The Macau Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China ( ; Portuguese: Região Administrativa Especial de Macau da República Popular da China ^*, abbreviated as RAEM), commonly known as Macau or Macao (, or informally known as 馬交; see Names), is a small territory on the southern coast of China. Administered by Portugal until 1999, it was the oldest European colony in China, dating to the 16th century. The administrative power (in Portuguese "poder administrativo") over Macau was transferred to the People's Republic of China (PRC) in 1999, and it is now one of two special administrative regions of the PRC, together with Hong Kong. As stipulated in the Sino-Portuguese Joint Declaration of 1987 and provided for under the Basic Law of Macau, Macau is guaranteed its special administrative region status for at least 50 years starting from December 20, 1999. Macau has played a unique and influential role in relations between China and the West, especially between the late 16th and 19th centuries.

Residents of Macau mostly speak Cantonese natively; Portuguese, Mandarin, English, Fujianese, Filipino, Thai, and several other languages are also spoken. The Macanese language, which is generally known as "Patuá", is a distinctive Creole that is still spoken by several dozen Macanese, an ethnic group of mixed Asian and Portuguese ancestry that accounts for about two per cent of Macau's population. (However, Macanese is sometimes also used in the broader sense to describe any permanent resident of Macau.)

Besides historical Chinese and Portuguese world-heritage relics, Macau's biggest attraction is its gambling industry and casinos. Though many forms of gambling are legal here, the most popular game is baccarat, which generates over two thirds of the gaming industry's gross receipts. Gamblers from Hong Kong often take one-day excursions to Macau; ferry service by hydrofoil to and from Hong Kong is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Most gamblers come from mainland China, Hong Kong and Taiwan.

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BBC News | Asia-Pacific | World Edition

Direct China-Taiwan flights begin
Fri, 04 Jul 2008 03:22:40 -0000
The first regular direct flight from mainland China to Taiwan for nearly 60 years lands at Taipei's airport.
Bush to attend Olympic ceremony
Thu, 03 Jul 2008 21:06:16 -0000
US President George W Bush will attend the opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympics, the White House says.
Indonesia arrests bomb suspects
Thu, 03 Jul 2008 15:53:20 -0000
Ten men suspected of planning bomb attacks in Indonesia are arrested in Sumatra.
China confirms Tibet envoy talks
Thu, 03 Jul 2008 10:34:35 -0000
China confirms an official met envoys of the Dalai Lama, in its first statement on two-day talks this week in Beijing.
Three killed in Philippine attack
Thu, 03 Jul 2008 04:14:24 -0000
Three people are killed and 10 injured in suspected communist rebel attack in the Philippines, officials say.
Diamonds hint at 'earliest life'
Wed, 02 Jul 2008 17:13:24 -0000
Tiny slivers of diamond discovered in Australia may contain the earliest traces of life on Earth, a study finds.

NYT > Asia Pacific

China Agrees to More Talks on Tibet
Thu, 03 Jul 2008 15:35:20 -0000
Tibetan envoys left Beijing on Thursday after two days of private meetings with a pledge for more talks.
9 Terrorism Suspects Held in Indonesia
Thu, 03 Jul 2008 15:53:18 -0000
Indonesian police transferred nine suspected terrorists, bound and wearing black hoods, to Jakarta after their arrest in southern Sumatra.
Mongolia Enforces Martial Law in Capital Amid Political Unrest
Thu, 03 Jul 2008 04:18:18 -0000
Armed soldiers enforced martial law on the streets of Mongolia’s capital on Wednesday, a day after five people were killed as hundreds angered by election results rioted.

L.A. Times - Asia

China holds more talks with Dalai Lama's envoys
Thu, 03 Jul 2008 11:55:00 -0700
Add locusts to China's list of calamities
Thu, 03 Jul 2008 00:00:00 -0700
U.S. businessman released from China prison
Thu, 03 Jul 2008 00:00:00 -0700

UN News Centre - Asia Pacific

Addressing alma mater, Ban urges Koreans to do more to tackle global challenges
Thu, 03 Jul 2008 00:00:00 -0500
On his first visit to the Republic of Korea since becoming United Nations Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon today called on his fellow countrymen to play a larger role in addressing pressing global challenges such as climate change, rising food and energy prices and terrorism.
Ongoing violence taking heavy toll on Afghanistan's children, says UN envoy
Thu, 03 Jul 2008 00:00:00 -0500
The ongoing violence in Afghanistan is taking a heavy toll on the nation's children, who continue to be the victims of attacks, recruited and used as combatants and sexually abused, the United Nations envoy for children and armed conflict said today at the end of a five-day visit.
Mongolia must ensure basic human rights during state of emergency - UN
Thu, 03 Jul 2008 00:00:00 -0500
United Nations human rights officials have called on authorities in Mongolia, where a state of emergency has been imposed in the wake of post-electoral violence, to exercise restraint and ensure that fundamental human rights are protected.

Asia - Pacific - International Herald Tribune

On exhibit in China's art museums: Growing pains
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Art institutions seem caught in the tension between self-images: the sovereign civilization apart on one hand, and the ambitious scrambler in the global game on the other.
Mongolia capital cleans up debris after deadly rioting
Thu, 03 Jul 2008 21:49:45 -0000
It was the second day of a state of emergency called after at least five people died in rioting sparked by allegations of election fraud.
Mongolia enforces martial law in capital amid political unrest
By Jim Yardley Thu, 03 Jul 2008 11:59:21 -0000
Armed soldiers enforced martial law on the streets of Mongolia's capital on Wednesday, a day after five people were killed as hundreds angered by election results rioted.
9 suspected terrorists arrested in Sumatra are taken to Jakarta
By PETER GELLING Thu, 03 Jul 2008 21:49:45 -0000
A raid Wednesday turned up more than a dozen homemade bombs and a cache of ammunition, indicating plans for a major attack.
A Falun Gong welcome for mainland visitors to Taiwan
By JONATHAN ADAMS Thu, 03 Jul 2008 21:49:45 -0000
The tourists are encountering members of a sect that has been banned on the mainland since 1999, but who can speak and gather freely in democratic Taiwan.
Recognition for a people who faded as Japan grew
By NORIMITSU ONISHI Thu, 03 Jul 2008 21:49:45 -0000
Only a few weeks ago the Japanese government finally, and unexpectedly, recognized the Ainu, who live on Japan's northernmost island, as an "indigenous people."

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