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Cathedral of Saint Paul in Macao (Sao Paulo Church)

Ten Interesting Facts About Macau

1. Macau is the only place in China where you can gamble legally.

2. Fifty percent of Macau’s revenue comes from gambling, and 20% of its population are employed by the casinos.

3. Macau is the last Asian country to remain a European colony. The last Portuguese governor left it in 1999.

4. It was also the first Asian country ever to be colonized, when the Portuguese came in the 16th century.

5. Macau once served as the trafficking point for Chinese slaves being brought to Portugal to be sold.

6. Cycle rickshaws, locally called trishaw, were once the primary transport method in Macau. Now, tourists and foreigners use them for exploring.

7. Macau’s thriving tourism industry called for the construction of new hotel rooms at a rate of 16.4 a day until the year 2009.

8. If you would piece together the land masses Macau has added to its territory since 1998, it would approximately be equal to the size of 700 football arenas.

9. Although Macau is now under China, it still maintains its own currency and border controls.

10. Flights from mainland China to Macau are still treated as international flights.