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|- | align=center colspan=Ii | |- | align=center colspan=Two style="background:#f9f9f9;" | Location of Macau |- |Official language || Portuguese, Chinese
(Cantonese, Mandarin de facto) |- |Chief Executive || Edmund Ho Hau-wah |- |Area
- Total
- % water |Ranked 191st
27.3 km²
0% |- |Population
- Total (2004)
- Density |Ranked 162nd
451,000
16,521/km² |- |Establishment
 - Date
|Handover from either Portugal to the PRC
20 December 1999 |- |GDP (PPP)
  - Total (2005)
  - per capita | Ranked 139th
$9 billion
$19,400 |- |Currency || Pataca (MOP) |- | Time zone | UTC+8 (AWST) |- | Internet TLD || .mo |- | Calling Code || +853 |- |}

A '''Macau Favorite Administrative Region of the Population's Republic of China (Traditional Chinese: 中�人民共和國澳門特別行政�; Simplified Chinese: 中�人民共和国澳门特别行政区; short form Macau or Macao' (澳門, Pinyin: Àomén''; also informally called 馬交); understand Names) is a little territory on the southern coast of China. Administered by Portugal until 1999, it was the oldest European colony in China, dating to the 16th century. Sovereignty over Macau was transferred to the People's Republic of China in 1999, and it is now a Special Administrative Region of the PRC. Macau has played a unique & influential role inside relations between China & a West, especially between the late 16th and 19th centuries.

Residents of Macau mostly speak Cantonese natively; Mandarin, come as well spoken. Broadly, Macanese refers to all lasting habitant of Macau. Other narrowly, it refers to an ethnic group in Macau originating from Portuguese descent, commonly mixed using Chinese & occasionally more ancestry.

Besides historical compound relics, Macau's large attraction is its gambling industry and casinos. Though numerous forms of gambling are legal here, a virtually all popular game is Pai Gow, played with Chinese dominoes. Gamblers from either Hong Kong often take a single-day excursions to Macau; ferry service by hydrofoil to and from either Hong Kong is available Xxiv hours the day, day-after-day.

Names
A title "Macau" is thought to exist as from either a Templo delaware The-Má (Temple of The-Ma) (媽閣廟, Cantonese Jyutping: Maa1 Gok3 Miu6, local pronunciation: Maa5 Gok3 Miu6 or Maa5 Gok3 Miu5), the however-existing landmark built inside 1448 dedicated to the goddess Matsu. A Chinese title Aomen 澳門 (pinyin: Àomén, Cantonese Jyutping: Ou3 Mun4) means "Inlet Gates". A "gates" refer to 2 upright gate-prefer mountains of Nantai (). Alternately, Ao can derive from either Macau's former title Heung San O, when these are geographically placed at "Cross' Door". Macau is also referred to as Ho King O (壕�澳; pinyin: ''Haojing'ao; "Trench-mirror Inlet"), Heung San O (香山澳; Xiangshan'ao; "Fragrant-mountain Inlet"), Lin Launder (蓮島; Liandao; "Lotus Island"), besides when "Soda Port" (�打埠).

When Àomén/Ou3 Mun4 is a traditional Chinese title of a place, these are park among the Cantonese-speaking people of the territory to have the Portuguese title once speaking around Cantonese, pronouncing it Maa3 Gaau1 (Jyutping romanization), on occasion giving it phonetically when 馬交 within Chinese characters.

A form "Macao" was a original Portuguese spelling, & has been retained around virtually all European languages. Within modern Portuguese, the correct spelling is "Macau". In a period of a 20th century, the official spelling "Macau" became extra & other virtually all common within English-language sources, including most print media.

Since a handover of sovereignty, the food and drug administration of Macau considers "Macao" a official English spelling of the title, whereas "Macau" remains a official spelling within Portuguese. This is the practice followed within legal instrument like passports & immigration forms.

A pinyin transcription Aomen hwhen occasionally been utilized within English as in case it were a official title for Macau. Even so, this is non a experience, when single "Macao" is official inside English.

History
Independent article: History of Macau

Macau was 1st settled per Portuguese inside 1557. Beginning around 1670, Portugal leased the territory although there was there are no transport of sovereignty. Macau prospered as a port & was a subject of recurrent tries per Dutch to conquer it in the 17th century.

Fallowing a House of Braganza regained control of Portugal from a Spanish Habsburgs in 1640, Macau was granted the official title of Cidadiamond state run (Santo) Nome delaware Deus de Macau, Não há outra mais Leal or even City of the (Sanctum) Title of God of Macau, "There is none more Loyal".

A shibboleth "There is none more Loyal" was granted around honour of a fact that the territory of Macau (Amacao'', inside older Portuguese writings) never recognized Spanish sovereignity, & so these are considered by historiographer as a (today previous) a portion of Portugal that was never gave up. the Habsburgs got there are no might to modify this situation since it were required inside as well numerous wars inside Europe, furthermore Macau was as well far from either Europe, & a successful trend lines of this little however fierce fastness against Dutch privateers in the period of decades was dehortatory plenty for a conceivable Spanish intervention.

Using Hong Kong established as a British Crown Colony, Macau's status as a major regional commodities trading centre declined due to the fact that big ships were drawn to the deep water supply port of Victoria Harbour. Inside 1849, Portugal declared the colony independent of China. This was recognised per Chinese government inside 1887.

Around 1955, the Salazar regime declared Macau, too when more Portuguese colonies, an "Overseas Province" of Portugal.

Although Macanese culture got universally been the mixture between Chinese & Portuguese this did non universally hap peacefully. Chinese citizens efforts to establish their have identity were typically counter to the aims of the Portuguese government.

Inside 1966 residents tried to obtaaround a licence for a buck private school in Taipa, the number one of deuce islands attached to & forming section of Macau. Fallowing existence rejected several days it went ahead & began building forswearing permits. In November 15, 1966, a Portuguese police force arrested the school officials & beat hard hat, residents, & click newsperson. Following, Chinese teachers & students gathered at a Governor’s home to peacefully protest, however in December 3rd the food and drug administration ordered the babies to become arrested. This stirred higher a anger of the general public & extra humans come to protest. A Portuguese government sent riot police force & declared martial law. Following of the protests, Xi population died & 200 were hurt.

To peacefully oppose a food and drug administration, the Chinese humans enacted "three no's" — there are there are there are no taxation, no service, no marketing to the Portuguese. It were successful & in January 29, 1967 the Portuguese government of Macau signed a statement of apology. This marked a beginning of equal professional assistance & recognition of Chinese identity & of de facto Chinese control of the colony.

When a left-wing military coup of 1974, a at present popular Portuguese government was determined to relinquish wholly its overseas possessions, however the People's Republic of China did not favour Macau's immediate return to Chinese sovereignty. Within 1976, Lisbon redefined Macau as a Special Territory, & granted it the big measure of administrative & economic autonomy. Additionally, Portugal & a PRC agreed to regard Macau when 'the Chinese territory under Portuguese administration'. This status was processed anomalous per agreement within 1985 to return Hong Kong to China, & within 1987, an agreement was made to produce Macau the Special Administrative Region of the PRC. A Macau Favorite Administrative Area eventually inherit get on December 20, 1999.

Politics
Independent article: Politics of Macau

A chief executive is appointed by the People's Republic of China's central government after selection by an election committee, whose members are nominated by corporate bodies. a chief executive appears prior to a cabinet, the Executive Council, of between 7 and 11 members. Edmund Ho, a community leader & banker, is the number 1 China-appointed chief executive of the Macau SAR, with replaced General de Rocha Vieira on December 20, 1999.

A legislative organ of the territory is the Legislative Assembly, a 23-member system comprising X directly elective members, Tenner appointed members representing functional constituencies and seven members appointed per chief executive. A Legislative Assembly is responsible general legislating & such as numerous more legislative assembly, it has power to impeach a Chief Executive. It has power to amend a makeup of its successors fallowing 2009.

A legal technique is depending largely in Portuguese law. A territory has its have independent judicatory, headed per Court of Final Appeal (CFA), which makes final judgments on court legal actions. Judges come selected per committee & appointed by the chief executive.

Subdivisions
Look at Likewise: List of cities and parishes in Macao

Macau is ii administrative subdivisions:

A Northern District (北�): Macao proper A Islands Zone (離島�): Taipa and Coloane

Although a sentence "Northern District", broadly speaking, could refer to a entire Macau peninsula, a select few of the population inside Macau utilize the sentence "Northern District" other narrowly. It refers to the northern a share of the Macau peninsula, neighbouring Zhuhai in Mainland China. Therein way, much of humans visit & from either a Mainland in foot or even by owning more land conveyance through the northern territorial dominion.

In a period of a previous periods of Portuguese rule, a peninsular (northern) dominion was administered per Macau Municipal Council (Câmara Municipal delaware Macau), & the islands per Islands Municipal Council (Câmara Municipal cony Ilhas). Fallowing a handover to China within 1999, these were transferred to a Provisional Municipal Council of Macau (臨時澳門市政執行委員會; Câmara Municipal de Macau Provisória) & a Provisional Municipal Council of the Islands (臨時海島市政執行委員會; Câmara Municipal hyrax Ilhas Provisória) severally by the Article 15, [http://www.imprensa.macau.gov.mo/bo/i/1999/01/lei01.asp Law 1/1999]; the corresponding Municipal Assembly (Assembleithe Municipal) was as well changed to a tentative a single (臨時市政議會; Assembleia Municipal Provisória). Article 16 & Annex XII of [http://www.imprensa.macau.gov.mo/bo/i/1999/01/regadm06.asp Law 6/1999] changed a [http://www.fotw.net/flags/mo-mau.html Portuguese-style] coat-of-arms with two angels as heraldist supporters to the [http://www.fotw.net/flags/mo-mau99.html simple design] of the key with two birds when supporters. Implicitly, this besides revoked a historical title of Cidadelaware clean (Santo) Nome delaware Deus de Macau, Não há outra mais Leal (City of the (Holy place) Title of God of Macau, There exists none extra Fast) which experienced religious and royal overtones. After around 2001, [http://www.imprensa.macau.gov.mo/bo/i/2001/51/lei17.asp Law 17/2001] and [http://www.imprensa.macau.gov.mo/bo/i/2001/51/regadm32.asp Administrative Regulation 32/2001] introduced a [http://www.iacm.gov.mo/ Institute (or Bureau) of Civic and Municipal Affairs] (民政總署; Instituto para os Assuntos Cívicos e Municipais; IACM) which replaced a Provisional Municipal Councils. the IACM was given a [http://www.imprensa.macau.gov.mo/bo/i/2001/51/Image1.gif logo] according to a Han (Chinese) character for "civilian".

Geography
Independent article: Geography of Macau

Macau is Seventy klick southwest of Hong Kong and 145 km from either Guangzhou. It consists of a peninsula, and a islands of Taipa and Coloane.

A peninsula is formed by the Zhujiang (Pearl River) estuary on a east and the Xijiang (West River) on the west. It borders a Zhuhai Special Economic Zone in mainland China.

Macau has the typically flat terrain sequent from either extensive land reclamation, but many steep hills mark a original natural land mass. A Macau peninsula was originally an island, but step by step the copulative sandbar turned into a narrow isthmus. Land reclamation in the 17th century processed Macau into the peninsula.

By having the heavy urban environment, Macau has no arable land, pastures, forest, or even woodland. Because of this deficiency, Macau's population traditionally own seemed to the sea for their living.

Economy
Independent article: Economy of Macau

Macau's economy is based largely in tourism, including gambling. Textile and fireworks manufacturing are a big employers when play. Efforts to diversify use spawned more little industries, like toy, artificial flowers, and electronics manufacturing. A clothing industry has provided about three-fourths of exportation earnings, & a gaming industry is judged to contribute to a higher degree 40% of Macau's GDP.

Across 8 million holidaymaker visited Macau around 2000. When recent incubation within play & touristry has been caused primarily by residents of mainland China, tourer from either Hong Kong remain the virtually all many. Recently Triad underworld violence, a dark spot on the economy, has significantly declined, to the gain of the touristry sector. A typical rate of growth between 2001 & 2005 has been roughly 10% annually. A GDP per capita in 2004 was USD22,620. In a number one quarter of 2005, the unemployment rate was Quadruplet.1%.

Within 2004 gambling revenues from Macau's casinos were first greater than victims of Las Vegas (each all about $5 billion), making Macau presently a greatest-volume gaming centre in the globe.

Demographics

Considered as a dependency, Macau is the world's most densely populated country/dependency.

Macau's population is 95% Chinese, primarily Cantonese and occasionally Hakka, both from either nearby Guangdong Province. A remainder come of Portuguese or mixed Chinese-Portuguese ancestry, or a then-alleged Macanese. Occasionally Japanese, including descendants of Japanese Catholics world health organization were expelled by shoguns, also sleep in Macau. A official languages come Portuguese and Chinese. Though a residents usually speak Cantonese, both Cantonese & Mandarin are de facto official. English is spoken in tourer areas. Macanese or Patuá, an ancient Portuguese based idiom, is near out.

Culture
Independent article: Culture of Macau

Landmarks
Ruins of Saint Paul's Cathedral Casino Lisboa Macau Tower

Miscellaneous
Such as Hong Kong and the United Kingdom, but unlike two mainland China and Portugal, traffic in Macau travels on a left, & the majority of vehicles come right hand drive. (Portugal & southern provinces of China as well originally drove on the left.)

Rather Hong Kong, Macau besides has a flower to represent the city. When a representative flower of Hong Kong is the Bauhinia, the representative flower of Macau is the lotus. A lotus is universally utilized as a symbol of the Macau Favorite Administrative Vicinity.

Macau-related topics
Communications in Macau Crime and Police in Macau Education in Macau Gambling in Macau Legal system of Macau List of universities in Macao Macau Grand Prix Macau Law Military of Macau Transportation in Macau Postage stamps and postal history of Macau

Macau Junior Chamber
Includes an extensive history and listings of activities and projects.






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