Macau (fictional)

Macau, officially the Republic of Macau, is a sovereign city-state and island country in the western Pearl River Delta by the South China Sea. With a population of about 680,000 and an area of 32.9 km² (12.7 sq mi), it is the most densely populated region in the world.

Formerly a Portuguese colony, the territory of Portuguese Macau was first leased to Portugal as a trading post by the Ming dynasty in 1557. Portugal paid an annual rent and administered the territory under Chinese sovereignty until 1887. Portugal later gained perpetual colonial rights in the Sino-Portuguese Treaty of Peking. The colony remained under Portuguese rule until 1969, when it was given independence.

The official languages are Portuguese, Macanese Patois and Chinese, although a large variety of other languages are spoken, such as Teochew, Kristang (a Portuguese creole in Malaysia), Mandarin and Sinhalese. Macanese people are also known to be proficient in English.

Macau gained independence on 20th December, 1969.

Trivia

 * The city is known for its distinctive Portuguese patois, known as Patuá. It developed first mainly among the descendants of Portuguese settlers from southern Portugal, who often married women from Portuguese Malacca, Portuguese India and Portuguese Ceylon rather than from neighbouring China, so the language had strong Malay and Sinhala influence from the beginning. In the 17th century it was further influenced by the influx of immigrants from other Portuguese colonies in Asia, especially from Portuguese Malacca, Indonesia, and Portuguese Ceylon, that had been displaced by the Dutch expansion in the East Indies, and Japanese Christian refugees.
 * Macau shares many cultural and economic aspects with Hong Kong, such as driving on the left (inherited from the British).
 * Another similarity with Singapore is that there’s only 1 TV company which operates all DTT channels (Mediacorp in Singapore and TDM in Macau).
 * Macau is known for its casinos as well as its notorious triad (Chinese mafia) reputation.
 * The animated series The Loud House has become popular in Macau.
 * The age of consent and legal drinking age are both 18. Possession of child porn, as well as involvement or participation in triads, is punishable with a 1,500 pataca fine, whereas a repeated offense will lead to a 30-year jail term, which is the same as the murder sentence.
 * Like in Germany, there is no punishment for escaping from custody, as the will to freedom is a constitutionally recognized human instinct.