Macao

City Hong Kong, China

Macau is one of the special administrative regions of China along with Hong Kong. The local economy is heavily dependent on gambling and tourism, but also includes manufacturing activities. A former Portuguese colony, Macao was annexed by Portugal from the mid-16th century until 1999, the last European colony in Asia.

Portuguese traders settled in Macao as early as 1550 and in 1557 Macao became part of Portugal as a trading port to the Chinese Empire. However, the Portuguese administration of the city remained under Chinese authority and sovereignty until 1887, when Macau became a colony of the Portuguese Empire. Sovereignty over Macao reverted to China on December 20, 1999.