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Macau > Macau travel guide
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Macau Travel Guide



Voltando de Macau



Once a haven for pirates, Macau is full of beautiful beaches, fabulous homes, and top notch hotels. Macau – from Cantonese A-Ma-Gau, means the City of Gold, is often considered to be the “Las Vegas of the East” for its prominence in tourism and gambling. Macau is the oldest surviving European settlement in Asia. It was once a Portu­guese-run territory of China—was used by Portuguese traders as early as the 1550s, which was almost three centuries before the British acquired Hong Kong Island.

Macau is also called the "Latin Orient" for its mix of Portuguese and Chinese cultures; Macau retains a centuries-old sense of adventure and intrigue. The mixture of Portuguese and Chinese cultures is striking. Roman Catholic churches stand next to Chinese temples. Streets with Portu­guese names are lined with the shops of Chinese merchants.

Originally, most of the inhabitants were Portuguese traders and missionaries. Today, Chinese make up 95 percent of the population, and Macanese—Macau-born Portuguese and Eura­sians—make up 3 percent. Another 1 percent is made up of guest work­ers from other nations, especially Thailand. Many Chinese citizens cross the border each day to work in Macau.



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Melanie
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