The administrative division within Macao (Click here for Satellite Image)

Macau is a city on the southern coast of China. It is located at the south of Guangdong Province, on the tip of the peninsula formed by the Zhujiang (Pearl River) estuary on the east and the Xijiang (West River) on the west. Macau is situated sixty kilometers west of Hong Kong and 145 kilometers southwest of Guangzhou, the capital of Guangdong Province. It is immediately adjacent to the Zhuhai Special Economic Zone. Image File history File links Download high resolution version (600x811, 150 KB) The Administrative Division of the Macao Special Administrative Region of the Peoples Republic of China Drawn by Alan Mak File links The following pages link to this file: Macau Geography of Macau List of cities and parishes... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (600x811, 150 KB) The Administrative Division of the Macao Special Administrative Region of the Peoples Republic of China Drawn by Alan Mak File links The following pages link to this file: Macau Geography of Macau List of cities and parishes... Guangdong, often spelt as Kwangtung, is a province on the south coast of the Peoples Republic of China. ... A peninsula in Croatia A peninsula (from the latin words paene insula, almost island) is a geographical landform consisting of an extension of a body of land from a larger body of land, surrounded by water on three sides. ... The Pearl River (珠江 Pinyin: Zhū Jiāng) is Chinas third largest river (2197 km, after Huang He and the Yangtze) located in the south, flowing into the South China Sea between Hong Kong and Macau. ... Rio de la Plata estuary Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Estuaries An estuary is a semi-enclosed coastal body of water with one or more rivers or streams flowing into it, and with a free connection to the open sea[1]. Estuaries are often associated with high rates of... Xi River (西江, pinyin: Xī Jiāng, Postal System Pinyin: Si Kiang, lit. ... Guangzhou is the capital and the sub-provincial city of Guangdong Province in the southern part of the Peoples Republic of China. ... Zhuhai waterfront Zhuhai Campus of Zhongshan University Zhuhai (Chinese: ; pinyin: ; lit. ... A Special Economic Zone (SEZ) is a geographical region that has economic laws different from a countrys typical economic laws. ...

The region comprises the Macau Peninsula and the islands of Taipa and Coloane. Macau was once an island but gradually a connecting sandbar turned into a narrow isthmus. Land reclamation in the 17th century made Macau into a peninsula, and a barrier gate was built to mark the separation between the peninsula and the mainland. Pre-colonial records show that Macau totaled only 2.78 km² but began to increase as a result of Portuguese settlement. Land growth has accelerated since the last quarter of the 20th century, from 15 square kilometers in 1972 to 16.1 square kilometers in 1983 to 21.3 square kilometers in 1994. Macau's size has gradually increased as result of continued land reclamation, especially on Taipa and Coloane. In 2000, the total land area was approximately 23.6 km². There is a 0.34-kilometer-long border between Macau and mainland China and a forty-kilometer-long coastline. Macau Peninsula is the oldest and most populous part of Macau in the Peoples Republic of China. ... Taipa (氹仔島; Cantonese Jyutping; Tam5 Zai2 Dou2; pinyin: DàngzÇŽi DÇŽo) is an island of Macau in the Peoples Republic of China. ... Coloane (Traditional Chinese: 路環島; Simplified Chinese: 路环岛; Pinyin: Lùhuán DÇŽo; Jyutping: Lou6-waan4 Dou2, literally Road Ring Island) is one of the two main islands of Macau in the Peoples Republic of China. ... The Isthmus of Panama connects North and South America. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... ...

Location, Size, Border, and Coastline

Location: Eastern Asia, bordering the South China Sea and China East Asia is a subregion of Asia. ... The South China Sea, showing surrounding countries and neighbouring seas and oceans The South China Sea is a marginal sea south of China. ...

Geographic coordinates: 22°10′N, 113°33′E

Area:
total: 21 km²
land: 21 km²
water: 0 km²

Land boundaries:
total: 0.34 km
border city: Zhuhai, Guangdong Province 0.34 km
Coastline: 40 km
Maritime claims: not specified Zhuhai waterfront Zhuhai Campus of Zhongshan University Zhuhai (Chinese: ; pinyin: ; lit. ... Guangdong, often spelt as Kwangtung, is a province on the south coast of the Peoples Republic of China. ...

Topography

Terrain: generally flat
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: South China Sea 0 m
highest point: Coloane Alto 174 m

Macau has generally flat terrain resulting from extensive land reclamation, but numerous steep hills mark the original natural land mass. The modern high-rise skyline of Macau obscures much of the hilly landscape. The Macau skyline both defines and obscures its topography.

The Macao Peninsula is narrow in shape but varies in terrain: A peninsula in Croatia A peninsula (from the latin words paene insula, almost island) is a geographical landform consisting of an extension of a body of land from a larger body of land, surrounded by water on three sides. ...

The East Ocean Watching Hill, West Ocean Watching Hill, Persimmon Hill, Lotus Hill, Luosi Hill and Qingzhou Hill are famous scenic spots in Macao. The Persimmon Hill used to be a fortress surrounded by stone walls. The fortress, which resembles an imposing European castle, is now a tourist attraction. Standing on the Persimmon Hill, one gains a panoramic view of both Macao and the nearby Zhuhai. Fortifications (Latin fortis, strong, and facere, to make) are military constructions designed for defensive warfare. ... This article is about the continent. ... Pierrefonds Castle, France Castle has a history of scholarly debate surrounding its exact meaning. ... Zhuhai waterfront Zhuhai Campus of Zhongshan University Zhuhai (Chinese: ; pinyin: ; lit. ...

The West Ocean Watching Hill, a tranquil scenic spot, is noted for the cathedral and the bishop's mansion on its top. Viewed from the Nanxi Bay in the distance, particularly against the evening glow, the cathedral and the mansion stand in their full splendor. From the top of the Persimmon Hill, one sees the Nanxi Bay and the high rise buildings there as well as the sea and the sea - spanning bridge. A cathedral is a religious building for worship, specifically of a denomination with an episcopal hierarchy, such as the Roman Catholic, Anglican and some Lutheran churches, which serves as a bishops seat, and thus as the central church of a diocese. ... This article is about a title or office in religious bodies. ... A log bridge in the French Alps near Vallorcine. ...

Map of Macau, Hong Kong and surrounding countries

Map of Macau, Hong Kong and surroundings from http://www. ...

Climate

Subtropical; humid with mild winters, hot summers. Subtropical (or semitropical) areas are those adjacent to the tropics, usually roughly defined as the ranges 23. ...

Although Macau is located in the tropics, the Siberian pressure system in the winter pushes cool air further south than in other areas of the world. Therefore, climate in Macau is best described as subtropical like its neighbor, Hong Kong, rather than tropical. Its average year-round temperature is around 23°C. Summer average temperature is around 30°C and the highest daytime temperature could reach 35°C. However, the heat is generally less intense than many places in mainland China due to the coastal location. Winter average is 16°C and the lowest temperature could drop to 6°C. There is about 2,030 millimeters of rainfall annually.

Macau is exposed to tropical storms originating from the southern Pacific Ocean during the summer. Major destruction occurred in September 1874, when a devastating typhoon hit Macau and high seas swept across the low-lying area of the peninsula. This article is about weather phenomena. ... Cyclone Catarina, a rare South Atlantic tropical cyclone viewed from the International Space Station on March 26, 2004. ...

Prevailing winds and weather types change follow the monsoon pattern. It is warm and moist when the southeast and southwest winds coming from Pacific Ocean, and typhoons are relatively common during summertime; and is dry and slightly cold when the north winds coming from Siberia or the northern part of Mainland China.

During the transition period from northeast monsoon to southwest monsoon (March and April), the weather is moist and foggy. It is Macau's spring season. Summer is from May to September, when the southeast and southwest monsoon prevailing. It is rather hot and rainy. The weather in autumn (the end of September and October) is sunny and warm, when the southwest monsoon withdrawing gradually and the northeast monsoon advancing south. It is generally regarded as the most comfortable season there. Winter is from November to February next year, when the northeast monsoon prevailing. It is mainly dry, with occasional cold fronts arriving.

Natural Resources

Negligible. In the past, large amounts of granite were extracted from Macau's hills for use as building material. Close-up of granite from Yosemite National Park, valley of the Merced River Quarrying granite for the Mormon Temple, Utah Territory. ... // Building material is any material which is used for a construction purpose. ...

Fresh Water

Relying on the water supply of Xijiang River, Macau is at present suffering its worst ever crisis of salinity in freshwater during dry season in 2006 which takes place in late winter and early spring time. The salinity level of freshwater has recently aggrandized far above the standard set up by the World Health Organization or WHO. By the end of 2007, Macau will be able to solve the problem of tap-water supply with relatively high level of salinity after the completion of the Ping Gang project. This project is aimed at shifting the intake of raw-water on the Xijiang River 20 km upstream in order to give a wide berth to the salt tide in the province of Guangdong. Xi River (西江, pinyin: Xī Jiāng, Postal map spelling: Si Kiang, lit. ... For the village on the Isle of Wight, see Freshwater, Isle of Wight. ... For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ... Annual mean sea surface salinity for the World Ocean. ... For the village on the Isle of Wight, see Freshwater, Isle of Wight. ... The World Health Organization (WHO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations that acts as a coordinating authority on international public health, headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland. ... Who can refer to: WHO, World Health Organization The Who, a British rock band The Guess Who, a Canadian rock band who (pronoun), an English language interrogative pronoun. ... 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the Anno Domini era. ... Xi River (西江, pinyin: Xī Jiāng, Postal map spelling: Si Kiang, lit. ... Guangdong, often spelt as Kwangtung, is a province on the south coast of the Peoples Republic of China. ...

Land Use

No arable land, pastures, forest, or woodland. Because of this deficiency, Macau's people traditionally have looked to the sea for their livelihood.

arable land: 0%
permanent crops: 2%
permanent pastures: 0%
forests and woodland: 0%
other: 98% (1998 est.)

The change of total area of Macau (in km square) since the year of 1912: 1912 (MCMXII) was a leap year starting on Monday in the Gregorian calendar (or a leap year starting on Tuesday in the 13-day-slower Julian calendar). ...

Environmental Factors

Dense urban environment.

Geography - note: essentially urban; one causeway and two bridges connect the two islands of Coloane and Taipa to the peninsula on mainland

See also: Geography of China China stretches some 5,000 kilometers across the East Asian landmass in an erratically changing configuration of broad plains, expansive deserts, and lofty mountain ranges, including vast areas of inhospitable terrain. ...