Macau is officially a Chinese territory under Portuguese administration. It has its own government structure, which is endowed with political and legislative power and enshrined in the Organic Statue of Macau.

The Governor is appointed by the President of the Portuguese Republic and is aided by an Advisory Council. In his executive functions, the Governor is assisted by a maximum of seven Under-Secretaries in charge of relevant sectors of administration.

Macau enjoys economic, financial, and judicial autonomy. However, under the Sino-Portuguese Joint Declaration of Macau, signed in April 1987, the government of the People's Republic of China will take over sovereignty of the territory on December 20, 1999. Subsequently, the Special Administrative Region of Macau (RAEM) will be instituted, which will be governed according to the Basic Law.

The pataca (composed of 100 avos) is the official unit of currency. It is pegged to the Hong Kong Dollar at almost the same value. Nonetheless, HK Dollars are widely accepted. Patacas are available in coins and banknotes in denominations of 10, 20, and 50 avos, as well as 1 and 5 patacas (coins) and 10, 20, 50, 100, 500 and 1,000 patacas (notes).

Macau offers visitors the convenience of modern banking. Licensed banks, finance companies, and Automated Teller Machines (ATM) are available throughout the country. Any ATM exhibiting Visa, MasterCard, or America Express symbols will be able to provide cash withdrawal services.

The region's central bank is The Monetary and Foreign Exchange of Macau. Banking hours are from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on Mondays to Fridays, and from 9:30 a.m. to noon on Saturdays.

Foreign currencies can be exchanged in any of the hotels, banks, and licensed moneychangers that are widely available in the city. The Macau International Airport also has a 24 hour automatic currency exchange service.

Since Macau's climate is mild, there are no endemic diseases. International Inoculation Certificates are normally not required unless cholera has been detected in either Hong Kong or Macau or in the area recently visited by the visitor.

There are two hospitals in Macau with a total of 984 beds. Health centers are also available with seven in Macau, one in Taipa Island, and one in Coloane. All four and five star hotels have in-house medical facilities.

Macau has developed its postal services to the highest international standard. The General Post Office is located at Leal Senado Square. It is open from 9:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Mondays to Fridays and from 9:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on Saturdays.

There are post offices, open from 10:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Mondays to Saturdays, at the Macau Jetfoil Terminal and Macau International Airport. The Macau Postal Services have 15 automatic vending machines in different parts of the city. Most hotels offer postal facilities for guests' letters and packages, as well as packing services.

Cotton or light clothing is recommended for the summer. Woolen clothing and a topcoat may be required for the winter. Sweaters and jackets are sometimes necessary for the cooler evenings from March to May and September to November.

Visitors to Macau must travel with valid passports and travel documents. If travel arrangements were made through an agent, the visa processing would be handled by Macau tour operators.

Visas are required by all nationalities. For a stay of less than 20 days, visas are not required for nationals of: EEC countries (Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Portugal, Republic of Ireland, Spain, Sweden and United Kingdom), Australia, Brazil, Canada, India, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Norway, Philippines, Singapore, South Africa, South Korea, Switzerland, Taiwan, Thailand, United States of America, and Uruguay.

Hong Kong residents with Hong Kong Identity Cards or Hong Kong Permanent Identity Cards are allowed a visit of up to 90 days. Those with a Hong Kong re-entry permit are allowed to stay for up to 20 days.

Visas may also be obtained from Portuguese Consulates. Nationals of countries that do not maintain diplomatic relations with Portugal must obtain their visas from Portuguese Consulates outside Macau. However, Macau tour operators will handle visa processing if your travel arrangements are made through an agent.

Visitors may be subject to a routine check upon arrival. There is a 5% ad valorem duty on importation of electrical appliances and equipment. Imports of arms and ammunitions and noxious drugs are strictly controlled.

On departure, there are no export duties on any articles.

The weather in the territory is moderately hot, with an average annual temperature of just over 20° C and a yearly mean variation between 6 to 25° C with high humidity in summer (April - September). Humidity percentages range from 73 to 90%. Do expect an occasional short period of heavy rains and sporadic tropical storms.

A good time to go to Macau would be during the autumn season, which is from October to December, when days are sunny and warm and the humidity low. Winter is from January to March and it can get cold, but one can expect to have some periods of clear skies as well.

To date, the population of Macau is approximately 450,000, of which 95% are Chinese nationals and 5% Portuguese, Europeans, and other nationals.

A majority of the population live in the Macau peninsula. The two islands are places where people can go to relax, especially Coloane, which is the garden of the Territory, where there are lots of parks and greenery.