MACAU
(overseas territory of Portugal)
GEOGRAPHY
Total area: 16 km2; land area: 16 km2
Comparative area: about 0.1 times the size of Washington, DC
Land boundary: 0.34 km with China
Coastline: 40 km
Maritime claims: not known
Disputes: scheduled to become a Special Administrative Region of
China in 1999
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
PEOPLE
Population: 446,262 (July 1991), growth rate 1.0% (1991)
Birth rate: 15 births/1,000 population (1991)
Death rate: 5 deaths/1,000 population (1991)
Net migration rate: 0 migrants/1,000 population (1991)
Infant mortality rate: 7 deaths/1,000 live births (1991)
Life expectancy at birth: 75 years male, 79 years female (1991)
Total fertility rate: 2.1 children born/woman (1991)
Nationality: noun--Macanese (sing. and pl.); adjective--Macau
Ethnic divisions: Chinese 95%, Portuguese 3%, other 2%
Religion: Buddhist 45%, Roman Catholic 7%, Protestant 1%, none
45.8%, other 1.2% (1981)
Language: 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
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
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 9 November 1988 (next to be
held November 1991);
results--percent of vote by party NA;
seats--(17 total; 6 elected by universal suffrage, 6 by indirect
suffrage) 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: GATT, 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
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.
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: $2.9 billion, per capita $6,560; real growth rate 6%
(1990 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 9.5% (1989)
Unemployment rate: 2% (1989 est.)
Budget: revenues $305 million; expenditures $298 million, including
capital expenditures of $NA (1989)
Exports: $1.7 billion (1989 est.);
commodities--textiles, clothing, toys;
partners--US 33%, Hong Kong 15%, FRG 12%, France 10% (1987)
Imports: $1.6 billion (1989 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: 203,000 kW capacity; 495 million kWh produced,
1,120 kWh per capita (1990)
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--8.03 (1989), 8.044 (1988),
7.993 (1987), 8.029 (1986), 8.045 (1985); note--linked to the Hong Kong
dollar at the rate of 1.03 patacas per Hong Kong dollar
Fiscal year: calendar year
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;
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
DEFENSE FORCES
Manpower availability: males 15-49, 167,289; 93,142 fit for
military service
Note: defense is responsibility of Portugal