Basic Information on Macao
(east-asian-games2005.com)
Updated: 2005-09-27 15:23

Geographical Location

Macau is located in the Guangdong province,on western bank of the Pearl River Delta,at latitude 22o14’ North,longitude 133 o35’ East and connected to the Gongbei District by the Border Gate (Portas do Cerco) isthmus.

Geographical Composition

The Macao Special Administrative Region (SAR) composed of Macao Peninsula and the islands of Taipa and Coloane which are now connected by the new COTAI zone.

Area

Macao has a total area of 27.3km2 , which includes Macao Peninsula (8.7km2) , Taipa (6.3km2) and Coloane (7.6 km2) and COTAI reclamation zone(4.7 km2).

Weather

Macao is also located to the south of the tropic of Cancer.The wind directions in winter and summer are opposite.Macau is in the monsoon region and the climate can be described as mild and rainy in summer. The most comfortable period is from the middle of Octoberto December, as the best weather occurs during this period.The autumn season commences between October and November, when the weather cools down. Although autumn is relatively short in Macao , the weather is more stable and comfortable.

Transportation

Macao Peninsula is connected to Taipa Island by three bridges : Nobre de Carvalho Bridge (2.5km), Amizade Bridge (4.5km) and Sai Van Bridge (2.2km). The longest bridge, Amizade, directly connects the three main entry ports of Macao ： the China-Macao border gate, HK-Macao Ferry Passenger Terminal and the Macao International Airport.
Taipa and Coloane islands are also connedcted by recently reclaimed land 2.2 km in length known as the COTAI Zone.

Local Time

Macao time is GMT+8 hr

Population

Around 461,000;95% Chinese,5%Portuguese and other

Language

Official Language are Chinese and Portuguese.
Macao residents main language for communication is Cantonese,but Mandarin (Putonghua) and English are also widely used.

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.
Bandnotes: 10,20,50,100,500 and 1000 Patacas.

Rates

By the decision of the Government the Pataca (MOP$) is linked to the Hong Kong dollar (HK$) which is accepted as currency in Macau. The exchange rate is MOP$103.00=HK$100.00. there is an acceptable variation of up to 10%. Roughly 8 Patacas is equivalent to 1 US Dollar.

There are no restrictions on the amount of currency, which can be brought in or taken out.

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