MACAU
HISTORY |
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Macau was officially founded as a colony of Portugal in 1557 and recognized by the Chinese in 1670. Macau prospered as a port and was a subject of repeated attempts by the Dutch to conquer it in the 17th century.
After the House of Braganza regained control of Portugal from the Spanish Habsburgs in 1640, Macau was granted the official title of Cidade do Nome de Deus, de Macau, Não há outra mais Leal (City of the Name of God, Macau, There is None More Loyal).
With Hong Kong established as a British Crown Colony, Macau declined as regional trading center as larger ships were drawn to the deep water port of Victoria Harbour. |
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| After the leftist military coup of 1974, the now democratic Portuguese
government was determined to free up all its overseas possessions. In 1976,
Lisbon redefined Macau as a Special Territory and granted it a large measure
of administrative and economic independence. Following the example of the
British, an agreement was made with the People's Republic of China to make
Macau a Special Administrative Region in 1999. |
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