Interesting Facts about Macau - Fun Facts about Macau

Just like Hong Kong, Macau is one of the special administrative regions of People’s Republic of China. The city is considered to be one of the most affluent cities in the world, owing to its flourishing tourist industry. In effect, it houses a number of hotels, resorts, stadiums, restaurants and casinos. Apart from this, it has other notable industries, such as textiles, electronics and toys. Macau was initially inhabited by the Portuguese, in 16th century. Macau span over an area of 11.39 sq. miles or 29.5 sq. km and as per the 2011 census, the population of the region is 552,503. Macau operates on two political systems. The defense and foreign affairs of the region are looked after by the Central People’s Government, while it maintains its own legal system, police force, monetary system, customs policy, immigration policy and delegates to international organizations and events. To get more interesting and fun facts about Macau, go through the following lines.

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Fast Facts

Country: China

Continent: Asia

Population: 552,503 (2011)

Area: 29.5 km²

Currency: Macanese pataca

Official Language: Chinese, Portuguese

Dialing Code: 853

Type of Government: Special Administrative Region

Interesting And Fun Facts About Macau

The official name of Macau is Macau Special Administrative Region.
The official languages of Macau are Portuguese and Chinese.
Macau lies on the western side of the Pearl River Delta, bordering Guangdong province in the north.
Macau was known by the name ‘Haojing’ (meaning Oyster Mirror) or Jinghai (which literally means Mirror Sea), before Portuguese immigrated to the place way back in 16th century.
It is believed that the name ‘Macau’ was derived from the A-Ma Temple, a place of worship that was built in 1448, with Matsu (the goddess of seafarers and fishermen) as its deity.
Chinese form as much as 95% of the total population of Macau, whereas the rest of the 5% comprise of people belonging to Portugal, Europe and other countries.
Majority of the people living in Macau are Buddhists, while one can also find Roman Catholics and Protestants here.
The economy of Macau largely depends upon the revenue generated by tourism. Gambling is also a money-generating affair in the region.
Though Macau is a part of China but it has its own currency. The currency of Macau is called Macanese Pataca.
After Las Vegas, Macau is one of the biggest gambling areas in the world. In fact, gambling is even legalized in Macau.
Rink hockey is one of the most popular sports in Macau.
Macau is one of the richest and most densely populated cities in the world.
Macau was the first and last European colony in China.
Macau is one of the most densely populated regions in the world.
Macau ranks amongst the top 10 regions in the world, with a quite high life expectancy at birth.
The infant mortality rate of Macau ranks amongst the lowest in the world.
Macau is a highly humid region, with the humidity ranging anywhere between 75% and 90%. It receives fairly heavy rainfall as well.
The Historic Centre of Macau, including twenty-five historic monuments and public squares, is listed as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.
The tourists coming to Macau should know that tipping is a very popular as well as important tradition followed in the region. Nearly 10% of the bill is given as tip in most of the restaurants and hotels of Macau.
The flights between Macau and Mainland China are considered to be international flights.
The head of the government of Macau is the chief executive. The candidate for the chief executive of Macau is recommended by an election committee and is appointed officially appointed by the government of China.
The legislative body of Macau is called Legislative Assembly. It comprises of 29 members of whom 12 are directly elected members, ten are elected indirectly who represent the functional constituencies and seven members are appointed by the chief executive.
Macau is an offshore financial center and is considered to be a tax haven. Iit has a free port and there is no regulation to control foreign exchange.

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