Macau

Macau

Introduction

Background

Colonized by the Portuguese in the 16th century, Macau was the first European settlement in the Far East. Pursuant to an agreement signed by China and Portugal on 13 April 1987, Macau became the Macau Special Administrative Region (SAR) of the People’s Republic of China on 20 December 1999. In this agreement, China promised that, under its “one country, two systems” formula, China’s socialist economic system would not be practiced in Macau, and that Macau would enjoy a high degree of autonomy in all matters except foreign and defense affairs for the next 50 years.

Geography

Location

Eastern Asia, bordering the South China Sea and China

Geographic coordinates

22 10 N, 113 33 E

Map references

Southeast Asia

Area

total: 28.2 sq km
country comparison to the world: 236 land:28.2 sq km
water:0 sq km

Area – comparative

less than one-sixth the size of Washington, DC

Land boundaries

total: 0.34 km
regional border:China 0.34 km

Coastline

41 km

Maritime claims

not specified

Climate

subtropical

marine with cool winters, warm summers

Terrain

generally flat

Elevation extremes

lowest point: South China Sea 0 m
highest point:Coloane Alto 172 m

Natural resources

NEGL

Land use

arable land: 0%
permanent crops:0%
other:100% (2005)

Irrigated land

NA

note – included in the total for China (2008)

Natural hazards

typhoons

Environment – current issues

NA

Environment – international agreements

party to: Marine Dumping (associate member), Ship Pollution (associate member)

Geography – note

essentially urban

an area of land reclaimed from the sea measuring 5.2 sq km and known as Cotai now connects the islands of Coloane and Taipa

the island area is connected to the mainland peninsula by three bridges

People and Society

Nationality

noun: Chinese
adjective:Chinese

Ethnic groups

Chinese 94.3%, other 5.7% (includes Macanese – mixed Portuguese and Asian ancestry) (2006 census)

Languages

Cantonese 85.7%, Hokkien 4%, Mandarin 3.2%, other Chinese dialects 2.7%, English 1.5%, Tagalog 1.3%, other 1.6%
note:Chinese and Portuguese are the official language (2001 census)

Religions

Buddhist 50%, Roman Catholic 15%, none or other 35% (1997 est.)

Population

573,003 (July 2011 est.)
country comparison to the world: 168

Age structure

0-14 years: 15% (male 45,635/female 40,523)
15-64 years:76.8% (male 205,998/female 233,820)
65 years and over:8.2% (male 22,043/female 24,984) (2011 est.)

Median age

total: 36.2 years
male:36.8 years
female:35.6 years (2011 est.)

Population growth rate

0.879% (2011 est.)
country comparison to the world: 126

Birth rate

9.03 births/1,000 population (2011 est.)
country comparison to the world: 208

Death rate

3.72 deaths/1,000 population (July 2011 est.)
country comparison to the world: 207

Net migration rate

3.49 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2011 est.)
country comparison to the world: 26

Urbanization

urban population: 100% of total population (2010)
rate of urbanization:0.7% annual rate of change (2010-15 est.)

Sex ratio

at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years:1.14 male(s)/female
15-64 years:0.88 male(s)/female
65 years and over:0.88 male(s)/female
total population:0.92 male(s)/female (2011 est.)

Infant mortality rate

total: 3.18 deaths/1,000 live births
country comparison to the world: 216 male:3.34 deaths/1,000 live births
female:3.02 deaths/1,000 live births (2011 est.)

Life expectancy at birth

total population: 84.41 years
country comparison to the world: 2 male:81.45 years
female:87.52 years (2011 est.)

Total fertility rate

0.92 children born/woman (2011 est.)
country comparison to the world: 222

HIV/AIDS – adult prevalence rate

NA

HIV/AIDS – people living with HIV/AIDS

NA

HIV/AIDS – deaths

NA

Education expenditures

2.2% of GDP (2008)
country comparison to the world: 152

Literacy

definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population:91.3%
male:95.3%
female:87.8% (2001 census)

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education)

total: 14 years
male:15 years
female:14 years (2009)

Unemployment, youth ages 15-24

total: 7.5%
country comparison to the world: 115 male:9.8%
female:5.4% (2009)

Government

Country name

conventional long form: Macau Special Administrative Region
conventional short form:Macau
official long form:Aomen Tebie Xingzhengqu (Chinese)

Regiao Administrativa Especial de Macau (Portuguese)
official short form:Aomen (Chinese)

Macau (Portuguese)

Dependency status

special administrative region of China

Government type

limited democracy

Administrative divisions

none (special administrative region of the People’s Republic of China)

Independence

none (special administrative region of China)

National holiday

National Day (Anniversary of the Founding of the People’s Republic of China), 1 October (1949)

note – 20 December 1999 is celebrated as Macau Special Administrative Region Establishment Day

Constitution

Basic Law, approved 31 March 1993 by China’s National People’s Congress, is Macau’s charter

Legal system

civil law system based on the Portuguese model

Suffrage

direct election 18 years of age for some non-executive positions, universal for permanent residents living in Macau for the past seven years

indirect election limited to organizations registered as “corporate voters” (257 are currently registered) and a 300-member Election Committee drawn from broad regional groupings, municipal organizations, and central government bodies

Executive branch

chief of state: President of China HU Jintao (since 15 March 2003)
head of government:Chief Executive Fernando CHUI Sai-on (since 20 December 2009)
cabinet:Executive Council consists of 1 government secretary, 3 legislators, 4 businessmen, 1 pro-Beijing unionist, and 1 pro-Beijing educator
(For more information visit the World Leaders website ) elections:chief executive chosen by a 300-member Election Committee for a five-year term (eligible for a second term)

election last held on 26 July 2009 (next to be held in July 2014)
election results:Fernando CHUI Sai-on elected in 2009 with 282 votes, took office on 20 December 2009

Legislative branch

unicameral Legislative Assembly (29 seats

12 members elected by popular vote, 10 by indirect vote, and 7 appointed by the chief executive

members to serve four-year terms)
elections:last held on 20 September 2009 (next to be held in September 2013)
election results:percent of vote – UPD 14.9%, ACUM 12%, APMD 11.6%, NUDM 9.9%, UPP 9.9%, ANMD 7.8%, UMG 7.3%, MUDAR 5.5%, others 21.1%

seats by political group – UPD 2, ACUM 2, APMD 2, NUMD 1, UPP 1, ANMD 1, UMG 1, MUDAR 1

10 seats filled by professional and business groups

7 members appointed by the chief executive

Judicial branch

Court of Final Appeal in Macau Special Administrative Region

Political parties and leaders

Alliance for Change or MUDAR

Macau Development Alliance or NUDM [Angela LEONG On-kei]

Macau-Guangdong Union or UNG

Macau United Citizens’ Association or ACUM [CHAN Meng-kam]

New Democratic Macau Association or APMD [Antonio NG Kuok-cheong]

New Hope or NE [Jose Maria Pereira COUTINHO]

Union for Promoting Progress or UPP [LEONG Heng-teng]
note:there is no political party ordinance, so there are no registered political parties

politically active groups register as societies or companies

Political pressure groups and leaders

Civic Power [Agnes LAM lok-fong]

Macau New Chinese Youth Association [LEONG Sin-man]

Macau Society of Tourism and Entertainment or STDM [Stanley HO]

Macau Worker’s Union [HO Heng-kuok]

Union for Democracy Development [Antonio NG Kuok-cheong]

International organization participation

ICC, IHO, IMF, IMO (associate), Interpol (subbureau), ISO (correspondent), UNESCO (associate), UNWTO (associate), UPU, WCO, WTO

Diplomatic representation in the US

none (special administrative region of China)

Diplomatic representation from the US

the US has no offices in Macau

US Consulate General in Hong Kong is accredited to Macau

Flag description

green with a lotus flower above a stylized bridge and water in white, beneath an arc of five gold, five-pointed stars: one large in the center of the arc and two smaller on either side

the lotus is the floral emblem of Macau, the three petals represent the peninsula and two islands that make up Macau

the five stars echo those on the flag of China

National symbol(s)

lotus blossom

National anthem

note: as a Special Administrative Region of China, “Yiyonggjun Jinxingqu” is official (see China)

Economy

Economy – overview

Macau’s economy slowed dramatically in 2009 as a result of the global economic slowdown, but strong growth resumed in 2010, largely on the back of strong tourism and gaming sectors. After opening up its locally-controlled casino industry to foreign competition in 2001, the territory attracted tens of billions of dollars in foreign investment, transforming Macau into one of the world’s largest gaming center. Macau’s gaming and tourism businesses were fueled by China’s decision to relax travel restrictions on Chinese citizens wishing to visit Macau. By 2006, Macau’s gaming revenue surpassed that of the Las Vegas strip, and gaming-related taxes accounted for more than 70% of total government revenue. In 2008, Macau introduced measures to cool the rapidly developing sector. This city of nearly 552,300 hosted nearly 25 million visitors in 2010. Almost 53% came from mainland China. Macau’s traditional manufacturing industry has virtually disappeared since the termination of the Multi-Fiber Agreement in 2005. In 2010, total exports were less than US$900 million, while gaming receipts were almost US$24 billion, a 58% increase over 2009. The Macau government plans to tighten control over the opening of new casinos and strengthen supervision of local casino operations in 2011 and has introduced measures to diversify the economy. The Closer Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) between Macau and mainland China that came into effect on 1 January 2004 offers Macau-made products tariff-free access to the mainland

nevertheless, China is Macau’s second largest goods export market, behind Hong Kong, and followed by the United States. Macau’s currency, the pataca, is closely tied to the Hong Kong dollar, which is also freely accepted in the territory.

GDP (purchasing power parity)

$18.47 billion (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 128 $18.14 billion (2008 est.)
$14.4 billion (2006)
note:data are in 2010 US dollars

GDP (official exchange rate)

$22.1 billion (2009 est.)

GDP – real growth rate

1% (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 172 12.9% (2008)
26% (2007)

GDP – per capita (PPP)

$33,000 (2009)
country comparison to the world: 40 $31,800 (2008)
$28,400 (2006)

GDP – composition by sector

agriculture: 0.1%
industry:2.8%
services:97.1% (2009 est.)

Labor force

330,900 (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 162

Labor force – by occupation

manufacturing: 4.3%
construction:8.7%
transport and communications:5.5%
wholesale and retail trade:13.3%
restaurants and hotels:12.7%
gambling:13.3%
public sector:6.7%
financial services:2.4%
other services and agriculture:33.2% (2010)

Unemployment rate

2.9% (2010)
country comparison to the world: 23 3.6% (2009)

Population below poverty line

NA%

Household income or consumption by percentage share

lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%:NA%

Investment (gross fixed)

12.3% of GDP (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 177

Budget

revenues: $8.998 billion
expenditures:$3.862 billion (2010 est.)

Taxes and other revenues

40.7% of GDP (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 41

Budget surplus (+) or deficit (-)

23.2% of GDP (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 1

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

2.8% (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 98 1.1% (2009 est.)

Commercial bank prime lending rate

5.3% (31 December 2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 161 5.25% (31 December 2009 est.)

Stock of narrow money

$2.495 billion (31 December 2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 117 $2.38 billion (31 December 2009 est.)

Stock of broad money

$30.33 billion (31 December 2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 75 $26.56 billion (31 December 2009 est.)

Stock of domestic credit

$1.372 billion (31 December 2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 143 $701.1 million (31 December 2009 est.)

Market value of publicly traded shares

$46.1 billion (31 February 2011 est.)
country comparison to the world: 94 $2.3 billion (31 December 2008)
$413.1 million (2004 est.)

Agriculture – products

only 2% of land area is cultivated, mainly by vegetable growers

fishing, mostly for crustaceans, is important

some of the catch is exported to Hong Kong

Industries

tourism, gambling, clothing, textiles, electronics, footwear, toys

Industrial production growth rate

-23.7%
country comparison to the world: 167

Electricity – production

1.1 billion kWh (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 145

Electricity – consumption

3.66 billion kWh (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 121

Electricity – exports

0 kWh (2010 est.)

Electricity – imports

2.79 billion kWh (2010 est.)

Oil – production

0 bbl/day (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 193

Oil – consumption

17,000 bbl/day (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 134

Oil – exports

0 bbl/day (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 187

Oil – imports

15,400 bbl/day (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 129

Oil – proved reserves

0 bbl (1 January 2011 est.)
country comparison to the world: 158

Natural gas – production

0 cu m (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 211

Natural gas – consumption

154.7 million cu m (2010)
country comparison to the world: 101

Natural gas – exports

0 cu m (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 136

Natural gas – imports

154.5 million cu m (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 68

Natural gas – proved reserves

174,000 cu m (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 104

Current account balance

$6.23 billion (2009)
country comparison to the world: 31

Exports

$870 million (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 157 $973 million (2009 est.)
note:includes reexports

Exports – commodities

clothing, textiles, footwear, toys, electronics, machinery and parts

Exports – partners

Hong Kong 43.1%, China 15.8%, US 11.2%, Germany 4% (2010 est.)

Imports

$5.5 billion (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 109 $4.5 billion (2009 est.)

Imports – commodities

raw materials and semi-manufactured goods, consumer goods (foodstuffs, beverages, tobacco), capital goods, mineral fuels and oils

Imports – partners

China 31.1%, Hong Kong 10.5%, France 9.2%, Japan 8.6%, US 5.9% (2010 est.)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

$23.73 billion (2010) (2010)
country comparison to the world: 53

Debt – external

$0 (2010)
country comparison to the world: 202

Stock of direct foreign investment – at home

$12.1 billion (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 79 $10.5 billion (#REF! est.)

Stock of direct foreign investment – abroad

$240 million (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 80 $964 million (2008)

Exchange rates

patacas (MOP) per US dollar -
8.002 (2010)
7.983 (2008)
8.011 (2007)
8.0015 (2006)

Transportation

Airports

1 (2010)
country comparison to the world:224

Airports – with paved runways

total: 1
over 3,047 m:1 (2010)

Heliports

2 (2010)

Roadways

total: 413 km
country comparison to the world: 198 paved:413 km (2009)

Ports and terminals

Macau

Military

Military branches

no regular military forces

Manpower available for military service

males age 16-49: 150,780 (2010 est.)

Manpower fit for military service

males age 16-49: 124,189
females age 16-49:149,514 (2010 est.)

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually

male: 4,274
female:3,674 (2010 est.)

Military – note

defense is the responsibility of China

Transnational Issues

Disputes – international

none

Illicit drugs

transshipment point for drugs going into mainland China

consumer of opiates and amphetamines