Macau

Airports

none useable, 1 under construction; 1 seaplane station

Civil air

no major transport aircraft

Highways

42 km paved

Ports

Macau

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

Manpower availability

males 15-49, 167,289; 93,142 fit for military service

Note

defense is responsibility of Portugal

Agriculture

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

Budget

revenues $305 million; expenditures $298 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (1989)

Currency

pataca (plural--patacas); 1 pataca (P) = 100 avos

Economic aid

none

Electricity

203,000 kW capacity; 495 million kWh produced, 1,120 kWh per capita (1990)

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

Exports

$1.7 billion (1989 est.); commodities--textiles, clothing, toys; partners--US 33%, Hong Kong 15%, FRG 12%, France 10% (1987)

External debt

$91 million (1985)

Fiscal year

calendar year

GDP

$2.9 billion, per capita $6,560; real growth rate 6% (1990 est.)

Imports

$1.6 billion (1989 est.); commodities--raw materials, foodstuffs, capital goods; partners--Hong Kong 39%, China 21%, Japan 10% (1987)

Industrial production

NA

Industries

clothing, textiles, toys, plastic products, furniture, tourism

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

9.5% (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.

Unemployment rate

2% (1989 est.)

Climate

subtropical; marine with cool winters, warm summers

Coastline

40 km

Comparative area

about 0.1 times the size of Washington, DC

Disputes

scheduled to become a Special Administrative Region of China in 1999

Environment

essentially urban; one causeway and one bridge connect the two islands to the peninsula on mainland

Land boundary

0.34 km with China

Land use

arable land 0%; permanent crops 0%; meadows and pastures 0%; forest and woodland 0%; other 100%

Maritime claims

not known

Natural resources

negligible

Note

27 km west southwest of Hong Kong on the southeast coast of China

Terrain

generally flat

Total area

16 km2; land area: 16 km2

Administrative divisions

2 districts (concelhos, singular--concelho); Ilhas, Macau

Capital

Macau

Constitution

17 February 1976, Organic Law of Macau

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

Executive branch

president of Portugal, governor, Consultative Council (cabinet)

Flag

the flag of Portugal is used

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

Judicial branch

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

Legal system

Portuguese civil law system

Legislative branch

Legislative Assembly

Long-form name

none

Member of

GATT, WTO (associate)

National holiday

Day of Portugal, 10 June

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

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

Type

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

Birth rate

15 births/1,000 population (1991)

Death rate

5 deaths/1,000 population (1991)

Ethnic divisions

Chinese 95%, Portuguese 3%, other 2%

Infant mortality rate

7 deaths/1,000 live births (1991)

Labor force

180,000 (1986)

Language

Portuguese (official); Cantonese is the language of commerce

Life expectancy at birth

75 years male, 79 years female (1991)

Literacy

90% (male 93%, female 86%) age 15 and over can read and write (1981)

Nationality

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

Net migration rate

0 migrants/1,000 population (1991)

Organized labor

none

Population

446,262 (July 1991), growth rate 1.0% (1991)

Religion

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

Total fertility rate

2.1 children born/woman (1991)