Macau

Macau is the capital of one of the two special administrative regions of China. Together with Hong Kong, Macau became part of the political map of China, but Hong Kong remains within a separate administrative region. As a consequence, the movement of Chinese is limited and they can enter the city-states only through visas.

Macau is situated on the eponymous peninsula and the two islands that are already related, Taipa and Coloane, in the western Pearl River Delta, which marks the current and foreseeable economic giant placement of the Guangdong Province - 10 - million Guangzhou. This global shopping center borders with Macau to the north, and borders the South China Sea in Macau to the east and south.

In turn, the islands Taipa and Colone are connected with bridges between 2, 5 and 4, 5 km long. Macao is a city of contrasts - its coastal zone is beautiful and glittering, while inside, the city reveals many of its negative persons. Today tourism and gambling are the two major items in the economy of Macau. It has a population of about 544, 600 people.

Access to Macau is only by air and water. The most frequent flights are from Taiwan, because China and Taiwan do not support direct diplomatic relations. This requires all travelers to pass through or Macau or Hong Kong. By ferry to Macau come mostly people coming from Hong Kong. On the other hand there is heavy traffic on the border with China, known as the "Mainland", as they call mainland China. Daily, the two land borders serve around 60, 000 people.

Macau was colonized by the Portuguese in 1557 and is the first European colony in the Far East. Official status - City of God's name Macao, Macao received in 1640 under the slogan "One country, two systems". It became a "special administrative region" with a guaranteed return of economic freedom in the former Portuguese colony to China.

Since 1999, Macau is a region with special status within the PRC. As a former Portuguese colony of Macau is a city with many architectural and historical landmarks of the colonial era, some of which are listed as UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

Often the city is called Monte Carlo of the Orient because casinos and gambling are the hallmark of Macau. Already in 2006, Macau surpasses Las Vegas in revenue, earning nearly $ 7 billion, taking into account growth of 22% per year. The oldest Casino is Lisboa and has existed for nearly 40 years as its modern face is the Grand Lisboa. It is an American investment worth 384 million dollars and has the form of a multi-storey building and was inspired by the famous Faberge eggs. One of the largest casinos in the world is the Sands Macao and The town has many gambling houses.

Due to the lack of territory Macau is constantly growing on artificial land in the sea. The city annually holds many colorful festivals, which result from the fusion of ancient Chinese and Portuguese culture. The biggest festival in Macau is in November – the Macau Grand Prix.

Then the main streets in Macao are turned into tracks and resemble those in Monaco. Other annual events in Macau are the Arts Festival is in March, the international fireworks contest in September, the International Music Festival in October or November and the International Marathon in December.

The historic Center of Macau includes about twenty-five historic monuments and public squares, which are officially listed as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 2005. You should be walking around, because it is filled with churches, temples, castles and other old buildings .

The old part of Macau is like a maze of narrow streets. One of the interesting sights of Macau is the statue of Budha, located near the beach and casino Sands Macau. This is a statue of a Chinese deity that resembles a sculpture of the Virgin Mary. Villages of Taipa and Coloane, which were previously fishing hamlets are now nice to discover with their narrow streets, surrounded by colonial buildings and many shops.