Located on the Southeast coast of China on the western bank of the Pearl River Delta, Macau borders on Guangdong Province. It is 60 kilometers from Hong Kong and 145 kilometers from the city of Guangzhou.

The Macau Special Administrative Region (MSAR) is a territory of the People's Republic of China, comprising the Macau Peninsula (which is 8.8 square kilometers and connected to Mainland China), the islands of Taipa (6.4 square kilometers) and Coloane (7.6 square kilometers plus the further 4.7 square kilometers of COTAI, the area reclaimed from the sea).

There are three bridges connecting the city to Taipa namely Macau-Taipa Bridge (Nobre de Carvalho, 2.5 kilometers long), the Friendship Bridge (4.5 kilometers long) and Sai Van Bridge (2.2 kilometers long). The Friendship Bridge leads directly to Macau International Airport located on the Island of Taipa. The Sai Van Bridge, which was opened on 9 January 2005, is the first cable-stayed bridge in the city. This double deck bridge has six lanes on the upper deck and four on the lower, which will open whenever a typhoon hits the city. The two islands are connected by a causeway in the middle of which is the Lotus Bridge that connects the islands to Guangdong Province.

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People & Language
There is a total population of 469,800 in Macau of which 95% are Chinese, the remaining 5% being Portuguese and other westerners. The majority resides on the Macau Peninsular. Both Chinese and Portuguese are the official languages. Cantonese is popular among residents and most people can understand Mandarin. English is also widely used on most occasions, especially in scenic areas.

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Religions
Various religions from both the western and oriental world coexist harmoniously in this city. Confucianism, Taoism and Buddhism with other traditional Chinese beliefs dominate among the Chinese residents of the city. The Buddhist disciples form the largest religious group in the region. Roman Catholicism and other Christian denominations became established here from the early days when the Portuguese first set foot on the land. Baroque churches and chapels throughout the downtown area are testimonials to the vicissitude of the city.

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Macau Visa
Visitors are required to obtain a visa for entry admission together with valid passports and tourist credentials. Passports should be valid for at least 30 days beyond the planned period of stay in Macau.

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Medical & Hospitals
The hygiene and medical conditions here are quite good. Several public and private hospitals provide adequate medical care and facilities for residents. On-the-spot payment is expected in hospitals by local custom.

Hospital Centre S. Januario
Address: Estrada do Visconde de S. Januario
Tel: (853) 3903610 (Emergency), 313731 (Operator)
Fax: (853) 346818 (Emergency)

Kiang Wu Hospital
Address: Estrada do Repouso
Tel: (853) 2950133 (Emergency) 371333 (Operator)
Fax: (853) 2950133 (Emergency)

Hope Medical Clinic
Fu Wah Court, 1-D
26 Ave de Sidonio Pais, 1/F
The medical help is available from 9:30 to 17:00

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Security
999 is the emergency number for the police in the city. You can dial 112 toll free for the police's special hotline. For mainland China please dial 110. For the fire department, dial tel. 853/572222, a toll call.

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Telephone
Public telephone kiosks are available throughout the city at one Pataca coin for five minutes. All telephones in hotels or public kiosks have IDD service. The country code for Macau is 853 and you need to dial 001/853 before the number if calling from Hong Kong. When dialing an international number from Macau, you should first dial 00 and then add 853 and the number you want to call.
Mobile phone rental services are provided by Macau telecom companies. Please dial 1000, 1118 or 1628 to for enquiries.

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Mail
The main post office is located in an old Euro-style building in the downtown area on the main square, Largo do Senado. Different counters in the lobby provide various language services. Most of them provide Cantonese and English. In front of each counter window, there is a small board indicating the language the counter provides. One thing you should bear in mind is that in this postal office, RMB is not acceptable. The office is open on Monday to Friday from 9:00 to 18:00 and Saturday from 9:00 to 13:00.

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Media
Macau publishes journal and weekly newspapers in Chinese, Portuguese and English. However, all TV programs are shown in Chinese and Portuguese.

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Travel to Guangdong 
Visitors can enter Zhuhai or Zhongshan in Guangdong Province through the Barrier Gate at the northern end of the Macau Peninsular. An alternative could be the other is the COTAI Frontier Post at the end of the Lotus Bridge on the island of Taipa. For more information on transport between Macau and Hong Kong, Shenzhen or Guangzhou, please visit our Getting There page.

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