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About
Macau
 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 opposite. 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.
The
winter season in Macau covers the months January
and February. The cold air from north Siberia
continuously passes through the Mid and South China
into Macau region and brings us cold and dry
northerly winds. The urban temperature sometimes
drops below 10ºC. Therefore, the annual
minimum temperature is generally recorded in these
two months. When the precipitation and rainy days
are less it is because there is lack of water
vapour in the atmosphere.
March
and April is the seasonal interchange period. The
wind direction along the coastal region of South
China is mainly easterly to southeasterly, which
will increase the temperature and humidity. Beside
some occasional wet weather, fog, drizzle and low
visibility days, the weather is mainly fine in
spring.
The
summer in Macau is longer than the other seasons.
Because of hot and wet conditions, the bad weather
such as thunderstorm and heavy rain always occur
from May to September. Waterspout can be seen
occasionally.
Meanwhile
from May to October, tropical cyclones occur
frequently which make the highest records of
precipitation, temperature, rainy days and
thunderstorms. As local tropical cyclones number 8
typhoon signal is hoisted the sea and air
transports are suspended.
The
autumn begins at October, at that time the mainland
China becomes cool. The autumn season in Macau is
very short, the weather is stable and comfortable
with clear sky. It finally returns to the cool and
dry November. The cold air from the north will
intrude periodically in December.
HISTORY
Fishermen
from Fujian and farmers from Guangdong were the
first known settlers in Macau, when it was known as
Ou Mun, or "trading gate", because of its location
at the mouth of the Pearl River downstream from
Guangzhou (Canton). During ancient times port city
was part of the Silk Road with ships loading here
with silk for Rome.
Even
after China ceased to be a world trade centre,
Guangzhou prospered from seaborne business with the
countries of Southeast Asia, so the local
entrepreneurs welcomed the arrival of Portuguese
merchant-explorers. They followed in the wake of
Jorge Alvares, who landed in southern China in
1513, and set about finding suitable trading
posts.
In
the early 1550s the Portuguese reached Ou Mun,
which the locals also called A Ma Gao, "place of A
Ma", in honour of the Goddess of Seafarers, whose
temple stood at the entrance to the sheltered Inner
Harbour. The Portuguese adopted the name, which
gradually changes into the name Macau, and with the
permission of Guangdong's mandarins, established a
city that within a short time had become a major
entrepot for trade between China, Japan, India and
Europe.
It
also became the perfect crossroad for the meeting
of East and West cultures. The Roman Catholic
church sent some of its greatest missionaries to
continue the work of St Francis Xavier, (who died
nearby after making many converts in Japan). A
Christian college was built, beside what is now
today's Ruins of St Paul's, where students such as
Matteo Ricci prepared for their work as Christian
scholars at the Imperial Court in Beijing. Other
churches were built, as well as fortresses, which
gave the city an historical European appearance
that distinguishes it to this day.
Portugal's
golden age in Asia faded as rivals like the Dutch
and British took over their trade. However the
Chinese chose to continue to do business through
the Portuguese in Macau, so for over a century the
British East India Company and others set up shop
here in rented houses like the elegant Casa Garden.
As Europe's trade with China grew, the European
merchants spent part of the year in Guangzhou,
buying tea and Chinese luxuries at the bi-annual
fairs, using Macau as a recreational
retreat.
Following
the Opium War in 1841, Hong Kong was established by
Britain and most of the foreign merchants left
Macau, which became a quaint, quiet backwater.
Nevertheless it has continued to enjoy a leisurely
multicultural existence and make daily, practical
use of its historical buildings, in the process
becoming a favourite stopover for international
travellers, writers and artists.
In
modern times Macau has developed industries such as
textiles, electronics and toys, as well as building
up an a world class tourist industry with a wide
choice of hotels, resorts, sports facilities,
restaurants and casinos. As in the past, Macau's
economy is closely linked to that of Hong Kong and
Guangdong Province, in particular the Pearl River
Delta region, which qualifies as one of Asia's
"little tigers". Macau provides financial and
banking services, staff training, transport and
communications support.
Macau
is a Special Administrative Region of the People's
Republic of China since 20 December 1999, and, like
Hong Kong, benefits from the principle of "one
country, two systems". The tiny SAR is growing in
size - with more buildings on reclaimed land - and
in the number and diversity of its attractions. The
greatest of these continues to be Macau's unique
society, with communities from the East and West
complementing each other, and the many people who
come to visit.
Location
and Area
The
Macau Special Administrative Region (MSAR) is a
part of China's territory. It is located on the
Southeast coast of China to the western bank of the
Pearl River Delta. Bordering on Guangdong Province,
it locates 60km from Hong Kong and 145km from the
city of Guangzhou.
The
Macau Special Administrative Region has an area of
29.2 sq. km, comprised of the Macau Peninsula
(with 9.3 sq. km and connected to Mainland China),
the islands of Taipa (6.7 sq. km) and Coloane (7.6
sq. km) and the reclaimed area COTAI (5.6 sq. km).
The three bridges connecting Macau to Taipa are
Nobre de Carvalho (2.5 km long), the Friendship
Bridge (4.5 km long) and Sai Van Bridge (2.2 km
long). The longest one (Friendship Bridge) leads
directly to Macau International Airport located on
the Island of Taipa. The Sai Van Bridge, which was
opened on 9 January 2005, is the first cable-stayed
bridge in Macau. The double deck bridge has six
lanes in the upper deck and four in the lower,
which will open when a typhoon hits the city. 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.
Time:
Macau is eight hours ahead of Greenwich Mean
Time.
Population
The
total population was estimated to be 551,900 .
About 94% are ethnic Chinese, from different
provinces, namely Guangdong and Fujian. The
remaining 6% includes Portuguese and other
regions.
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 (MOP$) is divided into 100 avos and it is
Macau's official currency. There are banknotes and
coins in the following
denominations:
Coins:
10, 20 and 50 avos; 1, 2, 5 and 10 Patacas.
Banknotes:
10, 20, 50, 100, 500 and 1000
Patacas.
By
the decision of the Government the Pataca is linked
to the Hong Kong dollar (HK$) which is accepted as
currency in Macau. The exchange rate is MOP$103.20
= HK$100.00. There is an acceptable variation up to
10%. Roughly 10 Patacas is equivalent to 1 EURO and
8 Patacas is equivalent to 1 US
Dollar.
Foreign
currency or travellers' cheques can be changed in
hotels, banks and authorised exchange dealers
located all around the city. If the visitor needs
to change money outside the usual banking hours,
there are 24 hours exchange counters operating in
the Macau International Airport (Taipa Island) and
in the Lisboa Hotel (Macau). Banks open normally
from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.. Most credit cards are
accepted in many hotels, shops and
restaurants.
There
are no restrictions on the amount of currency,
which can be brought in or taken out of the
territory.
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