the harbour and the boat maintenance, all of these trips have been temporarily suspended. The exhibition building and the open-air café esplanade of the Maritime Museum are open as usual (though closed on Tuesdays).

The trishaw, a hybrid of the bycycle and the rickshaw, is a unique but rather slow way to move about. The jinrikisha (standard rickshaw) has not served as a practical method of mass transit in Macau for many years. However, it is a good idea to use the jinrikisha to roam around in Nanwan or other interesting areas. There is no standard fee for rickshaw service, so one may need to first negotiate with the owner.

Anyone who wishes to hire (rent) a car will need to be at least 21 years old, have an I.D. such as a passport, a valid driver's license (or, for some countries, an international driving license), and a credit card to make a deposit.

Demographics

Considered as a special administrative region or dependency, Macau is one of the most densely populated regions and is among the cities with the highest level of population congestion in the world.

Macau's population is 95% Chinese, primarily Cantonese, Fujianese as well as some Hakka, Shanghainese and overseas Chinese immigrants from Southeast Asia and elsewhere. The remainder are of Portuguese or mixed Chinese-Portuguese ancestry, the so-called Macanese, as well as several thousand Filipino and Thai nationals.

The official languages are Portuguese and Chinese.

Residents of Macau mostly speak Cantonese natively; Portuguese, Mandarin, English, Hokkien, Tagalog, Thai, and several other languages are also spoken. The Macanese language, which is generally known as Patuá, is a distinctive Creole that is still spoken by several dozen Macanese, an ethnic group of mixed Asian and Portuguese ancestry that accounts for about two per cent of Macau's population. (However, Macanese is sometimes also used in the broader sense to describe any permanent resident of Macau.)

The work force in Macau SAR is mainly composed of manufacturing 16.4%; construction 8.3%; wholesale and retail trade, repair, hotels and restaurants 27.1%; financial services, real estate, and other business activities 8.6%; public administration, other communities, social and personal services, including gaming 31.8%; transport, storage and communications 6.8%. The number of Chinese from Mainland China working in Macau as imported foreign laborers stood at 37,357 in 2006, representing 57.7% of the region's imported workers.

According to the recent survey conducted by the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), Macau residents have long had one of the longest life expectancies at birth in the world. The birth rate, the total fertility rate and the infant mortality rate all rank among the lowest in the world.

The growth of population in Macau is mainly relying on Chinese immigrants from mainland China and the influx of overseas workers. With over 503,000 people (2006 second quarter estimate) living in that region, Macau is now classified and upgraded as a large city. The gap between poor and rich is relatively large. The government is making an in-depth investigation in mapping out policies and measures to make a rational distribution of resources gained from the economic growth. In order to assist the urban poor, the government has cut its administrative cost, exempted and reduced taxation to boost an overall development of the local economy and upgrading people's living standard.

The nationality of people with Chinese descent living in Macau and/or those who are qualified to apply for MSAR passport are considered as Chinese. Although dual nationality is not recognized by the government of Macau SAR, foreign passports (including Portuguese passports) can be freely used as travel documentation without restrictions, regardless of one's nationality.

Culture and religion

According to recent census figures, of the more than 355,000 persons surveyed, 16.8 percent had no religious affiliation/other, 79.3 percent were Buddhist, 6 percent were Latin Rite Catholic, and 1.7 percent were Protestant. The number of active Falun Gong practitioners declined from approximately 100 persons to approximately 20 after the movement was banned in mainland China in July 1999. There are about 150 Muslims in Macau.

Most Macau people believe in the Chinese Folk religion, which includes the faiths of Confucianism, Taoism, Buddhism and the folk gods and goddesses (especially Kuan Yin and Matsu), like other Chinese communities. There are between forty and fifty temples of various sizes in Macau, mostly built a century or so ago, although some date back five-hundred years. In certain occasions one can find out that Kuan Yin or the images of Buddha and other gods or xoanons from the sphere of Taoism might appear within the same temple. The most famous ones are the Kun Iam Temple, the A-Ma Temple and, in particular, the Lotus Temple. Built in 1592, the Lotus Temple has a history of over four hundred years. The Catholic Diocese of Macau was established on 23 January, 1576. The first bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Macau was D. Belchior Carneiro. The first Chinese bishop was Domingos Lam. The present bishop is D. José Lai, who is the first native-born Chinese bishop in Macau. About five per cent of Macau's population is Catholic.

The Catholic Church in Macau recognizes the Pope as the head of the Church. A new Coadjutor Bishop for the Macau diocese was appointed by Vatican or Holy See in June, 2003.

Macau was also the first station of the Protestant church for mission in China.

Landmarks

Macau preserves China's largest group of historical properties in the urban area, as it had almost five centuries of incessant osculation between West and East, after the Portuguese seafarers settled in Macau in the mid-sixteenth century. The Historic Centre of Macau, which includes some twenty-eight historic monuments and eight public squares, was officially listed as a 31st World Heritage Site by UNESCO on 15 July 2005 during the 29th session of the World Heritage Committee, being held in Durban of South Africa.

• Main landmarks include:
  • A-Ma Temple
  • Casa Garden
  • Casino Lisboa
  • Fortaleza do Monte
  • Guia Fortress
  • Macau Fisherman's Wharf
  • Macau Tower
  • Old Protestant Cemetery
  • Ruins of Saint Paul's Cathedral

International Rankings

Political and economic rankings

• CIA World Factbook - GDP - PPP per capita
  • 2005: 43rd of 229 countries
• Corruption - 26th equal least corrupt, at 6.6 on index
• Unemployment rate - 39th lowest, at 4.10%

Health rankings

• CIA World Factbook - Fertility rate - 221th most fertile, at 1.02 per woman
• CIA World Factbook - Birth rate - 221th most births, at 8.48 per 1,000 population
  • Infant mortality - 213th most deaths, at 4.37 per 1000 live births
• Death rate - 207th highest death rate, at 4.35 per 1000 people
• Life Expectancy - 2nd highest, at 82.19 years

Other rankings

• CO₂ emissions - 85th highest emissions, at 4.1 tonnes per capita
• CIA World Factbook - Electricity Consumption - 128th highest consumption of electricity, at 2,159,000,000 kWh

Miscellaneous topics

• Sister cities
• Concelho de Macau
  • Lisbon, Portugal
  • Porto, Portugal
  • Brussels, Belgium (Friendship Agreement)
  • São Paulo, Brazil
  • Danang, Vietnam (Friendship Agreement)

• Concelho das Ilhas
  • Coimbra, Portugal
  • Linköping, Sweden

• Macau boasts eight Chinese-language and three Portuguese-language dailies, as well as one English-language daily: The Macau Post Daily.

• Alcatel-Lucent has been granted a contract in Feb 2007 to collocate a CDMA 2000 1xEV-DO (Revision A) high-speed wireless network in Macau for China Unicom. Following the completion of the upgrades in related software and hardware, China Unicom will be equipped with the facilities needed to provide high-speed mobile data services for users in Macau including broadcasting and video telephony.

• Kim Jong Nam, the eldest son of North Korean dictator Kim Jong Il, has for the past several years lived in Macau since 2004, where the United States slapped sanctions on a bank in Macau for allegedly helping Pyongyang launder money. However, the United States agreed to resolve the issue of frozen North Korean bank accounts in Macau's Banco Delta Asia if North Korea disarms its own atomic arsenal.

• The City of Dreams; the 1st underwater casino in the world will be opened in 2008. The underwater casino complex consists of 450 gaming tables and 3,000 slot machines. It costs eight billion Hong Kong dollars (US$1bn, £545m) to create the "City of Dreams".

• Las Vegas Sands chairman Sheldon Adelson, the world's 14th richest man, has said that his company will soon be a mainly Chinese enterprise, and quipped that Las Vegas should be called "America's Macau". The president and chief operating officer of Las Vegas Sands Corporation predicted on 12 February, 2007 that Macau has topped that of the Las Vegas Strip and will more than double again by 2010.

• On December 17, 2006, the father of bungee jumping, A J Hackett, and popular artiste, Edison Chen, broke two Guinness World Records at the Macau Tower. A J Hackett, broke his own Guinness World Record of "The Highest Bungee Jump from a Building" achieved in 1998. Edison Chen represented Macau Tower in the inaugural jump to bid for "The World's Highest Bungee Jump Facility".

Macau-related topics

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Notes

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1. "Macau - Statistics and Census Services for the data of population". DSEC. Retrieved 2006-12-04. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameters: |accessyear=, |month=, |accessmonthday=, and |coauthors= (help)
2. Sam Hou Fai, President of the Court of Final Appeal of the Macau SAR. "Brief Introduction of Judicial System of Macau SAR". UNESCO. Retrieved 2006-09-05.
3. FMPRC. "What are the main contents of the Sino-Portuguese Joint Declaration on the Question of Macau?". Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People's Republic of China. Retrieved 2006-09-05. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameters: |accessyear=, |month=, |accessmonthday=, and |coauthors= (help)
4. Lai Kin Hong, President of the Court of Appeal of the Macau. "Brief Introduction of Penal Code of Macau SAR". Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People's Republic of China. Retrieved 2006-09-05. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameters: |accessyear=, |month=, |accessmonthday=, and |coauthors= (help)
5. Macau Govt. (1995). "Código Penal - Art. 1 a 100" (in Portuguese). Imprensa Oficial. Retrieved 2006-09-09. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |1= (help)CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
6. "Basic Law of Macau in full text". Govt. Printing Bureau. Retrieved 2006-09-05.
7. "Corruption Perceptions Index 2006". Transparency International. Retrieved 2007-03-14.
8. "Election of the Chief Executive". Government Printing Bureau. Retrieved 2006-09-05.
9. "Introduction of the Legislative Assembly of the Macau SAR". The Legislative Assembly of Macau. Retrieved 2006-09-05.
10. "100 years of Macau Climate". Direcção dos Serviços Meteorológicos e Geofísicos. Retrieved 2006-09-05.
11. Zach Coleman. "Low profile ahead of WTO talks". The Standard. Retrieved 2005-12-09.
12. "DSEC - for the data of tourism and visitors". DSEC. Retrieved 2006-09-05.
13. "Macau expected to receive between 24 and 25 million tourists in 2007". MacauHub. Retrieved 2007-03-15.
14. Theodore Koumelis. "German travel trade give most promising destination award to Macau". Travel Daily News. Retrieved 2007-03-15.
15. "DSEC - for the current data of unemployment rate". DSEC. Retrieved 2006-09-05.
16. "Sands Macao - is the largest casino in the world". Ready Bet Go. Retrieved 2006-08-24.
17. Richard N. Velotta and Jeff Simpson. "Las Vegas gaming operations are building Chinese resort town". Las Vegas Sun. Retrieved 2006-11-02.
18. "Wynn Fine-Tuning Details at 600-Room Macau Resort". Gaming News. Retrieved 2006-09-05.
19. "Macau, a tiny special administrative region of China, appears to have overtaken the famous Las Vegas Strip as the world's top gambling destination". BBC News - Business. Retrieved 2006-10-25.
20. "Vegas vs. Macau, who will win?". BusinessWeek Online (June 8 2006). Retrieved 2006-09-09.
21. David Barboza. "Asian Rival Moves Past Las Vegas". New York Times. Retrieved 2007-01-24.
22. "Las Vegas Sands presentation" (PDF). Retrieved 2006-08-12.
23. "Venetian Macao serves as the anchor". Hotel Online Special Report. Retrieved 2006-09-05.
24. "Money moving in on Macao". Financial Times. Retrieved 2007-01-28.
25. Luis Pereira. "Offshore Operation in Macau". Macau Business. Retrieved 2007-09-05.
26. Errico and Musalem (1999). "Countries, Territories, and Jurisdictions with Offshore Financial Centers". IMF. Retrieved 2006-09-05.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
27. Banco Nacional Ultramarino
28. Bank of China
29. Seng Heng Bank
30. Tai Fung Bank
31. Bank of America - branch office in Macau
32. HSBC - branch office in Macau
33. "Financial system in Macau SAR". MacauData. Retrieved 2006-09-05.
34. Monetary Authority of Macau
35. Macau Trade and Investment Promotion Institute
36. Macau Maritime Museum
37. "ESTIMATES OF POPULATION". DSEC. Retrieved 2007-01-09.
38. "World's Most Congested Cities". Forbes. Retrieved 2006-12-25.
39. Xinhua. "Mainlanders accounts for 57% of Macao's imported laborers". People's Daily Online. Retrieved 2007-02-09.
40. "Rank Order - Life expectancy at birth". CIA - The World Factbook. Retrieved 2007-02-12.
41. "Rank Order - Birth rate". CIA - The World Factbook. Retrieved 2007-02-12.
42. "Rank Order - Total fertility rate". CIA - The World Factbook. Retrieved 2007-02-12.
43. "Rank Order - Infant mortality rate". CIA - The World Factbook. Retrieved 2007-02-12.
44. "Requirements of application for MSAR passport". DSI. Retrieved 2006-09-05.
45. Chio In Fong - Deputy Chief of Legal Studies Dept. of Xinhua News Agency, Macao Bureau. "Issue of Nationality". UNESCO. Retrieved 2006-09-05.
46. http://www.adherents.com/adhloc/Wh_188.html
47. "Protestant Cemetery". Macao Heritage Net. Retrieved 2006-09-05.
48. "Mostar, Macao and Biblical vestiges in Israel are among the 17 cultural sites inscribed on UNESCO's World Heritage List". UNESCO. Retrieved 2006-09-05.
49. "The sister cities of Macau" (in Chinese). Instituto Para os Assuntos Civicos e Municipias. Retrieved 2007-01-28.
50. "Macau Newspapers and News Media Guide". ABYZ News Links. Retrieved 2007-02-06.
51. "3G Upgrade Contract for Macau". Cellular News. Retrieved 2007-02-06.
52. "Kim Jong Il's Son Living In Macau". NewsMax dot com. Retrieved 2007-02-05.
53. "Give and take". Boston.com World News. Retrieved 2007-02-14.
54. "Macau bets on underwater gambling". BBC News. Retrieved 2005-05-18.
55. "The world's casino: Macau overtakes Las Vegas Strip". Reuter. Retrieved 2007-02-12.
56. "Sands sees Macau gambling doubling by 2010". Reuter. Retrieved 2007-02-14.
57. "Breaking Two Guinness World Records". Macau Tower - Press. Retrieved 2006-12-16.

Further reading

• Fallon, Steve (2004). Lonely Planet Hong Kong and Macau (11th ed. ed.). Lonely Planet Publications. ISBN 1740594487. {{cite book}}: |edition= has extra text (help); Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
• Timeout (2004). Time Out Hong Kong (incl. Macau) (2nd ed. ed.). Time Out. ISBN 0141013532. {{cite book}}: |edition= has extra text (help)
• Gunn, Geoffrey C (2005 reprint). Encountering Macau: A Portuguese City-State on the Periphery of China, 1557-1999. Editora Gunn. ISBN 9993770531. {{cite book}}: Check date values in: |year= (help)CS1 maint: year (link)
• Rosmarie Wank-Nolasco Lamas (1998). History of Macau: A Student's Manual (1st ed. ed.). Institute of Tourism Education. ISBN 9729731411. {{cite book}}: |edition= has extra text (help)
• McGivering, Jill (1999). Macao Remembers. Oxford University Press, USA. ISBN 0195917359. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
• Herbert S. Yee (2001). Macau in Transition: From Colony to Autonomous Region. Palgrave Macmillan. ISBN 0333750098.
• Miguel Santos Neves (Editor), Brian Bridges (Editor) (2000). Europe, China and the Two SARs: Towards a New Era. Palgrave Macmillan. ISBN 0312232071. {{cite book}}: |author= has generic name (help)
• Lo Shiu Hing (1995). Political Development in Macau. Chinese University Pres, Hong Kong. ISBN 962-201-658-8.
• Joao De Pina-Cabral (2002). Between China and Europe - Person, Culture and Emotion in Macao. Berg Publishers. ISBN 0826457495.
• Berlie, J.A. (1999). Macao 2000. Oxford University Press. ISBN 019-592074-0.
• R. D. Cremer (Editor) (1988). Macau: City of Commerce and Culture. Univ of Washington Pr. ISBN 0295966084. {{cite book}}: |author= has generic name (help)
• Eayrs, James (2003). Macao Foreign Policy and Government Guide. International Business Publications, USA. ISBN 0739764519.
• Cherie Hamilton (2001). Cuisines of Portuguese Encounters: Macao. Hippocrene Books. ISBN 0781808316.
• Donald Pittis (Editor), Susan J. Henders (Editor) (1998). Macao: Mysterious Decay and Romance. Oxford University Press, USA. ISBN 0195905695. {{cite book}}: |author= has generic name (help)
• Annabel Jackson (1999). Hong, Kong, Macau and the Muddy Pearl (travel literature). Bookworld Services. ISBN 9627160660.
• Cesar Guillen-Nunez (1999). Macao Streets. Oxford University Press, USA. ISBN 0195877667. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
• Christina Miu Bing Cheng (1999). Macau: A Cultural Janus. Hong Kong Univ Pr. ISBN 9622094864.
• Mark Brazier (1980). Viva Macau!. MacMillan Publishers, Hong Kong. ISBN 9620301617. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
• Francisco M. Caldeira Cabral, Annabel Jackson, Leong Ka Tai (2000). Macau's Gardens and Landscape Art. Asia 2000. ISBN 9627160849.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)

External links

Business

• MacauHub - a designated economic information portal to promote business ties between China and the Portuguese speaking world.
  • Template:Zh icon Simplified Chinese page
  • Template:Pt icon Portuguese page
  • Template:En icon English page

Culture

• Cultural Affairs Bureau of the Macau SAR
  • Template:Zh icon Traditional Chinese version
  • Template:Zh icon Simplified Chinese version
  • Template:Pt icon Portuguese version
  • Template:En icon English version

Government

• Government Information Bureau of Macau SAR
  • Template:Zh icon Traditional Chinese page
  • Template:Pt icon Portuguese page
  • Template:En icon English page
• Government Printing Bureau of Macau SAR
  • Template:Zh icon Traditional Chinese version
  • Template:Pt icon Portuguese version
  • Template:En icon English version
• Template:Zh icon Template:Pt icon Template:En icon Portal of the government of Macau

Guides and directories

• Macau City Guide

News

• English news from Teledifusão de Macau

Profiles

• Library of Congress - Country Study: Macau data as of August 2000

Tourism

• Macau Government Tourist Office
• Template:Wikitravel

Locale

Template:Territories of Greater China Template:Province-level divisions of PR China Template:Major cities of Greater China

v t e Community of Portuguese Language Countries (CPLP)
Membership	Members Angola Brazil Cape Verde Equatorial Guinea Guinea-Bissau Mozambique Portugal São Tomé and Príncipe Timor-Leste Observers Andorra Argentina Canada Chile Czech Republic France Georgia Greece Hungary India Italy Ireland Ivory Coast Japan Luxembourg Mauritius Organization of Ibero-American States Namibia Peru Qatar Romania Senegal Slovakia Spain Serbia Turkey United Kingdom United States Uruguay
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• Macau
• Cities in China
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• Chinese-speaking countries and territories
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