Macau

A megacity in China that used to be a Portuguese trading colony. It was annexed by the People's Republic of China in 1998. Along with Hong Kong, it's one of the "special administrative regions" of China.

Macau is today a major Boom Town and the gambling capital of the world, recently surpassing even Las Vegas. It prints its own currency, which means that after gambling all your money, you'll have to change it if you want to take it to China with you.

The majority of Macau is on an urban island (technically, they're two, but they have been joined by a strip), except for a part in the mainland. It's divided in four regions:

• Macau Peninsula - The mainland's northern part. You have to cross huge bridges to get to the island from here. This is where most of the gambling casinos and touristic places can be found.
• Taipa - The northern island, mostly covered by a residential area where the people of Macau live.
• Cotai - A strip of land constructed to join the island of Taipa and the island of Coloane. Works as a sort of buffer between the islands. Recently, they have started to build giant new casinos here. Its name comes from the islands it joins (Coloane-Taipa).
• Coloane - The southern island is less hospitable, full of mountains, beaches and a natural reserve. Probably because of its mysterious nature, it was used as a pirate's hideout in the old days.

The Macanese flag