Overview

Geographical Location

The Macao Special Administrative Region (MSAR) is an integral part of the People's Republic of China. Situated at the mouth of the Pearl River Delta (PRD) and bordering on Guangdong province, Macao is 60 kilometers from Hong Kong.

Area

Macao has grown in land area of 33.3 square kilometers, including the Macao peninsula, Taipa Island and Coloane. The Hengqin campus of the University of Macau covers an area of one square kilometers.

Population

The population of Macao is estimated to be 688,300.

Chinese and Portuguese are the official languages of Macao, and more than 81 percent of the population speak Cantonese. Portuguese is spoken by about 2.3 percent of the population. Putonghua and English are spoken by 45 percent and 22.7 percent of the population, respectively.

Climate

Macao is situated in a subtropical zone, with the Asian continent to the north and a wide tropical sea to the south. In winter, Macao experiences a north wind, cold and dry weather and low rainfall, due to a cold continental high-pressure system at medium and high latitudes. In summer, Macao is mainly subject to southwesterly winds, hot and wet weather and heavy rainfall, due to the influence of oceanic tropical weather systems.

Macao has an average annual temperature of 22.8ºC. The coolest month is January, when it averages 15.2ºC. Most years, Macao has a short, cold weather period when temperatures fall below 5ºC. The average monthly temperature exceeds 22ºC during seven months of the year.

Macao is frequently hit by typhoons. The typhoon season starts in May and ends in October, with July to September as its peak period.