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Macao, the first and last European colony , is owned by Portugal till the 20 of December 1999, then China will get this territory. After that Macao will be a special administrative region for 50 years like Hongkong. Macao with its 450 000 inhabitants is also situated on the isle Taipa where the new airport was built during 1995.
The main state income is based on gambling which is forbidden in Hongkong and so a lot of people come to Macao on a one day trip for gambling. The gambling tax is exactly the half of the whole state income. Casinos like the Oriental Mandarin, Kingsway and Lisboa are the most famous ones and are most attended.
Official the Governor Vasco Rocha Vieira is governing Macao, but some multimillionaires are more important than him and have more influence.
A lot of skyscrapers have been built in the last few years but there are also a few old buildings of the colony's time left. These buildings are situated around the "Largo de Senado". One landmark of Macao is the church of Sao Paulo. It has been the centre of the religion in the East. Another famous church is the temple of the A - MA, she is a Chinese god and she gave the name to Macao.
But on the other hand Macao has its own beach (Hoc Sa Beach) and this is very rare in this territory; the beach is on Colonae, the second isle of Macao. Colonae and Taipa are connected by two bridges, they are about 2 - 3 km long.
Macao will remain the last European colony till the 20 of December 1999.
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