MACAU
Geography People Government Economy Transportation Communications Defense Forces
MACAU
(overseas territory of Portugal)
@Macau:Geography
Location: Eastern Asia, bordering the South China Sea and China
Map references: Southeast Asia
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MACAU - MAJOR CITIES
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Latitude, Internat'l Time
Population Longitude Phone Code Zone
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MACAU 416,000 22.12N,113.35E 853- GMT+8
Taipa 20,000 22.09N,113.33E 853- GMT+8
Coloane 6,000 22.07N,113.33E 853- GMT+8
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Area:
total area: 16 sq km
land area: 16 sq km
comparative area: about 0.1 times the size of Washington, DC
Land boundaries: total 0.34 km, China 0.34 km
Coastline: 40 km
Maritime claims: not specified
International disputes: none
Climate: subtropical; marine with cool winters, warm summers
Terrain: generally flat
Natural resources: negligible
Land use:
arable land: 0%
permanent crops: 0%
meadows and pastures: 0%
forest and woodland: 0%
other: 100%
Irrigated land: NA sq km
Environment:
current issues: NA
natural hazards: NA
international agreements: party to - Ozone Layer Protection (extended
from Portugal)
Note: essentially urban; one causeway and one bridge connect the two
islands to the peninsula on mainland
@Macau:People
Population: 490,901 (July 1995 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 24% (female 56,991; male 60,944)
15-64 years: 68% (female 167,366; male 165,168)
65 years and over: 8% (female 23,537; male 16,895) (July 1995 est.)
Population growth rate: 1.25% (1995 est.)
Birth rate: 14.5 births/1,000 population (1995 est.)
Death rate: 4.21 deaths/1,000 population (1995 est.)
Net migration rate: 2.24 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1995 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 5.4 deaths/1,000 live births (1995 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 79.86 years
male: 77.41 years
female: 82.43 years (1995 est.)
Total fertility rate: 1.49 children born/woman (1995 est.)
Nationality:
noun: Macanese (singular and plural)
adjective: Macau
Ethnic divisions: Chinese 95%, Portuguese 3%, other 2%
Religions: Buddhist 45%, Roman Catholic 7%, Protestant 1%, none 45.8%,
other 1.2% (1981)
Languages: Portuguese (official), Cantonese is the language of
commerce
Literacy: age 15 and over can read and write (1981)
total population: 90%
male: 93%
female: 86%
Labor force: 180,000 (1986)
by occupation: NA
@Macau:Government
Names:
conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Macau
local long form: none
local short form: Ilha de Macau
Digraph: MC
Type: overseas territory of Portugal scheduled to revert to China in
1999
Capital: Macau
Administrative divisions: 2 districts (concelhos, singular -
concelho); Ilhas, Macau
Independence: none (territory of Portugal; Portugal signed an
agreement with China on 13 April 1987 to return Macau to China on 20
December 1999; in the joint declaration, China promises to respect
Macau's existing social and economic systems and lifestyle for 50 year
after transition)
National holiday: Day of Portugal, 10 June (1580)
Constitution: 17 February 1976, Organic Law of Macau; basic law
drafted primarily by Beijing awaiting final approval
Legal system: Portuguese civil law system
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state: President (of Portugal) Mario Alberto SOARES (since 9
March 1986)
head of government: Governor Gen. Vasco Joachim Rocha VIEIRA (since 20
March 1991)
cabinet: Consultative Council; consists of five members appointed by
the governor, two nominated by the governor, five members elected for
a four-year term (2 represent administrative bodies, 1 represents
moral, cultural, and welfare interests, and 2 economic interests), and
three statuatory members
Legislative branch: unicameral
Legislative Assembly: elections last held on 10 March 1991 (next to be
held NA); results - percent of vote by party NA; seats - (23 total, 8
elected by universal suffrage, 8 by indirect suffrage, and 7 appointed
by the governor) number of seats by party NA
Judicial branch: Supreme Court
Political parties and leaders: Association to Defend the Interests of
Macau; Macau Democratic Center; Group to Study the Development of
Macau; Macau Independent Group
Other political or pressure groups: wealthy Macanese and Chinese
representing local interests, wealthy pro-Communist merchants
representing China's interests; in January 1967 the Macau Government
acceded to Chinese demands that gave China veto power over
administration
Member of: CCC, ESCAP (associate), GATT, IMO (associate), INTERPOL
(subbureau), WTO (associate)
Diplomatic representation in US: none (Chinese territory under
Portuguese administration)
US diplomatic representation: the US has no offices in Macau, and US
interests are monitored by the US Consulate General in Hong Kong
Flag: the flag of Portugal is used
Economy
Overview: The economy is based largely on tourism (including gambling)
and textile and fireworks manufacturing. Efforts to diversify have
spawned other small industries - toys, artificial flowers, and
electronics. The tourist sector has accounted for roughly 25% of GDP,
and the clothing industry has provided about two-thirds of export
earnings; the gambling industry represented well over 40% of GDP in
1992. Macau depends on China for most of its food, fresh water, and
energy imports. Japan and Hong Kong are the main suppliers of raw
materials and capital goods.
National product: GDP - purchasing power parity - $4.8 billion (1993
est.)
National product real growth rate: NA%
National product per capita: $10,000 (1993 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 7.7% (1992 est.)
Unemployment rate: 2% (1992 est.)
Budget:
revenues: $305 million
expenditures: $298 million, including capital expenditures of $NA
(1989 est.)
Exports: $1.8 billion (1992 est.)
commodities: textiles, clothing, toys
partners: US 35%, Hong Kong 12.5%, Germany 12%, China 9.9%, France 8%
(1992 est.)
Imports: $2 billion (1992 est.)
commodities: raw materials, foodstuffs, capital goods
partners: Hong Kong 33%, China 20%, Japan 18% (1992 est.)
External debt: $91 million (1985)
Industrial production: growth rate NA%
Electricity:
capacity: 258,000 kW
production: 950 million kWh
consumption per capita: 2,093 kWh (1993)
Industries: clothing, textiles, toys, plastic products, furniture,
tourism
Agriculture: rice, vegetables; food shortages - rice, vegetables,
meat; depends mostly on imports for food requirements
Economic aid: none
Currency: 1 pataca (P) = 100 avos
Exchange rates: patacas (P) per US$1 - 8.034 (1991-94), 8.024 (1990),
8.030 (1989); note - linked to the Hong Kong dollar at the rate of
1.03 patacas per Hong Kong dollar
Fiscal year: calendar year
@Macau:Transportation
Railroads: 0 km
Highways:
total: 42 km
paved: 42 km
Ports: Macau
Merchant marine: none
Airports: none usable, 1 under construction; 1 seaplane station
@Macau:Communications
Telephone system: 52,000 telephones; fairly modern communication
facilities maintained for domestic and international services
local: NA
intercity: NA
international: high-frequency radio communication facility; access to
international communications carriers provided via Hong Kong and
China; 1 INTELSAT (Indian Ocean) earth station
Radio:
broadcast stations: AM 4, FM 3, shortwave 0
radios: 115,000
Television:
broadcast stations: 0; note - TV programs received from Hong Kong
televisions: NA
@Macau:Defense Forces
Branches: NA
Manpower availability: males age 15-49 141,160; males fit for military
service 78,578 (1995 est.)
Note: defense is responsibility of Portugal
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