Macau
overseas territory of Portugal scheduled toIndependence none (territory of Portugal
Macau as the 1996 edition of the CIA World Factbook published it: 84 fields, one of 36 editions from 1990 to 2025.
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Geography
Eastern Asia, bordering the South China Sea and China
15 fieldsLand useshare of 16 sq km
Environment
- current issues:
- NA
- natural hazards:
- NA
- international agreements:
- party to - Ozone Layer Protection (extended from Portugal)
Geographic note
essentially urban; one causeway and one bridge connect the two islands to the peninsula on mainland
People
15 fieldsPer 1,000 population(1996 est.)
Male · female(1996 est.)
Religions(1981)
Age structure
- 0-14 years:
- 24% (male 60,709; female 57,004)
- 15-64 years:
- 68% (male 167,466; female 169,486)
- 65 years and over:
- 8% (male 17,569; female 24,603) (July 1996 est.)
Sex ratio
- at birth:
- 1.05 male(s)/female
- under 15 years:
- 1.06 male(s)/female
- 15-64 years:
- 0.99 male(s)/female
- 65 years and over:
- 0.71 male(s)/female
- all ages:
- 0.98 male(s)/female (1996 est.)
Government
Overseas territory of Portugal scheduled to; President (of Portugal) Mario Alberto SOARES (since 9 March 1986); Governor Gen. Vasco Joachim Rocha VIEIRA (since 20 March 1991) was appointed by the President of Portugal after consultation with the Legislative Assembly
20 fieldsName of country
- conventional long form:
- none
- conventional short form:
- Macau
- local long form:
- none
- local short form:
- Ilha de 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 promulgated 31 March 1993
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) was appointed by the President of Portugal after consultation with the Legislative Assembly
- cabinet:
- Consultative Council consists of a total of 15 members - five appointed by the governor, two nominated by the governor, five elected for a four-year term (two represent administrative bodies, one represents moral, cultural, and welfare interests, and two represent economic interests), and three statutory members
Legislative Assembly
- elections last held 10 March 1991 (next to be held NA);
- results - percent of vote by party NA;
- seats - (23 total, 8 elected by direct vote, 8 by indirect vote, and 7 appointed by the governor) number of seats by party NA
Judicial branch
Supreme Court, consisting of five magistrates including the president; lower court judges appointed for three years by governor
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 procommunist merchants representing China's interests;
- in January 1967 the Macau Government acceded to Chinese demands that gave China veto power over administration
International organization participation
CCC, ESCAP (associate), IMO (associate), Interpol (subbureau), UNESCO (associate), WToO (associate), WTrO
US diplomatic representation
the US has no offices in Macau, and US interests are monitored by the US Consulate General in Hong Kong
Economy
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.
20 fieldsInstalled generating capacity, 258,000 kW
Economic 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 probably represents over 40% of GDP. 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
$1.9 billion (1995 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.)
Exchange rates
patacas (P) per US$1 - 8.034 (1991-95), 8.024 (1990), 8.030 (1989); note - linked to the Hong Kong dollar at the rate of 1.03 patacas per Hong Kong dollar
Transportation
5 fieldsNetworkskm
Communications
NA
9 fieldsTelephone system
fairly modern communication facilities maintained for domestic and international services
- domestic:
- NA
- international:
- HF radiotelephone communication facility;
- access to international communications carriers provided via Hong Kong and China;
- satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Indian Ocean)
Cite this entry
Central Intelligence Agency. “Macau.” The World Factbook 1996. Archived by The Factbook, thefactbook.org/macau/1996.