Largest Cities in Macau
Facts about Macau
Official languages: Chinese, Chinese, Portuguese
Area: 254 km²
Population: 449,198 residents
Population density: 1,768.50 residents per km²
Currency: MOP
Internet TLD: .mo
ISO codes: MO, MAC, 446
The telephone code for Macau is +853
Macau (often also Macao, Chinese 澳門 / 澳门, Pinyin Àomén; Portuguese Macau) is a special administrative region of the People’s Republic of China located about 50 kilometers west of Hong Kong. It was a Portuguese colony until 1999.
Macau is rich in colonial attractions. The main sources of income are legal gambling there and the associated tourism from Hong Kong and mainland China, which is why Macau is often referred to as the Monte Carlo of the East or Las Vegas of the East. The gaming turnover in Macau is seven times higher than in Las Vegas. The growth of the Chinese middle class and the resulting tourism have sparked a rapid economic boom in Macau.
If counted as an independent state, Macau would be one of the richest countries in the world.
Population
| Total population | 614.458 |
| Population growth rate | 0.64% |
| Birth rate | 8.60 births per 1,000 population |
| Life expectancy | |
| Overall | 84.46 years |
| Men | 81.50 years |
| Women | 87.56 years |
| Age structure | |
| 0-14 years | 13.92% |
| 15-64 years | 74.92% |
| 65 years and above | 11.16% |
| Median age | 38.20 years |
| Gender ratio | 0.91 M / F |
| Population density | 21,944.93 residents per km² |
| Urbanization | 98.90% |
| Cities | |
| 469,903 (S 2003, source CIA World Factbook) | |
| Ethnicities | |
| 92.4% Chinese, 0.6% Portuguese, 0.6% mixed, 5.9% others, including Macanese (Portuguese & Asian origin) | |
| Religions | |
| Buddhists 50% Catholics (Roman Catholic) 15% no religious affiliation and other 35% (1997 estimates) | |
| Human Development Index (HDI) | |
| HDI ranking | |