THE MARVELLOUS MACAU # 20ThingsILoveAboutMacao
1) In addition to being Macau's largest natural beach, 4,000 year old ceramics were also excavated from the the Hac Sa Beach or Black Sandy Bay beach.
95 percent of the total population of Macau is Chinese.
3) It is the only place in China where gambling is allowed
4) The Cathedral of St. Paul, built by Jesuits around 1580-1625 AD formed Macau's 'acropolis' and was the largest Catholic church of its time in East Asia.
5) It has its own dialect of Portuguese called "Macanese Portuguese" and a distinctive creole generally known as "Patu"
6) The Historic Centre of Macau inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2005 is actually a collection of 25 historic monuments and public squares which bore witness to the assimilation and co-existence of Chinese and Portuguese cultures in Macau.
7) It has the world's highest population density with 20643.75 people per square kilometre in 2012.
8) 50 percent of residents in Macau are Buddhists.
9) It was initially leased by Portuguese merchants in 1557 and functioned as a trading centre, shipping Asian gold, silk and spices back to Europe till the 18th century.
10) The Venetian Macao, owned by the Las Vegas Sands, is the largest casino in the world, the largest single structure hotel building in Asia and the sixth-largest building in the world by floor area.
11) It has a fast-aging population. By 2050 there will be 8 non-working residents (including children and elderly) for every 10 active workers.
12) Portuguese and Cantonese are the official languages of Macau.
13) It is the world's fastest growing economy in 2012 according to the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU).
14) Monte Fort (also known "Fortaleza de Nossa Senhora do Monte de so Paulo" in Portuguese and the "Fortress of Our Lady of the Mount of St. Paul" in English) constructed from 1617 to 1626 was principal military defence structure and held off the attempted invasion of Macau by Netherlands in 1622.
15) It was ruled by the Portuguese for 442 years since 1887.
16) One of the most convenient and affordable way to travel between Macau and Hong Kong is by ferry. The Hong Kong International Airport even allows visitors to bypass Hong Kong Immigration and transfer directly into a ferry to Macau.
17) St. Paul's College was Asia's first Western-style university offering academic programmes that prepared scores of missionaries to serve the cause of the Roman Catholic church in China, Japan and other parts of Asia.
18) Portuguese egg tarts are Macau's most famous and popular local snack.
19) It is the first and last Asian country to remain a European colony with the Portuguese first arriving in the 16th century and the last Portuguese governor leaving in 1999.
20) 50 percent of Macau's revenue comes from gambling and 20 percent of its population are employed by the casinos.
