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Macau (also spelled Macao, 澳門, Ou3 Mun4 in Cantonese, Àomén in Mandarin) [1] is a Special Administrative Region (SAR) of China. Located across the Pearl River estuary from Hong Kong, until 1999 Macau was an overseas territory of Portugal. The world's most densely populated country, Macau is best known as Asia's largest destination for gambling taking in even more revenue than Las Vegas.
| Capital |
Macau |
| Government |
Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China |
| Currency |
Macau Pataca (MOP), also Hong Kong Dollar (HKD) and Renminbi (RMB) are widely used |
| Area |
total: 28.2 km2
water: 0 km2
land: 28.2 km2 (2008, increasing due to land reclamation) |
| Population |
545,674 (July 2008 est.) |
| Language |
Portuguese and Chinese (Cantonese) (official languages), Chinese (Mandarin) and English (spoken in tourist areas) |
| Religion |
Buddhist 85%, Roman Catholic 5%, none and other 10% (1997 est.) |
| Electricity |
220 V, 50Hz (rounded 3-pin 5A and 15A plug and UK 13A plug) |
| Calling Code |
+853 |
| Internet TLD |
.mo |
| Time Zone |
UTC+8 |
When to go
Although best known for gambling, Macau is extremely rich in attractions and oozing with atmosphere, thanks to hundreds of years of fusion between European and Chinese cultures.
Macau is a fascinating place to just walk around as the place is packed with churches, temples, fortresses and other old buildings bearing an interesting mix of Portuguese and Chinese characteristics. Besides buildings, there are also hundreds of narrow alleyways forming a maze in the old part of Macau where the people of Macau carry out businesses and work. If the sheer density of humans get to you, take a break and enjoy several pretty gardens or head to the island.
One of the interesting things to see in Macau is a statue of the Bodhisatta Avalokitesvara (known as 觀音 kwoon yam in Cantonese) located next to the sea near the Sands Casino and MGM Grand. Despite being a Chinese deity, the statue is distinctly European in design and resembles the statues of the Virgin Mary you can find in Europe.
And if history is not your thing, there is the Macau Tower of awesome views and adventure sports, or Fisherman's Wharf to enjoy some theme-park activities and shopping.
You'll find most of the attractions in Macau Peninsula, but Taipa and Coloane, each with a pretty village, also draw hordes of visitors. Visit the Cotai reclaimed land area to see its transformation into the "Las Vegas Strip of the East". The Venetian is the most famous with its Venice-styled shopping mall with rivers running through, and is also currently the largest casino in the world.
The City of Dreams is a giant casino with high end fashion shops, a free video 'bubble' show, three hotels and the world's most expensive theatre show. The 'House of Dancing Water' cost US$250 million and the stage holds five olympic swimming pools worth of water. Ushers give the front few rows of the audience towels. Free shuttles from the main ferry terminal leave constantly.
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