The Macau Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China ( [, ] ; Portuguese: Região Administrativa Especial de Macau da República Popular da China [], abbreviated as RAEM), commonly known as Macau or Macao (, or informally known as 馬交 maa-gau) is a small territory on the southern coast of the People's Republic of China. Administered by Portugal until 1999, it was the oldest European colony in China, dating back to the 16th century. The administrative power over Macau was transferred to the People's Republic of China (PRC) in 1999, and it is now one of two special administrative regions of the PRC, together with Hong Kong.