Within China there are two special administrative regions - Hong Kong and Macau. As a special administrative region the former international territories are a part of China but each gets a high level of autonomy and do not have to all certain laws that Chinese cities and provinces do. The only areas in which these regions must follow China's policies are in foreign affairs and defense issues. In addition, they also have different political systems from those of China and each has an independent judicial government branch and their own laws.
The following is a list of the two special administrative regions in China:
1. Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of the two special administrative regions in China and it was the first to be created in 1997. The former British territory is located on China’s southeast coast near the Pearl River Delta and along the coast of the South China Sea. It has a very large population that is clustered in a small area and is one of the densest areas in the world. Hong Kong is one of the world’s largest international finance centers and as such it has a strong economy with low taxes and free trade. In addition, Hong Kong is known for its quality of life and high ranking on the Human Development Index.
Hong Kong is unique because it has a legal system is based on English laws as well as Chinese laws and unlike China, it has a free market economy.
2. Macau
Macau is the second special administrative region of China and it is located to the west of the Pearl River Delta along the South China Sea. It is a former colony of Portugal and it was transferred from Portuguese to Chinese control on December 20, 1999. Macau has a total area of 10.8 square miles (28.2 sq km) and a total population of 573,003 (July 2011 estimate). Like Hong Kong, Macau also has its own legal system according to Wikipedia.org, maintaints its own police force, money, customs and immigration policies. In addition, Macau is considered to have one of the highest life expectancies in the world.