Macau

overseas territory of PortugalIndependence none (territory of Portugal)

Macau as the 1991 edition of the CIA World Factbook published it: 65 fields, one of 36 editions from 1990 to 2025.

field in that editiontext changed from the edition beforenot in that editionthe open editionEach field below ends in its editions, 1990 to 2025. Point at a year above to follow it down.

CapitalMacau

Area16 km2

Populationas each edition published it

446,262 people July 1991 · 441,691 in 1990

Population growth% a year

Not in this edition 1.44% in 1993

Median ageyears

Not in this edition 33.1 yrs in 2003

Life expectancyyears at birth

Not in this edition 79.64 yrs in 1993

Fertility ratechildren per woman

2.1 children per woman 1991 · 2.2 in 1990

Infant mortalitydeaths per 1,000 live births

7 deaths per 1,000 live births 1991 · 7 in 1990

GDP per capitaeach edition's own dollars

Not in this edition $6,700 in 1993

GDP real growth% a year

Not in this edition 3.1% in 1993

Geography

12 fields

Total area

16km2

land area: 16 km2Comparative area: about 0.1 times the size of Washington, DC

Coastline

40km

Maritime claims: not known

Land boundary

0.34km with China

Disputes

scheduled to become a Special Administrative Region of China in 1999

Climate

subtropical; marine with cool winters, warm summers

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

14 fields

Population

446,262

(July 1991), growth rate 1.0% (1991)

Per 1,000 population(1991)

Birth

15Death

5Net migration

Ethnic divisions

Chinese 95%Portuguese 3%other 2%

Religion(1981)

Buddhist 45%Roman Catholic 7%Protestant 1%none 45.8%other 1.2% (1981)

Labor force

180,000

(1986)

Literacy

90%

(male 93%, female 86%) age 15 and over can read and write (1981)

Nationality

noun--Macanese (sing. and pl.); adjective--Macau

Language

Portuguese (official); Cantonese is the language of commerce

Government

Overseas territory of Portugal

16 fields

Type

overseas territory of Portugal; scheduled to revert to China in 1999

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

Executive branch

president of Portugal, governor, Consultative Council (cabinet)

Supreme Court 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) 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 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

The economy is based largely on tourism (including gambling), and textile and fireworks manufacturing.

16 fields

GDP, purchasing power parity

$2.9billion

per capita $6,560; real growth rate 6% (1990 est.)

Inflation, consumer prices

9.5%

(1989)

Unemployment rate

(1989 est.)

External debt

$91million

(1985)

Budget

Revenues

$305 millionExpenditures

$298 million

expenditures, including capital expenditures of $NA (1989)

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.

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)

rice, vegetables;
food shortages--rice, vegetables, meat;
depends mostly on imports for food requirements

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

5 fields

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