Macau.ca - Macau Cotai strip travel info

Visit Macau and the Cotai strip

Macau is a Special Administrative Region of the People’s Republic of China since 20 December 1999, and, like Hong Kong, benefits from the principle of ‘one country, two systems’. The tiny area is growing in size - with more buildings on reclaimed land - and in the number and diversity of its attractions. The greatest of these continues to be Macau’s unique society, with communities from the East and West complementing each other, and the many people who come to visit.

Area and Location

Macau is located in the Guangdong province, on the western bank of the Pearl River Delta, at latitude 22o 14’ North, longitude 113o 35’ East and connected to the Gongbei District by the Border Gate (Portas do Cerco) isthmus.

The Macau Special Administrative Region has an area of 27.3 sq. km, comprised of the Macau Peninsula (connected to mainland China), the islands of Taipa and Coloane, and the reclaimed area Cotai strip which is currently being developed as an international destination for resorts and casinos.

The three bridges connecting Macau to Taipa are Nobre de Carvalho, the Friendship Bridge, and Sai Van Bridge. The longest one (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 Macau. The double deck bridge has six lanes in the upper deck and four in the lower, which will open when a typhoon hits the city. The islands are connected by a causeway which is 2.2 km long.

Besides the Barrier Gate (Portas do Cerco), visitors can access Mainland China through the Cotai Frontier Post. Immigration and Customs are located in the reclaimed area between the islands of Taipa and Coloane.

Population

The total population is around 461,000 residents, about 95% are ethnic Chinese, from different provinces, namely Guangdong and Fujian. The remaining 5% includes mainly Portuguese and Europeans.

Language

Chinese and Portuguese are the official languages, Cantonese being the most widely spoken. The official languages are used in government departments in all official documents and communications. English is generally used in trade, tourism and commerce.

Safety and Security

Macau is a very safe place. There are police stations and reporting centres throughout the territory and for emergency dial 999. There are also two new 24 hour emergency hotline numbers 110 and 112 meant to facilitate emergency calls by tourists from the mainland and abroad.

Health

Macau is one of the most developed countries in Asia in terms of public health provisions. The average life expectancy is 75 years for men and 79 years for women.

Visitors are not advised to have any particular vaccinations.

Tap water is safe to drink both in Macau and on the islands. Its quality is regularly checked and guaranteed by the Health Department according to international standards.

Besides western medicine, visitors can find several Traditional Chinese Medicine Doctors.

Recent Macau News

Several worldwide hotel chains will join Las Vegas Sands Corp. in developing seven hotel-casinos on the Cotai Strip region of Macau, investing up to $6 billion in the expanding tourism market's initial phase.

World-recognized hotel companies Dorsett Hotel Group, Four Seasons Hotels, Hilton Hotels, InterContinental Hotels, Regal Hotels, Marriott International and Starwood Hotel and Resorts Worldwide - will build and operate six 1,500 room hotels on the Cotai Strip, an area of reclaimed land a few miles from the main stretch of Macau, situated between the islands of Taipa and Coloane and bordered by the South China Sea.

The initial Cotai development is expected to open in 2007/08 with 10,000 hotel rooms, meeting and convention facilities and several theaters, with eventual expansion to 60,000 rooms in the three phase development.