Macau facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Macao Special Administrative
Region of the People's Republic of China
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 Flag
 Emblem
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Anthem:
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Clockwise from top right:
Ruins of St. Paul's; Casino Lisboa; St Joseph Seminary Church; Governor Nobre de Carvalho Bridge; A-Ma Temple; Guia Fortress; Macau Tower. |
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| Official languages |
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Spoken languages
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| Ethnic groups |
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| Demonym(s) | Macanese |
| Government | Special administrative region |
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• Chief Executive
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Ho Iat Seng |
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• Administration and Justice Secretary
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Florinda Chan |
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• Court President
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Sam Hou Fai |
| Legislature | Legislative Assembly |
| Establishment | |
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• Portuguese administration
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1557 |
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• Portuguese colony
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1 December 1887 |
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• Transfer of
sovereignty |
20 December 1999 |
| Area | |
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• Total
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29.5 km2 (11.4 sq mi) (235th) |
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• Water (%)
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0 |
| Population | |
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• 2012a estimate
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568,700 (167th) |
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• 2011 census
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552,503 (167th) |
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• Density
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18,568/km2 (48,090.9/sq mi) (1st) |
| GDP (PPP) | 2011 estimate |
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• Total
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US$47.19 billion (98th) |
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• Per capita
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US$82,400 (4th) |
| GDP (nominal) | 2012 estimate |
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• Total
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US$44.300 billion (98th) |
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• Per capita
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US$77,353 (4th) |
| HDI (2007) |  0.944very high · 25th |
| Currency | Macanese pataca (MOP) |
| Time zone | UTC+8 (MST) |
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• Summer (DST)
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not observed |
| Driving side | left |
| Calling code | +853 |
| ISO 3166 code | MO |
| Internet TLD | .mo |
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| Macau |
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The Macao Special Administrative Region (Macau or Macao, simplified Chinese: 澳门; traditional Chinese: 澳門; Mandarin Pinyin: Aomen; Jyutping: Ou Mun) is one of China's two Special Administrative Regions. (The other one is Hong Kong). Macau is a small city in the southern coast in China. Like Hong Kong, Macau has a large amount of autonomy, with its own passport, currency, economic rules, and constitution.
It consists of Macau Peninsula (Aomen Bandao), Taipa Island (Dangzai Dao), Coloane Island (Luhuan Dao) and Cotai (Ludangcheng), the new reclaimed land between Taipa and Coloane. It is very densely populated, with over half a million people living in just over 12 square miles.
Macao used to be a colony of Portugal. Although Portuguese is an official language alongside Chinese (as a result of it being a Portuguese colony in the past), very few Macanese actually speak Portuguese; only about 0.7% speak it at home. As a matter of fact, English is more commonly spoken, despite it not being an official language (about 2.3% speak it at home). Cantonese is the main dialect of Chinese spoken in Macau. However, Mandarin has also become more common since Portugal returned it to China in 1999.
Today, Macao mostly lives off of offshore gambling. In fact, Macau generated 7 times greater gambling revenue than Las Vegas in 2013. People in Macau also make some money from exporting clothing.
As Macau was previously a Portuguese colony, you can easily find traces of how the Portuguese culture is presented in the city. One of them is itinerary for couples, who are intending to spend a day exploring Macau.
Economy of Macau
Macau’s economy relies on gambling. Eighty percent of the government’s revenue is derived from gambling. The revenue generated by gambling in 2019 was $36.5 billion, which is about 6 times larger than Las Vegas. Macau has 41 casinos including several that belong to Wynn resorts and Sands.
Macau is the only part of China where gambling is legal. Many of the customers of casinos are wealthy Chinese.
Around 2020 Chinese new year authorities closed down travel from China to Macau. Visits fell eighty percent. It is estimated by some observers that the 2019–20 coronavirus outbreak will cost Macau between 5-15 percent of its gambling revenue.
Images for kids
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Macau, early 19th century
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Aerial view of Macau Peninsula
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A 1954 map of the Zhongshan region. Macau is located at the bottom-right of the region.
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Map of Macau
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2016 population pyramid
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The Ruínas de São Paulo, a religious complex built in the 17th century, are now a popular tourist attraction.
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Guia Lighthouse at Guia Fortress landmark, 19th century
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Air Macau Airbus A321 taxiing at Macau International Airport
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Macau University of Science and Technology Hospital
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The main campus of the University of Macau is located in neighbouring Hengqin.
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Formula Three racers in the 2008 Macau Grand Prix
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