Macau (redirected from Makao)

Macau: see Macao.

---

Macau

 or Macao Chinese Aomen

Special administrative region (pop., 2005 est.: 470,000), southern China. Located on the South China Sea coast about 40 mi (64 km) west of Hong Kong, it consists of a small peninsula, which projects from Guangdong province, and two small islands. Its total land area is 10.6 sq mi (27.5 sq km). Macau city is the administrative centre. Portuguese traders first arrived in Macau in 1513, and it soon became the chief market centre for trade between China and Japan. Portugal declared it an overseas province in 1844 and an overseas territory in 1951. In 1999 Portugal returned it to Chinese rule. Tourism and gambling are the mainstays of its economy.

---

Macau

Official name: Macau Special Administrative Region [of China]

Internet country code: .mo

Flag description: Light green with a lotus flower above a stylized bridge and water in white, beneath an arc of five gold five-pointed stars: one large in center of arc and four smaller

Geographical description: Eastern Asia, bordering the South China Sea and China

Total area: 10.9 sq. mi. (28.2 sq. km.)

Climate: Subtropical; marine with cool winters, warm sum­mers

Nationality: noun: Macanese, Chinese (singular and plu­ral); adjective: Macanese, Chinese

Population: 456,989 (July 2007 CIA est.)

Ethnic groups: Chinese 95.7%, Macanese (mixed Por­tuguese and Asian ancestry) 1%, other 3.3%

Languages spoken: Portuguese (official), Cantonese (offi­cial), Hokkien, Mandarin, other Chinese dialects

Religions: Buddhist, Roman Catholic