澳门由于被葡萄牙管制400多年这一历史成因，使得回归后的澳门一直与葡语国家在经贸、文化、旅游等多方面保持着广泛和密切的联系，越来越凸显出其作为中国与葡语国家之间的中介作用。澳门特首何厚铧前不久说过，澳门在促进内地与葡语国家之间的经贸合作上，扮演着积极的角色。
“葡语国家”是泛指葡萄牙、巴西、安哥拉、莫桑比克、几内亚比绍、佛得角、圣多美和普林西比和东蒂汶等８个使用葡萄牙语的国家。１９８９年，巴西统佛朗哥建议成立葡语国家共同体。同年，葡语７国首脑在巴西马拉尼翁州首府圣路易斯举行会议，签署了关于建立国际葡萄牙语协会的纪要。会后不久，巴西总统佛朗哥又提出了葡语国家加强跨地区合作的建议，并倡议成立葡语国家共同体。１９９３年，巴西提出了一项共同体制度化计划，得到了其它６国的普遍赞同。此后，葡语７国多次举行圆桌会议，就推进建立葡语国家共同体、共同议会、葡语大学、国际葡语协会等事宜进行了深入的磋商。并于１９９６年７月１７日正式成立了葡语国家共同体。其宗旨是在相互支持、相互尊重的基础上进行政治协商和在经济、文教和社会等领域开展合作。共同体内国家不分大小，地位一律平等。共同体的最高机构是国家和政府首脑会议。此外，还设有一个由成员国外长组成的常设理事会和一个由各成员国国民议会代表组成的议会。共同体由巴西、葡萄牙、佛得角、几内亚比绍、莫桑比克、安哥拉、圣多美和普林西比７国组成。２００２年７月３１日，首脑会议决定接纳东帝汶民主共和国成为该组织的正式成员国。葡语８国地跨南美、欧洲和非洲，面积约１０７１万平方公里，人口逾２亿。这些国家都以葡萄牙语为官方语言，文化关系密切，相互间存在着历史缘由造成的“特殊的传统关系”。
澳门与葡语系国家四百多年来的密切交往与联系，使澳门社会文化烙上了葡语文化的深深烙印

a like ‘a’ in ‘cat’ except when on the stressed syllable, when it is more like the ‘a’ in ‘father’.
â like ‘a’ in ‘cat’
á sometimes like the ‘a’ in ‘cat’, sometimes like the ‘a’ in ‘father’
ã similar to ‘an’ in ‘angry’
e like ‘e’ in ‘net’ except when used as a word on its own without an accent or at the end of a word which is followed by a word that starts with a vowel, when it is pronounced like ‘e’ in ‘people’, or if it is followed by another vowel (in the same word), when it is more like the ‘e’ in ‘chalet’ (more of an ‘ay’ than an ‘e’).
ê like ‘e’ in ‘net’, or a cross between the ‘ea’ of ‘ear’ and the ‘ai’ of ‘air’.
êm like a more nasal version of the ‘en’ in ‘engine’
é like ‘e’ in ‘net’, or like the ‘e’ in ‘chalet’.
ém like ‘an’ in ‘angel’
em like ‘an’ in ‘angel’
i like ‘i’ in simple, but with a very slightly longer sound (tending towards the ‘ee’ of ‘free’).
o usually like ‘o’ in ‘hot’ when stressed, but when on its own or at the end of a word, it is like a weak version of the ‘o’ in ‘who’. Use of the close pronunciation (like the ‘oa’ in ‘coal’) is often impossible to determine except by careful listening practice – unless of course the circumflex (^) is used.
ó like ‘o’ in ‘hot’
ô like ‘oa’ in ‘coal’
u like the last ‘u’ in ‘kung fu’.