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Culture of Macau Wikipedia

Macau's population consists of mostly Han Chinese with a minority (less than 5%) Portugal|Portuguese. The legal language until the handover from Portugal to the People's Republic of China in 1999 was Portuguese language|Portuguese. The primary language of the population is Cantonese (linguistics)|Cantonese. Mandarin (linguistics)|Mandarin is also spoken when necessary because it is the official language of China.

Image:Macau-Chinese&Portugese.jpg|thumb|right|200px|A sign in both Chinese and Portugese in Macau- Actually, "主教座堂辦公室" (in Chinese) or "Cart?rio Da S?" (in Portugese) means "The Office of the Cathedral."
The signs in both Chinese and Portugese can be seen everywhere in Macau. However, English is becoming more important in Macau, while Portugese is becoming less important. In recent years, there are more signs in Chinese, Portugese and English in Macau.

The primary religion is Buddhism, but only half of Macau is Buddhist. Christianity has a large influence over the non-Buddhist areas.

The primary economy of the region is said to be tourism, but many reports show that 40-50% of the regional business is in gambling. There is also a strong business in trade between China and other countries. That trade is weakening as the process of joining Macau to China continues (it should be complete by 2050).

Last Modified:   2005-04-13