:Macau Geography

Total area:
    16 km2
Land area:
    16 km2
Comparative area:
    about 0.1 times the size of Washington, DC
Land boundaries:
    0.34 km; China 0.34 km
Coastline:
    40 km
Maritime claims:
    not known
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%
Environment:
    essentially urban; one causeway and one bridge connect the two islands to
    the peninsula on mainland
Note:
    27 km west-southwest of Hong Kong on the southeast coast of China

:Macau People

Population:
    473,333 (July 1992), growth rate 1.7% (1992)
Birth rate:
    17 births/1,000 population (1992)
Death rate:
    4 deaths/1,000 population (1992)
Net migration rate:
    4 migrants/1,000 population (1992)
Infant mortality rate:
    8 deaths/1,000 live births (1992)
Life expectancy at birth:
    78 years male, 84 years female (1992)
Total fertility rate:
    1.6 children born/woman (1992)
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:
    90% (male 93%, female 86%) age 15 and over can read and write (1981)
Labor force:
    180,000 (1986)
Organized labor:
    none

:Macau Government

Long-form name:
    none
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 years after transition
Constitution:
    17 February 1976, Organic Law of Macau; basic law drafted primarily by
    Beijing awaiting final approval
Legal system:
    Portuguese civil law system
National holiday:
    Day of Portugal, 10 June
Executive branch:
    President of Portugal, governor, Consultative Council (cabinet)
Legislative branch:
    Legislative Assembly
Judicial branch:
    Supreme Court
Leaders:
  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)
Political parties and leaders:
    Association to Defend the Interests of Macau; Macau Democratic Center; Group
    to Study the Development of Macau; Macau Independent Group
Suffrage:
    universal at age 18
Elections:
  Legislative Assembly:
    last held on 10 March 1991; 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
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:
    IMO (associate), WTO (associate)
Diplomatic representation:
    as Chinese territory under Portuguese administration, Macanese interests in
    the US are represented by Portugal
  US:
    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

:Macau 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 36%
    of GDP in 1991. 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.
GDP:
    exchange rate conversion - $3.1 billion, per capita $6,900; real growth rate
    6% (1991 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
    8.8% (1990 est.)
Unemployment rate:
    2% (1989 est.)
Budget:
    revenues $305 million; expenditures $298 million, including capital
    expenditures of $NA (1989)
Exports:
    $1.5 billion (1990 est.)
  commodities:
    textiles, clothing, toys
  partners:
    US 33%, Hong Kong 15%, FRG 12%, France 10% (1987)
Imports:
    $1.8 billion (1990 est.)
  commodities:
    raw materials, foodstuffs, capital goods
  partners:
    Hong Kong 39%, China 21%, Japan 10% (1987)
External debt:
    $91 million (1985)
Industrial production:
    NA
Electricity:
    220,000 kW capacity; 520 million kWh produced, 1,165 kWh per capita (1991)
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:
    pataca (plural - patacas); 1 pataca (P) = 100 avos
Exchange rates:
    patacas (P) per US$1 - 8.034 (1991), 8.024 (1990), 8.030 (1989), 8.044
    (1988), 7.993 (1987); note - linked to the Hong Kong dollar at the rate of
    1.03 patacas per Hong Kong dollar
Fiscal year:
    calendar year

:Macau Communications

Highways:
    42 km paved
Ports:
    Macau
Civil air:
    no major transport aircraft
Airports:
    none useable, 1 under construction; 1 seaplane station
Telecommunications:
    fairly modern communication facilities maintained for domestic and
    international services; 52,000 telephones; broadcast stations - 4 AM, 3 FM,
    no TV; 75,000 radio receivers (est.); international high-frequency radio
    communication facility; access to international communications carriers
    provided via Hong Kong and China; 1 Indian Ocean INTELSAT earth station

:Macau Defense Forces

Manpower availability:
    males 15-49, 135,923; 76,414 fit for military service
Note:
    defense is responsibility of Portugal