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Macao
Macao lies on the west bank of the mouth of Pearl River in China’s southeast coast. It is 60 km from Hong Kong in the northeast and is connected in the north with the city of Zhuhai by a narrow strip of land 200 m wide. Covering an area of 17.41 square kilometers, it consists of Macau Peninsula, the islands of Taipa and Coloane. The Chinese name of Macao (a combination of two Chinese characters Ao and Men ) has its origin in its topography. Looking far into the Macau Peninsula from Taipa, you will discover two mountains on both sides of the peninsula, which resemble the two opened doors (Men) if viewed from afar. And the surrounding area of the peninsula is a vast stretch of seawater, which people refers to as “Ao”. Hence the two Chinese characters Ao and Men were combined to form the name for this area, Aomen or in English Macau.
 As a result of its unique history and geographic location, Macau’s tourism has always been prosperous. Macau’s many famous scenic resorts and historic sites are a blend of both traditional Chinese culture and strong Portugal flavor. And it is called “Oriental Monte Carlo” for its thriving business of gambling.
The name of Macau is derived from the word Magao (A-Ma Temple), which were shrines dedicated to Mazu, a sacred sea goddess respected by Macau people. It was said that in the middle of sixteenth century when the Portuguese first set foot there, one of the officers asked a fisherman the name of the land. The man misunderstanding the officer's meaning, answered 'Magao' - the name of A-Ma Temple in front them. The word became the Portuguese name for the land and for nearly 400 years, the Portuguese ruled here prior to Macau's official return to the People's Republic of China on December 20, 1999 as a special administrative region.
The land of Macau when compared with other Chinese metropolises unlike Beijing, Shanghai or Guangzhou is quite small covering an area of just 27.5 square kilometers. The total population Macau is 469,800 of which 95% are Chinese, the remainder being Portuguese and other westerners. The majority resides on the Macau Peninsular where you can find a variety of both Oriental and Western cultural and historical places of interest and all sorts of old buildings that are either European baroque or traditional Chinese in style. The blend of people, culture and history has influences on every aspect of life in the city.
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