Macau (traditional Chinese: 澳門 simplified Chinese: 澳门) is a Special Administrative Region (SAR) of the People's Republic of China. Located across the Pearl River estuary from Hong Kong, Macau was until 1999 an overseas territory of Portugal. One of the world's most densely populated spots, Macau generates more revenue from gambling than anywhere else on the planet, including more than seven times the revenue generated by "The Strip" in Las Vegas. Macau was one of the earliest European colonies in Asia and the last to be relinquished (1999) and thus has a more visible colonial history than Hong Kong. Walking through the old city you could convince yourself you were in Europe. (Macao Wikitravel)