People and Languages
Macau's population consists of mostly Han Chinese (95%) and Portuguese (2%), with a minority of other ethnicities. Although both Chinese (Cantonese) and Portuguese are the official languages of the region, most of the residents speak Cantonese. Currently there is only one school in Macau where Portuguese is the medium of instruction.
The Macanese language, generally known as Patuá, is a distinctive Creole that is still spoken by several dozen Macanese, an ethnic group of mixed Asian and Portuguese ancestry that accounts for a small percentage of Macau's population.
Signs in Macau are displayed in both Traditional Chinese and Portuguese. In contrast to mainland China, Macau, along with Hong Kong and Taiwan, generally does not use Simplified Chinese Characters.
Read more about this topic: Languages Of Macau
Famous quotes containing the words people and/or languages:
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“It is time for dead languages to be quiet.”
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