Chinatowns in Asia exist in almost every city. Manila, capital of the Philippines, claims the oldest Chinatown in the world, dating back to the end of the 16th century. Liverpool, England grew into a big Chinatown as thousands of Chinese arrived at Britain’s most important harbour in the 19th century. Other Chinatowns in major European cities were founded at the beginning of the 20th century. Havana was once Latin America’s largest Chinatown. Thousands of Chinese came to work on sugar plantations. When the country became Communist many of them left for the USA.