The Macau Special Administrative Region , commonly known as Macau or Macao, is one of the two special administrative regions of the People's Republic of China, the other being Hong Kong. Macau lies on the western side of the Pearl River Delta, bordering Guangdong province in the north and facing the South China Sea in the east and south. The territory has thriving industries such as textiles, electronics and toys, and a notable tourist industry. This makes it one of the richest cities in the world.

Macau was both the first and last European colony in China. Portuguese traders first settled in Macau in the 16th century and subsequently administered the region until the handover on 20 December 1999. The Sino-Portuguese Joint Declaration and the Basic Law of Macau stipulate that Macau operates with a high degree of autonomy until at least 2049, fifty years after the transfer. Under the policy of "one country, two systems", the Central People's Government is responsible for the territory's defense and foreign affairs, while Macau maintains its own legal system, police force, monetary system, customs policy, immigration policy, and delegates to international organisations and events.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Macau

The fortresses, the churches and food of former colonial Portuguese masters speak to a uniquely Mediterranean style on the China coast, intermixed with numerous alleys, temples and shrines along the way. On the other hand, you’ll find yourself in a self-styled Las Vegas of the East. Amazingly, all of these different parts of Macau are within a stone’s throw of each other.

Lying 65km to the west of Hong Kong, Macau was the first European enclave in Asia, 450 years ago. When China resumed sovereignty over what is now called the Special Administrative Region (SAR) of Macau in 1999, it was by far the oldest colony. During the past few years, the charismatic-but-sleepy traits of that little Macau have undergone an intensive transformation, fuelled by the gambling industry’s boost to the economy. Super-sized by massive reclamation projects for Vegas-style megacasinos and hotels, Macau has been turned into an enormous construction site. The fast pace of growth and economic prosperity have resulted in a labour shortage, skyrocketing rents and air pollution, along with a nostalgia among the people of Macau for the past – and life before ‘Hongkongisation’ – when people earned less money but enjoyed a better quality of life.

Though Macau remains the one and only place where casinos are legal in China, there is much more to do than just gambling. Largo do Senado on Macau Peninsula plus the islands of Coloane and Taipa form a colourful palette of pastels and ordered greenery. The Portuguese influence is everywhere: cobbled backstreets, baroque churches, ancient stone fortresses, Art Deco apartment buildings, and restful parks and gardens. The cemeteries of Macau are the final resting places of many European and American missionaries, painters, soldiers and sailors who died at ‘Macao Roads’. It’s a unique fusion of East and West that has been recognised by Unesco, which in 2005 named 30 buildings and squares collectively as the Historic Centre of Macau World Heritage Site.

People of Macau

Population & People
Macau’s population is approximately 513,000, with an annual growth rate of 5.8%. Population density is more than 17,952 people per sq km. While the northern part of the peninsula is one of the most densely populated areas, Coloane Island has remained essentially rural, but Taipa is rapidly becoming an urban extension of Macau Peninsula.

Currency
Macau’s currency is the pataca (MOP$), which is divided up into 100 avos. Bills are issued in denominations of MOP$10, MOP$20, MOP$50, MOP$100, MOP$500 and MOP$1000. There are little copper coins worth 10, 20 and 50 avos, and silver-coloured MOP$1, MOP$2, MOP$5 and MOP$10 coins.

Macanese culture is different again. Unlike the Portuguese and Chinese communities elsewhere in the world, the Macanese community, a tiny community of the descendents of intermarriages between Portuguese and Asians, is very distinct and exists solely in Macau. They have a unique cuisine, set of festivals and traditions, and even their own dialect called patuá. The do (traditional woman’s outfit) has long disappeared, though you may catch a glimpse of it at certain festivals.

In Macau half-days are allowed on the day before the start of Chinese New Year and on the day of New Year’s Eve. The following are public holidays in Macau only.

All Souls’ Day 2 November
Feast of the Immaculate Conception 8 December
Macau SAR Establishment Day 20 December
Winter Solstice 22 December

April/May
A-Ma Festival This festival honours Tin Hau (known here as A-Ma), the patroness of fisherfolk and one of the territory’s
most popular goddesses. The best place to see the festival is at the A-Ma Temple in the Inner Harbour. This
festival will fall on 28 April in 2008, 18 April in 2009 and 6 May in 2010.
Birthday of the Lord Buddha/Feast of the Drunken Dragon Buddha’s statue is taken from monasteries and temples and ceremoniously bathed in scented water on this day. It also marks the Feast of the Drunken Dragon, which features dancing dragons in the streets of the Inner Harbour and a lot of legless merrymakers. 12 May in 2008, 2 May in 2009 and 21 May in 2010.
Procession of our Lady of Fatima The procession goes from Macau Cathedral to the Chapel of Our Lady of Penha to commemorate a series of apparitions by the Virgin Mary to three peasant children at Fatima in Portugal in 1917. This falls on 13 May each year.Macau Arts Festival (www.icm.gov.mo) Macau’s red-letter arts event kicks off the cultural year with music, drama and dance from both Asia and the West.
Macau Open Golf Tournament (www.sport.gov.mo) Part of the Asian PGA Tour, this event is held at the Macau Golf & Country Club on Coloane and attracts the region’s best golfers.

June
Dragon Boat Festival This festival is also known as Tuen Ng (Double Fifth) as it falls on the fifth day of the fifth moon. It commemorates the death of Qu Yuan, a poet-statesman of the 3rd century BC, who hurled himself into the Mi Lo River in Hunan province to protest against a corrupt government; dragon-boat races take place and traditional rice
dumplings are eaten in memory of the event. The festival will fall on 8 June in 2008, 28 May in 2009 and 16 June 2010.

Macau Lotus Flower Festival The symbol of Macau is the focus of this festival, which sees lotuses blossoming in parks and gardens throughout Macau.

July
FIVB Women’s Volleyball Grand Prix (www.sport.gov.mo) This is one of the most important women’s volleyball tournaments in the region.

September/October
Macau International Fireworks Display Contest This event, the largest of its kind in the world, adds a splash of colour to the Macau night sky in autumn.

October/November
Macau International Music Festival (www.icm.gov.mo) This two-week festival is a heady mix of opera, musicals, visiting orchestras and other musical events.Macau Formula 3 Grand Prix (www.macau.grandprix.gov.mo) Approximately 30 national championship drivers compete to take the chequered flag in Macau’s premier sporting event. The Grand Prix is held in the third week of November.

December
Macau International Marathon (www.sport.gov.mo) Like its Hong Kong counterpart, this running event, which takes place on the first Sunday in December, also includes a half-marathon.

Weather Information for Macao

Ref: http://www.worldweather.org
Remark: Climatological information is based on monthly averages for the 30-year period 1961-1990.

Macau’s climate is similar to Hong Kong’s , with one major difference: there is a delightfully cool sea breeze on warm summer evenings along the waterfront.

Getting there
Public buses and minibuses run by TCM and Transmac operate on 40 routes from 6.45am till shortly after midnight. Fares – MOP$2.50 on the peninsula, MOP$3.30 to Taipa Village, MOP$4 to Coloane Village, MOP$5 to Hác Sá Beach – are dropped into a box upon entry; there’s no change given.

The Macau Tourist Map has a full list of both bus companies’ routes. The two most useful buses on the peninsula are buses 3 and 3A, which run between the ferry terminal and the city centre, near the post office. Bus 3 continues up to the border crossing with the mainland, as does bus 5, which can be boarded along Avenida Almeida Ribeiro. Bus 12 runs from the ferry terminal, past the Lisboa Hotel and then up to the Lou Lim Ioc Garden and Kun Iam Temple.