Tuesday, December 14, 2004
Macau
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
The Macau Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China, short form Macau or Macao (see Names), is a small territory on the southern coast of China. It is 70 km southwest of Hong Kong and 145 km from Guangzhou. It was the oldest European colony in China, dating back to the 16th century. The Portuguese government transferred sovereignty over Macau to the People's Republic of China in 1999, and it is now run as a Special Administrative Region of the PRC. Residents of Macau mostly speak Cantonese natively; Mandarin Chinese, Portuguese, and English are also spoken.
Broadly, Macanese refers to all permanent inhabitants of Macau. But narrowly, it refers to an ethnic group in Macau originating from Portuguese descent, usually mixed with Chinese blood.
Besides historical colonial relics, the biggest attractions in Macau are the casinos. Though many forms of gambling are legal there, the most popular game is Pai Gow, a game played with Chinese dominoes. Gamblers from Hong Kong often take a one-day excursion to the city. Ferry service by hydrofoil between Hong Kong and Macau is available 24 hours a day, every day.
??????????????Região Administrativa Especial deMacau da República Popular da China
(In Detail)
(Full size)
National motto: none
Official languages
Cantonese and Portuguese
Chief Executive
Edmund Ho Hau-wah
Area - Total - % water
(Not ranked)27.3 km²0%
Population
- Total (March, 2004) - Density
(Not ranked)
451,00016,521/km²
Establishment
- Date
Handover from Portugal to the People's Republic of China
December 20, 1999
Currency
Pataca (MOP)
Time zone
UTC +8 (AWST)
Internet TLD
.mo
Calling Code
853
Contents
//
[showhide]
1 Names
2 History
3 Politics
4 Subdivisions
5 Geography
6 Economy
7 Demographics
8 Culture
9 Landmarks
10 Miscellaneous topics
11 External link
[edit]
Names
The name "Macau" (?? Cantonese: Magau) is thought to be derived from "Mage Temple" (??? Cantonese: Magok), a still existing landmark built in 1448 dedicated to the goddess Matsu. The more popular Chinese name of Àomén (??) means "Inlet Gates". The "gates" refer to two erect gate-like mountains of Nantai (??) and Beitai (??). Macau is also known as Haojing'ao (??? "Trench-mirror Inlet"), Xiangshan'ao (??? "Fragrant-mountain Inlet"), Liandao (?? "Lotus Island"), as well as "Soda port" (???).
Macau is the official Portuguese spelling. Sometimes in English, Macao is used.
[edit]
History
Main article: History of Macau
Macau was officially founded as a colony of Portugal in 1557 and recognized by the Chinese in 1670. Macau prospered as a port and was a subject of repeated attempts by the Dutch to conquer it in the 17th century.
After the House of Braganza regained control of Portugal from the Spanish Habsburgs in 1640, Macau was granted the official title of Cidade do Nome de Deus, de Macau, Não há outra mais Leal (City of the Name of God, Macau, There is None More Loyal).
A church in Macau, with the region's distinctive striped tiling.
With Hong Kong established as a British Crown Colony, Macau declined as regional trading center as larger ships were drawn to the deep water port of Victoria Harbour.
After the leftist military coup of 1974, the now democratic Portuguese government was determined to free up all its overseas possessions. In 1976, Lisbon redefined Macau as a Special Territory and granted it a large measure of administrative and economic independence. Following the example of the British, an agreement was made with the People's Republic of China to make Macau a Special Administrative Region in 1999.
[edit]
Politics
Main article: Politics of Macau
The 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. The chief executive appears before a cabinet, the Executive Council, of between 7 and 11 members. Edmund Ho, a community leader and banker, is the first China-appointed chief executive of the Macau SAR, having replaced General de Rocha Vieira on December 20, 1999.
The legislative organ of the territory is the Legislative Assembly, a 23-member body comprising eight directly elected members, eight appointed members representing functional constituencies and seven members appointed by the chief executive. The Legislative Assembly is responsible for general lawmaking. The city of Macau and the islands of Taipa and Coloane each have a municipal council.
The legal system is based largely on Portuguese law. The territory has its own independent judicial system, with a high court - the Court of Final Appeal (CFA). Judges are selected by a committee and appointed by the chief executive.
[edit]
Subdivisions
Macau comprises two administrative subdivisions:
The Northern District (??): Macao proper
The Islands District (???): Taipa and Coloane
Although the phrase "Northern District", broadly speaking, may refer to the entire Macau peninsula, some of the people in Macau use the phrase "Northern District" more narrowly. It refers to the northern part of the Macau peninsula, and the northern part of the Macau peninsula is situated near the border of China. In this way, a lot of people travel to and from China by land (i.e. on foot or all sorts of land transportation) through the northern district.
[edit]
Geography
Main article: Geography of Macau
Macau consists of a peninsula, and the islands of Taipa and Coloane.
The peninsula is formed by the Zhujiang (Pearl River) estuary on the east and the Xijiang (West River) on the west. It borders the Zhuhai Special Economic Zone in mainland China.
Macau has a generally flat terrain resulting from extensive land reclamation, but numerous steep hills mark the original natural land mass. The Macau peninsula was originally an island, but gradually a connecting sandbar turned into a narrow isthmus. Land reclamation in the 17th century made Macau into a peninsula.
With a dense urban environment, Macau has no arable land, pastures, forest, or woodland. Because of this deficiency, Macau's people traditionally have looked to the sea for their livelihood.
[edit]
Economy
Main article: Economy of Macau
Macau's economy is based largely on tourism, including gambling, and textile and fireworks manufacturing. Efforts to diversify have spawned other small industries, such as toys, artificial flowers, and electronics. The clothing industry has provided about three-fourths of export earnings, and the gambling industry is estimated to contribute more than 40% of GDP. More than 8 million tourists visited Macau in 2000. Although the recent growth in gambling and tourism has been driven primarily by mainland Chinese, tourists from Hong Kong remain the most numerous. Recently, gang violence, a dark spot on the economy, has declined somewhat, to the benefit of the tourism sector.
[edit]
Demographics
Main article: Demographics of Macau
Considered as a "dependency", Macau is the most densely populated of the countries/dependencies in the world.
Macau's population is 95% Chinese, primarily Cantonese and some Hakka, both from nearby Guangdong Province. The remainder are of Portuguese or mixed Chinese-Portuguese ancestry, or the so-called Macanese. The official languages are Portuguese (especially its creole Patuá or Macaista Chapado, which is almost extinct) and Mandarin Chinese, though the residents commonly speak Cantonese Chinese. English is spoken in tourist areas.
[edit]
Culture
Main article: Culture of Macau
[edit]
Landmarks
Ruins of Saint Paul's Cathedral
Casino Lisboa
Macau Tower
[edit]
Miscellaneous topics
Communications in Macau
Education in Macau
Transportation in Macau
Military of Macau
Crime and Police in Macau
Gambling in Macau
Macau Law
[edit]
External link
Government of Macau (http://www.macau.gov.mo/)
Province-level divisions administered by the People's Republic of China
Provinces¹:
Anhui Fujian Gansu Guangdong Guizhou Hainan Hebei Heilongjiang Henan Hubei Hunan Jiangsu Jiangxi Jilin Liaoning Qinghai Shaanxi Shandong Shanxi Sichuan Yunnan Zhejiang
Autonomous Regions:
Guangxi Inner Mongolia Ningxia Tibet Xinjiang
Municipalities:
Beijing Chongqing Shanghai Tianjin
Special Administrative Regions:
Hong Kong Macau
¹ See also: Political status of Taiwan
.
Countries in East Asia
China (PRC) Japan North Korea South Korea Taiwan (ROC)Dependencies: Hong Kong Macau
Edit (http://en.wikipedia.org/w/wiki.phtml?title=Template:Portuguese_former_colonies&action=edit)
Portuguese former colonies
Angola Brazil Cape Verde East Timor Guinea-Bissau (Portuguese Guinea) Portuguese India Macau (Macao) Mozambique São Tomé and Príncipe
Not to be confused with the parrot macaw.
Macau is also the name of a commune in the Gironde département, in France
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Macau"
Categories: Macau Special territories
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
The Macau Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China, short form Macau or Macao (see Names), is a small territory on the southern coast of China. It is 70 km southwest of Hong Kong and 145 km from Guangzhou. It was the oldest European colony in China, dating back to the 16th century. The Portuguese government transferred sovereignty over Macau to the People's Republic of China in 1999, and it is now run as a Special Administrative Region of the PRC. Residents of Macau mostly speak Cantonese natively; Mandarin Chinese, Portuguese, and English are also spoken.
Broadly, Macanese refers to all permanent inhabitants of Macau. But narrowly, it refers to an ethnic group in Macau originating from Portuguese descent, usually mixed with Chinese blood.
Besides historical colonial relics, the biggest attractions in Macau are the casinos. Though many forms of gambling are legal there, the most popular game is Pai Gow, a game played with Chinese dominoes. Gamblers from Hong Kong often take a one-day excursion to the city. Ferry service by hydrofoil between Hong Kong and Macau is available 24 hours a day, every day.
??????????????Região Administrativa Especial deMacau da República Popular da China
(In Detail)
(Full size)
National motto: none
Official languages
Cantonese and Portuguese
Chief Executive
Edmund Ho Hau-wah
Area - Total - % water
(Not ranked)27.3 km²0%
Population
- Total (March, 2004) - Density
(Not ranked)
451,00016,521/km²
Establishment
- Date
Handover from Portugal to the People's Republic of China
December 20, 1999
Currency
Pataca (MOP)
Time zone
UTC +8 (AWST)
Internet TLD
.mo
Calling Code
853
Contents
//
[showhide]
1 Names
2 History
3 Politics
4 Subdivisions
5 Geography
6 Economy
7 Demographics
8 Culture
9 Landmarks
10 Miscellaneous topics
11 External link
[edit]
Names
The name "Macau" (?? Cantonese: Magau) is thought to be derived from "Mage Temple" (??? Cantonese: Magok), a still existing landmark built in 1448 dedicated to the goddess Matsu. The more popular Chinese name of Àomén (??) means "Inlet Gates". The "gates" refer to two erect gate-like mountains of Nantai (??) and Beitai (??). Macau is also known as Haojing'ao (??? "Trench-mirror Inlet"), Xiangshan'ao (??? "Fragrant-mountain Inlet"), Liandao (?? "Lotus Island"), as well as "Soda port" (???).
Macau is the official Portuguese spelling. Sometimes in English, Macao is used.
[edit]
History
Main article: History of Macau
Macau was officially founded as a colony of Portugal in 1557 and recognized by the Chinese in 1670. Macau prospered as a port and was a subject of repeated attempts by the Dutch to conquer it in the 17th century.
After the House of Braganza regained control of Portugal from the Spanish Habsburgs in 1640, Macau was granted the official title of Cidade do Nome de Deus, de Macau, Não há outra mais Leal (City of the Name of God, Macau, There is None More Loyal).
A church in Macau, with the region's distinctive striped tiling.
With Hong Kong established as a British Crown Colony, Macau declined as regional trading center as larger ships were drawn to the deep water port of Victoria Harbour.
After the leftist military coup of 1974, the now democratic Portuguese government was determined to free up all its overseas possessions. In 1976, Lisbon redefined Macau as a Special Territory and granted it a large measure of administrative and economic independence. Following the example of the British, an agreement was made with the People's Republic of China to make Macau a Special Administrative Region in 1999.
[edit]
Politics
Main article: Politics of Macau
The 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. The chief executive appears before a cabinet, the Executive Council, of between 7 and 11 members. Edmund Ho, a community leader and banker, is the first China-appointed chief executive of the Macau SAR, having replaced General de Rocha Vieira on December 20, 1999.
The legislative organ of the territory is the Legislative Assembly, a 23-member body comprising eight directly elected members, eight appointed members representing functional constituencies and seven members appointed by the chief executive. The Legislative Assembly is responsible for general lawmaking. The city of Macau and the islands of Taipa and Coloane each have a municipal council.
The legal system is based largely on Portuguese law. The territory has its own independent judicial system, with a high court - the Court of Final Appeal (CFA). Judges are selected by a committee and appointed by the chief executive.
[edit]
Subdivisions
Macau comprises two administrative subdivisions:
The Northern District (??): Macao proper
The Islands District (???): Taipa and Coloane
Although the phrase "Northern District", broadly speaking, may refer to the entire Macau peninsula, some of the people in Macau use the phrase "Northern District" more narrowly. It refers to the northern part of the Macau peninsula, and the northern part of the Macau peninsula is situated near the border of China. In this way, a lot of people travel to and from China by land (i.e. on foot or all sorts of land transportation) through the northern district.
[edit]
Geography
Main article: Geography of Macau
Macau consists of a peninsula, and the islands of Taipa and Coloane.
The peninsula is formed by the Zhujiang (Pearl River) estuary on the east and the Xijiang (West River) on the west. It borders the Zhuhai Special Economic Zone in mainland China.
Macau has a generally flat terrain resulting from extensive land reclamation, but numerous steep hills mark the original natural land mass. The Macau peninsula was originally an island, but gradually a connecting sandbar turned into a narrow isthmus. Land reclamation in the 17th century made Macau into a peninsula.
With a dense urban environment, Macau has no arable land, pastures, forest, or woodland. Because of this deficiency, Macau's people traditionally have looked to the sea for their livelihood.
[edit]
Economy
Main article: Economy of Macau
Macau's economy is based largely on tourism, including gambling, and textile and fireworks manufacturing. Efforts to diversify have spawned other small industries, such as toys, artificial flowers, and electronics. The clothing industry has provided about three-fourths of export earnings, and the gambling industry is estimated to contribute more than 40% of GDP. More than 8 million tourists visited Macau in 2000. Although the recent growth in gambling and tourism has been driven primarily by mainland Chinese, tourists from Hong Kong remain the most numerous. Recently, gang violence, a dark spot on the economy, has declined somewhat, to the benefit of the tourism sector.
[edit]
Demographics
Main article: Demographics of Macau
Considered as a "dependency", Macau is the most densely populated of the countries/dependencies in the world.
Macau's population is 95% Chinese, primarily Cantonese and some Hakka, both from nearby Guangdong Province. The remainder are of Portuguese or mixed Chinese-Portuguese ancestry, or the so-called Macanese. The official languages are Portuguese (especially its creole Patuá or Macaista Chapado, which is almost extinct) and Mandarin Chinese, though the residents commonly speak Cantonese Chinese. English is spoken in tourist areas.
[edit]
Culture
Main article: Culture of Macau
[edit]
Landmarks
Ruins of Saint Paul's Cathedral
Casino Lisboa
Macau Tower
[edit]
Miscellaneous topics
Communications in Macau
Education in Macau
Transportation in Macau
Military of Macau
Crime and Police in Macau
Gambling in Macau
Macau Law
[edit]
External link
Government of Macau (http://www.macau.gov.mo/)
Province-level divisions administered by the People's Republic of China
Provinces¹:
Anhui Fujian Gansu Guangdong Guizhou Hainan Hebei Heilongjiang Henan Hubei Hunan Jiangsu Jiangxi Jilin Liaoning Qinghai Shaanxi Shandong Shanxi Sichuan Yunnan Zhejiang
Autonomous Regions:
Guangxi Inner Mongolia Ningxia Tibet Xinjiang
Municipalities:
Beijing Chongqing Shanghai Tianjin
Special Administrative Regions:
Hong Kong Macau
¹ See also: Political status of Taiwan
.
Countries in East Asia
China (PRC) Japan North Korea South Korea Taiwan (ROC)Dependencies: Hong Kong Macau
Edit (http://en.wikipedia.org/w/wiki.phtml?title=Template:Portuguese_former_colonies&action=edit)
Portuguese former colonies
Angola Brazil Cape Verde East Timor Guinea-Bissau (Portuguese Guinea) Portuguese India Macau (Macao) Mozambique São Tomé and Príncipe
Not to be confused with the parrot macaw.
Macau is also the name of a commune in the Gironde département, in France
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Macau"
Categories: Macau Special territories
