MACAU

Capital: Macau  |  Population: 0.55 million

Country Overview

Welcome to Macau, home to a unique local and visitors’ paradise across the Pearl River Delta from Hong Kong.

As one of the world’s richest cities and with a life expectancy at the top of the charts, Macau is quite a place to call home. A former Portuguese colony, Macau with its sparkling skyscrapers and colorful casinos is a bustling center of tourism and manufacturing.

Like Hong Kong, Macau has special designation as part of China, and enjoys a large amount of autonomy. It runs its own immigration policies, currency, and police force and its population of 560,000 people speak either Chinese or Portuguese.

Daily Life

With the different histories weaved together in Macau between the Chinese, Portuguese and Macanese, the family unit varies throughout the region. While the Chinese place heavy importance on an extended family group, Portuguese and Macanese families are more focused on their nuclear family unit.

Daily life in Macau may include one of a huge variety of festivals or events, a result of a unique blend of cultures and religions coming together. Folks may frequent art festivals, film showings or musical presentations. 

After a day of celebrations, the Macanese may dig into an aromatic feast, featuring flavors like cinnamon and coconut. Seafood is prevalent in their cuisine, and curries, pork buns and traditional Chinese dishes fill their plates and bowls. 

Neih hou

School

Education is free and provided in Macau for fifteen years. It does not have its own universal education system, however, so high schools generally follow the British, Portuguese or Chinese systems. 

When students reach the upper level of secondary school, they often focus their studies in science, commerce or arts.

Teenagers

Because Macau is small and generally safe, teenagers often are able to be out in groups of friends for extended periods of time. They enjoy going to movies, public parks and listening to music. 

After school activities are not widely offered, though private tutoring can be common.