General Information

Geographical Location

Macau is located on the Southeast coast of China to the west of the Pearl River Delta. Bordering on Guangdong Province, it lies 60km from Hong Kong and 145km from the city of Guangzhou. Local time is eight hours ahead of Greenwich Mean Time.

Area

Macau has been increasing in size as a result of the land reclamation that has taken place around its coastline. It covered only 2.78km² in the 19^th century, but now occupies 23.8km², including the peninsula of Macau, and the two islands of Taipa and Coloane which are linked by a six-lane highway 2.20km long.

Population

As of 30st June 2000, Macau's local population numbered 436,000 inhabitants. Population density is over 18,000/km2, and the northern part of the peninsula of Macau is regarded as one of the most densely populated areas in the world.
Macau has undergone rapid demographic growth over the last two decades, increasing at an annual rate of around 4%. There is also an impressive flow of people in and out of the territory with an average 20,000 passengers entering Macau via the Outer Harbour ferry terminal each day while around 50,000 people cross the Border Gates checkpoint at the border with mainland China. A total of 25 million annual people-flow are recorded.
Macau is an open, varied city and this is reflected in its demographic breakdown. 52.8% of the total population are female, 23.2% of Macau residents are under 14 years of age, and 69.1% are aged between 15 and 64. 7.7% of the population are over 65 years old. Average life span for both sexes is over 75 years old, the longest in Asia after Japan.
Over 80% of Macau's population have lived in the territory for over ten years. 45% of the population were born in Macau and another 45% were born in Mainland China while less than 10% of residents are from other places.

Language

The official languages are Chinese and Portuguese, while English is widely spoken.
Cantonese is the dialect most commonly used in everyday dealings but Mandarin is also widely spoken.

Religion

Buddhist 50%, Roman Catholic 15%, none and other 35%

Climate

Macau's climate is warm and humid with a fairly wide variation in temperature over the year. From June to September, the temperature can rise to over 30¢XC while it can drop to below 10¢XC from November to February. Macau's weather is also influenced by tropical cyclones from the South Pacific Ocean from May to November.

Greeting

The western business etiquette of handshaking is the accepted form of greeting, which is always followed by the exchange of business cards. Cards should be given and received with both hands, holding the card at the corners. It is demeaning to put someone's card directly right into your pocket without looking at it first, it also is considered impolite to write on someone's card . Take a few moments to study the card upon its receipt.

Tipping

In most restaurants and similar establishments, a 10% service charge and 5% Government tourism tax are usually charged to the bill, but it is a common practice to leave a small tip.

Attire

Dress code is rather informal, however, standard business attire is desirable at more formal occasions.

Gifts

Eventhough the thoughtful idea of bringing a gift is not a norm, they are always welcome especially if the gift is something representative of your country. Never give a clock or white flowers, especially chrysanthemums, as they signify death.

Power Supply

Voltage is 220V 50Hz

Entry Regulations

Passport:
All travellers entering or leaving Macau must be holders of valid passports or some other valid travel documents.
Visas:
If travel arrangements are made through an agent, the visa processing is handled by Macau operator.

Visas are required by all visitors except:

a)	Nationals of Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, India, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Philippines, Poland, Republic of Czech, Republic of Estonia, Singapore, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Thailand, the United Kingdom and United States of America and Uruguay for a stay of 20 days;
b)	Nationals of Portugal for a stay of 90 days;
c)	Holders of Travel Documents issued by the authorities of the People's Republic of China;
d)	The <Hong Kong Identity Card>,<Hong Kong Reentry Permits> holders may stay in Macau for a maximum period of 90 days

Visas are available on arrival in Macau
There are three types:

INDIVIDUAL -	MOP$100 for an individual traveller for a single stay of up to 30 days in Macau, children under 12 years of age pay MOP$50.
FAMILY -	MOP$200 for couples, husband travelling with wife and/or children (under 12 years of age) of same surname or on proof of their relationship within the same passport.
GROUP -	MOP$50 per person for bona fide groups of 10 or more.

Getting to Macau

Entry Points

Macau International Airport
Macau International Airport (code MFM) is linked by scheduled and chartered air services to major cities in China, Taiwan and South East Asia. Whenever the weather permits, the helicopter service is available from 9:00am to 10:30pm.

Macau Pier (visitors coming from Hong Kong)
From Hong Kong by helicopter or fast ferry. Fleets of Jetfoils and Turbocats have at least six sailings an hour (60-70 minutes) throughout the day and at regular intervals through the night.

Macau-China Border (visitors arriving from China)
Barrier Gate is the crossing point into China(Zhuhai) and is open daily from 7 a.m. till midnight.

Departure Taxes

Airport departure tax for flights to China is MOP80.00 (MOP50.00 for children aged 2 to 12), for other destinations MOP130.00 (MOP80.00 for children). Transit passengers who continue their journey within 24 hours of arrival are exempted from passenger tax.

MACAU INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT FLIGHT SCHEDULE

List of Macau Public Holidays for the year of 2001

Business Hours

Government offices work five days a week, starting at 9.00 AM and finishing at 5.45 PM (Monday to Thursday) and 5.30 PM (Friday). Lunch break is between 1.00 PM to 2.30 PM. Most private companies work 9.00 AM to 6.00 PM, take an hour and a half and a half lunch break, and occasionally work Saturday mornings.

Banking

There are 25 financial institutions in Macau, including 21 fully licensed banks, one offshore branch, a Post Office Savings Department and two finance companies. In terms of the retail banking market, there are 111 bank branches, and 162 ATMs in Macau.
Any ATMs that exhibit VISA, MASTERCARD or AMERICAN EXPRESS symbols will accept cash withdrawal on accounts from these credit networks.

Banking Hours

In General,
Monday to Friday: 9:00 am - 5:00 pm
Saturdays: 9:00 am - 1:00 pm

Currency & Exchange Rates

The pataca (MOP) is the official unit of currency in Macau. It is available in coins and banknotes in denominations of:
Coins:
10, 20, 50 avos;
1, 5 & 10 patacas.
Banknotes:
10, 20, 50, 100, 500 & 1000 patacas.

The Macau pataca can be freely converted into Portuguese escudos or Chinese yuan. It is pegged to the Hong Kong dollar - which is circulated freely in Macau - at the rate of 103.20 patacas = HK$ 100.00, with a permissible variation of up to 10%.

Roughly
8 Patacas is equivalent to 1 US dollar.
100 Patacas is equivalent to approximately 105 RMB.

Changing Money

Foreign currencies or travellers cheques may be exchanged at hotels, banks and licensed money exchange bureau.
There are no restrictions on the amount of currency which can be brought in or taken out.

Ground Transport

Taxis
There are plenty of licensed taxis, all with meters and painted black with a cream-coloured roof, joined by radio-called taxis in yellow colour, Tel:519519 and 3988800. It is advisable to have the address of your destination written in Chinese.

Buses
Public buses and minibuses run from 6:45am to midnight. On all routes within the city, the fare is 2.5 patacas per journey. There are buses(Route 3, 3A, 10, 12, 23, 28C & 32) that provide regular service between the city and the piers for incoming or out going visitors.

There are buses from Macau to the islands with regular departures throughout the day, from 6:45am to 11pm. The fares are Taipa-3.30 patacas, Coloane Village-4 patacas and Hac Sˆh Beach-5 patacas.

Bus number AP1 links the airport with the ferry terminal and downtown. The fare is 6 patacas.