Macau 1999 Handover

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End of an Era : 442 years of Portuguese rule on Macau have past ...

Asiaweek Special Report : Asia's Best Cities -- Macau

Macau Handover Ceremony Coordination Office

South China Morning Post - Macau Handover Special

Pre-Handover Developments

In the week leading to the handover, police raids on both sides of the border have resulted in the arrests of many high-profile triad members and leaders that have been waging a bloody war in Macau in the past year. Large amounts of firearms and ammunition were seized, and the city is being cleaned up and decorated to celebrate the handover. For news related to the handover, Hong Kong's TVB keeps up-to-date daily reports in Cantonese on its news page in Real format.

General Information on Macau

Area 			: 15.5 square kilometers  
Location 		: Southern Chinese Coast, 64 km W of Hong Kong & 105 km 
			  S of Guangzhou
Population (98 est.) 	: 450 000  
Population Growth 	: 3.8% 
% Urban 		: 94 
Languages		: Cantonese, Portuguese
Industry 		: tourism & gambling 
GDP (PPP) 		: US $7.8 billion 
GDP Growth 		: - 4.0% 
GDP / Capita (PPP) 	: $17 500 
Inflation		: -3.5% 
Exports (12 months) 	: $2.1 billion 
Reserves Without Gold 	: $2.3 billion 
People Per Telephone 	: 1.7
Life Expectancy 	: 76 years 
Literacy 		: 74.8%

Source : Asiaweek Magazine 12/17/1999

History

The Portuguese were the first Europeans to sail abroad in search of a new sea route to the Far East and its valuable silk and spices. The Portuguese negotiated with the Chinese imperial court for access to its markets through several coastal ports, one of which was Macau, settled in 1557. China ceded Macau to Portugal in 1887 as a free port. With the economic prosperity as a result of booming trade, Macau was a prime location for trade with the Chinese port of Canton upstream. During 1604, 1607, 1622, and 1627, the Dutch tried, and failed, to seize Macau by force. However, with the British establishment in Hong Kong in 1841, Macau's prosperity quickly dwindled, but Macau remains as Portugal's 400-year-old presence in China. In December of 1999, this last European colony in Asia will be returned to the People's Republic of China, with its autonomy and capitalistic system intact, like Hong Kong, unchanged for 50 years.

Handover