The Macau Special Administrative Region is part of the territory of China and is located on the southeast coast of mainland China, on the west coast of the Pearl River Delta, adjacent to Guangdong Province, 60 kilometers from Hong Kong and 145 kilometers from Guangzhou. Local time is 8 hours ahead of Greenwich Mean Time.
Area
The total area of Macau has been enlarged by land reclamation along the coast, from 10.28 square kilometers in the 19th century to 28.6 square kilometers today, about one fortieth of Hong Kong's size and one twenty-third of Singapore's size. Macau consists of the Macau Peninsula and the two outlying islands of Aberdeen and Coloane. Aberdeen and Coloane. The peninsula is connected to mainland China in the north, and to the south by the Carrefour Bridge, the Friendship Bridge and the Sai Van Bridge. The peninsula is connected to mainland China in the north, and to the south by the Carrefour Bridge, the Friendship Bridge and the Sai Van Bridge. The two islands are connected to Coloane by the 2.2-kilometer, six-lane Coloane-Chek Lap Kok Highway. The road is connected by a 2.2-kilometer, six-lane highway.
Population
The resident population of Macau was estimated at 531,400 in the first quarter of 2007. The population density is 18,581 inhabitants per square kilometer. The Northern District of the Macau Peninsula is one of the most densely populated urban areas in the world.
According to the preliminary results of the 2006 Population By-census, on August 19th, 51.2% of the resident population of Macau was female. In terms of age groups, 15.2% were 15 years old or younger, 77.7% were between 15 and 64 years old, and 7% were 65 years old or older. The average life expectancy for both sexes was over 79 years.
According to the 2006 By-census, of the 502,000 inhabitants, 93.8% are Chinese, 1.7% Portuguese and 2% Filipino. The official languages of Macau are Chinese and Portuguese. Chinese is spoken by more than 95% of the population, while Portuguese is spoken by 0.6% and English, Filipino and other languages are spoken by the rest of the population.
According to the 2006 Population By-census, more than 78% of the population has lived in Macau for more than 10 years. As for the place of birth, 42.5% of the population was born in Macao, about 47.1% in Mainland China and 10.4% in other places.
Climate
Macau's climate is hot and humid, with wide temperature variations throughout the year. Temperatures can reach over 30 degrees Celsius from June to September, and below 10 degrees Celsius from November to February, but the average temperature rarely falls below 14 degrees Celsius. During the annual typhoon season, Macau may be affected by tropical systems from the South China Sea and the Northwest Pacific Ocean.
Location - Scope - Subdivision - Area
Macau is located on the southeast coast of mainland China, on the west bank of the Pearl River Estuary. Its latitude and longitude are 113°32′47〃E and 22°11′51〃N.5 (based on the Guia Hill of the peninsula). To the east, Macau is separated from Hong Kong by the sea, forming an angle and ****holding the throat of the Pearl River Estuary. To the west, Macau is surrounded by the city of Wan Chai in Zhuhai, Guangdong Province, and the Haojiang River is just over 1,000 meters wide. To the south, the vast South China Sea is just beyond the Inner and Outer Cross Gate. To the north, it is connected to Gongbei in Zhuhai by an old sandbank, and its land boundary is only 240 meters long.
Macau is only 61 kilometers away from Hong Kong in the east and 105 kilometers away from Guangzhou in the north, which is a straight line distance; the three places are separated from each other by the outer edge of the Pearl River Estuary Bay (see Figure 1.1). The Pearl River is the fourth largest river in China, Xijiang is its longest trunk. From Macao upstream along the Xijiang River, you can reach Zhaoqing, Wuzhou and other places, along the way rich in products. The Pearl River Delta, with its well-developed transportation and economic prosperity, is one of the most affluent regions not only in South China but also in China. Macau is located in the Pearl River Delta and the middle and lower reaches of the West River as its hinterland, neighboring the two major cities of Hong Kong and Guangzhou as well as the two special economic zones of Zhuhai and Shenzhen, and this geographical location plays an important role in its economic development.
From a wider perspective, Macau's position in East Asia is also very appropriate (see Figure 1.2). It is just the relay point of the air routes between Southeast Asia and Northeast Asia, about 2,800 kilometers away from Tokyo in the northeast, about 2,600 kilometers away from Singapore in the southwest, and only 1,200 kilometers away from Manila in the southeast. Such a moderate geographical position established the importance of Macao in the East-West trade in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries.
The Macao region includes the Macao Peninsula and the islands of Taipa and Coloane (Figure 1.3). It is 11.8 kilometers from north to south and 4.4 kilometers from east to west. It extends from 113°34′47〃 E to 113°35′20〃 E, from 22°06′40〃 N to 22°13′01〃 N. The total land area is 17.316 square kilometers. The total land area is 17.316 square kilometers. Coloane Island is the largest, with an area of 7.087 square kilometers; Macau Peninsula is the second largest, with an area of 6.45 square kilometers; and Taipa Island is the smallest, with an area of 3.779 square kilometers. ①
The Macau Peninsula is shaped like a boot, running northeast-southwest. The long axis is about 4 kilometers long from the Barrier Gate in the northeast to the A-Ma-Guek Mui in the southwest, while the short axis, which runs northwest-southeast, is about 2 kilometers long from the beach at Sha Lei Tou to the Avenida da Amizade Oriental Hotel. The narrow channel on the west side (the Hao River) is the inner harbor, while the east side facing the Pearl River Estuary is the outer harbor. The peninsula contains the downtown area of Macau, which is the political, economic and cultural center of the whole territory, where most of the industry, commerce and population are concentrated. The peninsula is divided into five districts, each of which is named after the main church in that district (in fact, they were originally parishes of the Catholic Church). The names and areas of the districts (based on 10,000 copies of a one-scale map of the Macau Peninsula published by the Macao Cartography and Cadastre Department in 1986) are as follows:
St. Anthony's (St. Anthony's) 1.072 km2
Pantheon (Prayer for the Faithful) 0.655 km2
Fung Shun (St. Lawrence) 0.844 km2
Cathedral Parish 1.055 km2
Fátima Parish 2.424 km2
Fátima Parish is in the northern part of the Peninsula and has the largest area, including Green Island, Taishan, Racecourse, Chopsticks Kei, Mongkha, Hac Sa Wan, and the New Coastal Reservoir. St. Dominic's Parish is located in the central part of the Peninsula and covers the smallest area, including Holland Garden, Tap Shek and Pine Hill (Guia Hill). Kennedy Town Parish is located in the west side of the Peninsula, including Sha Kong, San Kiu, Sha Lei Tau, etc. The famous Ruins of St. Paul's, the Fortress, and the Dove's Nest Garden are all located in this parish. Lobby area is located in the southeastern part of the Peninsula, including the new crossing, Nam Wan Reclamation, Shui Hang Mei, and the narrow strip of land between San Ma Road and Tso Pui Street. Fung Shun Tong District is located in the southwest end of the peninsula southwest of San Ma Road, including Gang Ding, Ha Wan, Ma Kok, Sai Wan and the western section of Nam Wan.
Taipa Island is located about 2.5 kilometers south-southeast of the Macau Peninsula, and 800 to 1,200 meters across the sea to the west from the small Hengqin Island in Zhuhai. About 2 kilometers south of Taipa is Coloane Island, which is connected by the 2,225-meter-long Cotai Highway, and to the west of the island is Hengqin Island in Zhuhai City, which is less than 300 meters away from each other at its narrowest point. In the past, the two outlying islands of Taipa and Coloane were not developed due to the inconvenience of transportation, and there were few inhabitants. In 1974, the 2,500-meter-long Macao-Taipa Bridge was completed and opened to traffic, thus connecting the two outlying islands with the Macau Peninsula. In recent years, the northern part of Taipa has seen rapid development, with the University of Macau (formerly the University of East Asia), the highest educational institution in Macau, the construction of an international airport and a deep-water port in Taipa and Coloane, respectively, as well as the construction of a second 3,900-meter-long bridge connecting the two outlying islands to the international airport, which will inevitably lead to the opening of the second bridge. The construction of a second 3,900-meter-long bridge to connect the two islands to the international airport will surely lead to further development of the two islands.