What other customs and geographical knowledge do you know about Macao?

As a part of China, the Macao Special Administrative Region is located on the southeast coast of Chinese mainland, on the west bank of the Pearl River Delta, adjacent to Guangdong Province, 60 kilometers away from Hong Kong and 0/45 kilometers away from Guangzhou/KLOC. Local time is 8 hours earlier than Greenwich Mean Time.

zone

Due to land reclamation along the coast, the total area of Macao is constantly expanding. It has gradually expanded from 10.28 square kilometers in the 9th century to 28.6 square kilometers today, accounting for about one fortieth of Hong Kong and one third of Singapore. Does Macao include the Macao Peninsula? Two outlying islands, Cai and Green Ring. The peninsula is connected with Chinese mainland in the north, and connected with Caribbean Bridge, Friendship Bridge and Xiwan Bridge in the south. Subjoin; As for it? Caihe Sixth Ring Road is 2.2 kilometers long and has 6 lanes. Continuous roads are connected.

Human population

In the first quarter of 2007, the estimated permanent population of Macao was 5,365,438+0,400. The population density is per square kilometer 1858 1 person. The northern part of Macao Peninsula is one of the most densely populated urban areas in the world.

According to the preliminary results of the 2006 by-census, in August 2009, 65,438+0.2% of Macao residents were women. In terms of age, 15.2% is 15 years old and below, 77.7% is 15 years old to 64 years old, and 7% is 65 years old and above. The average life expectancy of both men and women is over 79 years.

According to the by-census in 2006, among the 502,000 residents, 93.8% are China residents, 65,438+0.7% are Portuguese and 2% are Filipinos. The official languages of Macao are Chinese and Portuguese. More than 95% of Macao residents use Chinese as their daily language, while only 0.6% use Portuguese. The rest use English, Filipino and other languages.

According to the by-census in 2006, more than 78% of the population have lived in Macao for more than ten years. As for the place of birth, 42.5% of the residents were born in Macau, 47. 1% in Chinese mainland and 65,438+00.4% in other places.

climate

Macao's climate is hot and humid, with a large temperature difference throughout the year. The temperature can be as high as 30 degrees Celsius from June to September and as low as10-4 degrees Celsius in February, but the average temperature is rarely lower than 14 degrees Celsius. During the annual typhoon season, Macao may be affected by tropical systems from the South China Sea and the Northwest Pacific Ocean.

Geography and population of Macao

Location, scope, zoning and area

Macau is located on the southeast coast of Chinese mainland, west of the Pearl River Estuary. Its latitude and longitude positions are: east longitude113 32' 47 ",north latitude 2211'51".5 (depending on the Yangshan Mountain in the east of the peninsula). Macao faces Hong Kong across the sea to the east, forming a trumpet that grips the throat of the Pearl River Estuary. There is water between the west and Wanchai, Zhuhai City, Guangdong Province, and the Haojiang waterway between them is only 1000 meters wide. After crossing the inner and outer cross gates in the south, there is the vast South China Sea. The north is connected with Gongbei of Zhuhai by an ancient sand dike, and the land boundary is only 240 meters long.

Macao is only 6 1 km from Hong Kong in the east and 105 km from Guangzhou in the north, which is a straight line distance. The three places are separated by the outer edge of the Pearl River Estuary (see figure 1. 1). The Pearl River is the fourth largest river in China, and the Xijiang River is its longest trunk. From Macao, you can reach Zhaoqing and Wuzhou along the Xijiang River, and there are rich products along the way. The Pearl River Delta, with developed transportation and prosperous economy, is not only in South China, but also one of the richest areas in China. Macao, with the Pearl River Delta and the middle and lower reaches of Xijiang River as its hinterland, is adjacent to two major cities, Hong Kong and Guangzhou, and two special economic zones, Zhuhai and Shenzhen. Such a geographical location plays an important role in its economic development.

On a larger scale, Macao's position in East Asia is also medium (see figure 1.2). It happens to be the relay point of Southeast Asia and Northeast Asia, about 2800 kilometers northeast of Tokyo, about 2600 kilometers southwest of Singapore, and only 1 200 kilometers southeast of Manila. Such a moderate geographical position has established Macao's important position in the East-West trade in the 16 and 17 centuries.

Macao area includes Macao Peninsula, Taipa Island and Green Island (Figure 1.3). The distance between north and south is 1 1.8km, and the distance between east and west is 4.4km The range starts from east longitude 1 13 34' 47 ",east longitude 1 13 35' 20" and south latitude 2206. The total land area is 17.438+06 square kilometers. The area around the island is the largest, with 7.087 square kilometers; The Macao Peninsula is second, with 6.45 square kilometers; Taipa Island is the smallest, with only 3.779 square kilometers. ①

The Macao Peninsula is shaped like a boot, and it is northeast-southwest trending. The long axis is about 4 kilometers from Guanzha in the northeast to Magezui in the southwest, and the short axis is about 2 kilometers from the northwest to the southeast from the seaside in Shalitou to the Oriental Hotel on Friendship Avenue. The narrow river (Haojiang) on the west side is the inner port, and the east side faces the outer port of the Pearl River Estuary. Located in downtown Macao, Peninsula is the political, economic and cultural center of Australia, where most industries, businesses and population are concentrated. The Macao Peninsula is divided into five districts, and each district is named after the main church in the district (in fact, they were originally parishes of the Catholic Church). The names and areas of each district (measured according to the scale map of Macao Peninsula 1 10,000 published by Macao Surveying and Mapping Cadastral Department 1986) are as follows:

Huawangtang District (San Antonio District) 1.072 km2

0.655 square kilometers in Wangdetang District

Fengshuntang District (Shenglao Lengzuotang District) is 0.844 square kilometers.

The lobby area is 1.055 square kilometers.

Matang District, Huadi covers an area of 2.424 square kilometers.

Located in the northern part of the peninsula, Huadimatang District has the largest area, including Qingzhou, Taishan, Racecourse, Chopsticks Base, Wang Xia, Heishan Bay and Xingang Reservoir. Wangdetang District is in the middle of the peninsula, with the smallest area, including Holland Garden, Tashi and Songshan Mountain (looking east at Yangshan Mountain). Huawangtang District is located on the west side of the peninsula, including Shagang, Xinqiao and Shali. The famous St. Paul's archway, the Great Fort and the Bird's Nest Garden are all in this area. The lobby area is located in the southeast of the peninsula, including Xingang, Nanwan new reclamation area, the end of the puddle and the long and narrow section between Xinma Road and Caodui Street. Fengshuntang District is located at the southwest end of the peninsula southwest of Xinma Road, including Ding Gang, Xia Huan, Mage, Xiwan and the west section of Nanwan.

Taipa Island is located about 2.5km south-southeast of Macau Peninsula and about 800- 1, 200m west of Xiaoqinheng Island in Zhuhai. The road ring is located about 2 kilometers south of Taipa Island and is connected by a continuous road with a length of about 2,225 meters. To the west of the island is Daqinheng Island in Zhuhai, with the narrowest part less than 300 meters apart. Due to the inconvenient transportation in the past, the two outlying islands of Taipa and Luhuan have not been developed for a long time, with few residents. 1974, the 2,500-meter-long Aodang Bridge was completed and opened to traffic, thus connecting the two outlying islands with the Macao Peninsula. In recent years, the northern part of Taizai has developed rapidly. The University of Macau (formerly the University of East Asia), the highest institution in Macau, is located here. The international airport and the deep-water port have been built in Taipa and the Sixth Ring Road respectively, and the second 3900-meter-long bridge has been built to connect with the international airport, which will certainly further promote the development of the two islands.

The origin of the name

Macao, also known as Haojiang, is called Macao by the Portuguese (translated in Chinese as Majiao and spelled in English as Macao). These names all have their origins.

Hao Jing, originally an oyster mirror, is the real name of Macau. It is named after the circular bays on the east and west sides of the Macao Peninsula (after many times of reclamation, the coastline gradually becomes flat). Whenever there is a calm moonlit night, the sea water is silver and smooth as a mirror, just like the inner wall of an oyster shell. Macao and its vicinity are rich in oysters (called oysters in Cantonese), and the inner wall of their shells is smooth and bright as a mirror, which is called oyster mirror. Macao got its name from this. Qu Dajun, one of the three outstanding figures in Lingnan in the late Ming and early Qing Dynasties, wrote in his Cantonese New Talk: "The oyster mirror ... goes to the southeast of Xiangshan 120, and the south and north bays are surrounded by seawater." ② Later, because of the vulgar word "oyster", the oyster mirror was changed to Hao mirror. The book "A Brief History of Macao" published during the reign of Qing Qianlong said: "There are two bays in the north and south, which can be berthed or the South Ring Road. The second bay gauge is as round as a mirror, so it is a mirror. " (3) One of the authors of this book, Yin's poem "When will the bright moon open and when will the mirror clear" sings the beauty of the moonlit night.

Hao Jing used to be called "Oyster". This has been clearly explained in Cantonese New Language. "Where ships are parked, we should regard the waterfront Bay Ring as Australia. Those people from Australia are also from abroad. Therefore, Xiangshan has Australia. This is the so-called Bai Lang, which is more than 100 miles wide. From Jiajing to Jiajing, there were many waves and waves, bribing the parties to seek a mirror for Australia. " (4) It can be seen that "Macao" is the name given to the bays where ships are moored in the Ming Dynasty, such as Bai Lang Bay, Guang Hai Bay, Tuen Mun Bay and Haojing Bay. At that time, Xiangshan County also had the habit of calling Xiangshan Australians all Australians. But later, all Australians were abolished and kept Hao's mirror, so the name of Xiangshan Australia was later referred to Hao's mirror. In addition, because the Beibu Gulf in Macau is actually just a section of river, the nickname of Haojiang is taken from Haojiang. There are also aliases such as Haijing, Jinghai and Jinghu, which are also evolved from Haojing.

As for the name of Macao, there are two versions: "When it was called Macao, there were four mountains in southern Australia, and the sea crossed through them, which was called the Cross Gate, so it was called Macao. Or Australia has South Taiwan Province and North Taiwan Province, and the two mountains are like clouds. " ⑤ The four mountains in South Australia are the big and small Hengqin, the four islands of Prince and Luhuan, and the South Mount Tai and the North Mount Tai refer to Master Mountain and Lianfeng Mountain. Either way, Macao got its name because Hao's mirror became "Macao" and looked like a "door", so it was collectively called "Macao". From this point of view, Hao Jing's name comes first, while Macau's name comes last. However, after the Qing Dynasty, Macau became an ordinary name, but Hao Jing's real name became an alias.

There are different opinions about the explanation of Portuguese saying Macao, and it is still inconclusive. One said that when the Portuguese first arrived in Macau, they stopped at the seaside of the Magician Temple today. When I asked the local residents, I realized that it was called a girl's foot and mistakenly thought it was the name of Macao. This view is generally accepted by westerners, and many of China's works also hold this view. Another way of saying it is named after Ma Jiaoshi in the northeast corner of Macao, but some people say it is a border meeting. There is also a view that it is actually just the antithesis of the word "Bokou" in Fujian dialect.

The two outlying islands, Taipa Island and Green Island, had different place names in history. In the "General Plan of Coastal Defence" at the beginning of "Introduction to Macao", Taipa Island and Green Island are written respectively. However, in the description of the four islands that make up the Crossgate in The Situation, Taipa Island and Green Island are called Ji Jing and Jiu Ao ⑥. According to some local cultural relics, during 200-300 years, Tangzai was called Longtouwan (pronounced as "Huan" in Cantonese), Tanzai and Tangzai, and the road ring was called Huanhuan, Luwan and Yanzao Bay.