Population
The total population as on December 99, is estimated at 438,100 with about 95% of the population Chinese and 5% Portuguese, Europeans and from other regions.

Language
Portuguese and Chinese are the two official languages, with Cantonese the most widely spoken. English is Macau's third language and is generally used in trade, tourism and commerce.

Currency
The pataca (often writtern as MOP) composed of 100 avos is the official unit of currency in Macau. It is available in coins and banknotes in denominations of:
Coins: 10, 20, 50 avos; l & 5 patacas.
Banknotes: 20, 50, 100, 500 & 1,000 patacas.
The Macau pataca can be freely converted into Portuguese escudos or Chinese yuan. It is pegged to the Hong Kong dollar - which is circulated freely in Macau - at the rate of 103.20 patacas = HK$ 100.00, with a permissible variation of up to 10%. US$1 buys 8 patacas.