Macao

Macao

Macau / is one of the two special administrative regions of the People's Republic of China, and it occupies a small area located on the southern coast of China. Macau is attractive for tourists because of its many casinos and the proliferation of gambling and its legal presence in it

Macau is located 60 km (37 mi) southwest of Hong Kong and 145 km (90 mi) from Guangzhou. Macau includes the Macau Peninsula, Taipa Island and Colony Island. The peninsula is bordered by the Pearl River Creek in the east and the Zhejiang River in the west. The Macao peninsula was a separate island, but the accumulation of sand between the banks of the rivers formed a number of islets that reached the island on the Chinese mainland, where the Macao borders are connected to the Chinese city of Zhuhai

The summit of Alto dei Colone is the highest in Macau, 170.6 meters (559.7 feet) high. Macau is free of forests and woodlands as a result of the urbanization

Macau has a humid subtropical climate with an average humidity of between 75% and 90%. Average annual temperatures are estimated at 22.3 degrees Celsius (72.1 degrees Fahrenheit), with Macao experiencing a significant difference between the temperatures during both summer and winter, as well as within the monsoons

July is the warmest month with an average temperature of 28.6 ° C (83.5 ° F), while the lowest temperatures are recorded in January with an average of 14.5 ° C (58.1 ° F). Macau is experiencing significant rainfall, with annual rates estimated at 2030 mm. The rainy seasons are concentrated in spring (April - June) and summer (July - September), while winter (January - March) remains cold, dry and sunny due to the influence of monsoons from China. The fall (October - December) season is characterized by sunny, warm and humid weather

Macao's economy is heavily dependent on tourism, especially gambling. Other economic activities include the export of textiles and banking and financial services. Textile exports account for 75% of export earnings, while tourism and gambling revenues account for more than half of GDP and about 70% of the government's financial income

Macau is a founding member of the World Trade Organization and a member of the International Monetary Fund, and it maintains solid and continuous economic relations with more than 120 countries and with the European Union and the group of Portuguese-speaking countries. The World Bank places Macao's economy among high-income countries, with GDP in 2006 reaching US $ 28,436

The repatriation of Macao to China in 1999 had a positive effect on the economy as a result of the increase in the number of Chinese tourists after the Chinese authorities facilitated travel procedures for Macao. It was also accompanied by the Macao government's liberalization of the economy and the end of the monopoly of the gambling industry beginning in 2001. This was followed by a rise in the value of foreign investment and an increase in economic growth, reaching approximately 13.1% annually between 2001 and 2006

Macao is ranked 21st among the most tourist-friendly cities according to the 2006 report of the World Tourism Organization, as the number of tourists in 2006 reached 22 million, up from 18.7 million in 2005 and 9.1 million in 2000. The number of tourists in 2007 is estimated between 24- 25 million tourists, 50% of them arrive from Chinese territory and 30% come from Hong Kong

The gambling industry in Macau dates back to 1962 when the government issued a monopoly license to Stanley Hu. The year 2002 witnessed a number of gambling hall owners in Las Vegas opening new gambling halls following the end of the 40-year monopoly, culminating in the opening of Sands Macau in 2004, which is the largest gambling hall in the world in terms of the number of playing tables, and the opening of Macao in 2006 Who has seen the proceeds from gambling in Macau surpass its counterpart in Las Vegas (about $ 6 billion). Currently there are more than 16 casinos operating in Macau

Macau is a free low tax port and easy to set up offshore financial companies. In 2007, Moody's agency upgraded the Macao government’s fiscal position from 'Aa3' to 'A1'

Macau is the most populated region with a population of 18,428 per square kilometer. The Chinese make up nearly 95% of the total population, while the population of Portuguese ancestry constitutes about 2%. The 2006 census indicates that approximately 47% of the population was born on Chinese territory - especially in Kongding (74.1%) and Fujian (15.2%) - and 42.5% were born in Macao, while the rest were born in Hong Kong (3.7%) and the Philippines ( 2%) and Portugal (0.3%

Macao has one of the lowest birth rates in the world, and therefore population growth depends on immigrants from the Chinese mainland in particular and other countries in general. CIA statistics show Macau tops the list of countries with an average life expectancy of 84.36 years. Macao also ranks among the countries with the lowest child mortality rate

Chinese (Cantonese) and Portuguese are the two official languages ​​in Macau. The Portuguese language in Macau is similar to that in Europe. English, Mandarin and Min Nan are also used in some communities. A few Macau residents also speak Creole

Chinese religion is an important part of Macao's social and cultural fabric, since most of the population is of Chinese origin, and these beliefs include Taoism, Buddhism, and Confucianism. Christians also make up about 9% of the total population in approximately 7% of Catholics and 2% of Protestants. Approximately 17% of the population belongs to the Mahayana

As Macao's economy relies on tourism, approximately 14.6% of the workforce is employed in hotels and restaurants, and 10.3% in the gambling industry. The opening of several casinos and resorts - in addition to tourist places under construction - led to a shortage of manpower in a number of other sectors, and as a result the government began to consider importing labor from neighboring regions