Posted
on December 20, 2013
It
was the last European colony in Asia. It is the world's biggest
gambling center. It is one of the world's richest cities.
And I've rarely run across the name “Macau”!
On
this date in 1999, Macau ceased being ruled by Portugal; it became
the second Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of
China. (The first, in 1997, was Hong Kong, which is just a ferry ride
away from Macau.) Like Hong Kong, Macau keeps its own legal system,
police force, and money, and in many ways it is an independent nation
(a sort of city-state). However, China is responsible for its defense
and foreign affairs.
 |
| This facade is all that is left of Macau's St. Paul's Cathedral. It looks flat and empty because it IS flat and empty! |
Macau
has its own dialect of Portuguese (Macanese Portuguese) and a creole
language known as Palua. (A creole is a true language created from
two languages, in this case of course Portuguese and Cantonese
Chinese.) Even though there are mixtures of language, the population
is almost entirely Chinese.
Why
is Macau so very rich? Why is it such a popular tourist destination
that its entire economy is based on tourism? So popular that, for
several years at least, construction companies were building 16 new
hotel rooms PER DAY in Macau!
Well,
it's the only place in China where you can legally gamble. And there
are more than a billion people living in China!
Macau
is sort of the Las Vegas of China. The largest casino in Macau, the
Venetian, is owned by the Las Vegas Sands. And guess what? It is the
largest casino in the world (and the sixth largest building of any
kind).
Also
on this date:
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