About Macao
The Macao SAR is a local administrative region with a high degree of autonomy from the People's Republic of China. The Macao SAR Government was established on December 20, 1999. According to the Basic Law of the Macao SAR, the capitalist system and the way of life shall remain for 50 years.
Basic information
Location
The Macao SAR consists of the Macau Peninsula, Taipa Island and Coloane Island. Located on the southeast coast of China, it is located on the west bank of the Pearl River Delta, about 60 km away from Hong Kong.
Surface Area
According to the Cartography and Cadastre Bureau of the Macao SAR, the total land area of Macao in 2016 was 30.5 square kilometres. For further information on the map and land area of the Macao SAR, please refer to the website of the Cartography and Cadastre Bureau.
Population
According to ‘Demographic Statistics for the 3rd Quarter 2024’ published by the Macao SAR Statistics and Census Service in November, 2024, the population of the Macao SAR is about 686,600.
For the latest Macao SAR population data, please refer to the website of the Statistics and Census Service
Language
The official languages of the Macao SAR are Chinese and Portuguese; English is also widely used.
Time zone
The local time in Macao is Greenwich Mean Time + 8 hours.
Currency
The official currency of the Macao SAR is ‘Macao pataca (MOP)’ which is linked to the Hong Kong dollar. The linked exchange rate is MOP$1.03 for HK$1.
Education
There are 10 higher education institutions in the Macao SAR, including:
- Public institutions
- University of Macau;
- Macau Polytechnic Institute;
- Institute for Tourism Studies;
- Academy of Public Security Forces.
- Private institutions
- Macau University of Science and Technology;
- City University of Macau;
- University of Saint Joseph;
- Kiang Wu Nursing College;
- Macau Institute of Management;
- Macau Millennium College.
For further information on tertiary education of the Macau SAR, please refer to the website of Tertiary Education Services Office.
Economic Development
The Macao SAR’s economy is mainly based on the service sector, of which the tourism and the gaming industries are an important part. Nowadays, the economic development of Macao is diversifying. For an overview of the economic development of the Macao SAR, please refer to the website of the Macao Economic Services.
World Cultural Heritage
Since 2005, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has incorporated the ‘Historic Centre of Macao’ into the World Heritage List.
“The Historic Centre of Macao” is located in an urban context that follows the development of the Portuguese settlement over history. There are a total of 22 buildings with Chinese and Western architectural characteristics, along with 8 squares, interconnected by streetways.
A detailed description of the World Heritage Site in Macau can be found on the website ‘Macau World Heritage’.
Visits to Macao
For the latest information on visiting Macao SAR, please refer to the website of the Macao Government Tourism Office.
Documents required from EU residents upon entry
According to the Macao Public Security Police Force in March 2017, holders of a passport issued by a European Union member State can be exempted from visa for a stay of a maximum of 90 days.
For the latest information about visas and other travelling documents, please refer webpage of ‘Entry and Exit of non-Macao residents’ of the Macao Public Security Police Force.
Transportation
Visitors can travel to Macao by air, by sea or by land.
For air traffic, there is an international airport in the Macao SAR. For more information on flights, please refer to the website of the Macau International Airport. In addition, the Outer Harbour Ferry Terminal has a helipad which is now available for flights from/to Hong Kong or Shenzhen by helicopter service.
In the case you are visiting the Macao SAR by sea, there are two terminals for entering and leaving the Macau SAR, including Outer Harbour Ferry Terminal and Taipa Ferry Terminal. For more information on sea transportation, please refer to the webpage of ‘Travelling to Macao – by sea’ provided by the Macao Government Tourism Office.
For visitors arriving by land, entering the Macao SAR from Mainland China can be done through the Border Gate on Macao Peninsula and the Lotus Bridge in Cotai.
Emergency Information
Emergency hotlines: 999/110/112
In case of emergency, here are three hospitals you can go to:
- Kiang Wu Hospital
- Conde S. Januário Hospital
- University Hospital