Map of Macau | Geography | People | Government | Economy | Energy | Communication
Military | Transportation | Transnational Issues | Year: Guide1989199019911992199319941995199619971998199920002001200220032004200520062007200820092010201120122013201420152016201720182019202020212022202320242025 | More stats

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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 political and economic system would not be imposed on Macau and that Macau would enjoy a 'high degree of autonomy' in all matters except foreign affairs and defense for the subsequent 50 years.


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Location: Eastern Asia bordering the South China Sea and China

Geographic coordinates: 22 10 N 113 33 E

Map reference

Area
Rank: 237
Land: 28.2 km²
Water: 0 km²
Comparative: less than one-sixth the size of Washington DC

Land boundaries
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 highest point: Coloane Alto 172 m

Natural resources: NEGL

Land use
Permanent crops: 0%
Other: 100% (2011)

Irrigated land: NA; note - included in the total for China

Major rivers

Major watersheds area km²

Total water withdrawal

Total renewable water resources

Natural hazards: typhoons

Geography
Note: essentially urban; an area of land reclaimed from the sea measuring 5.2 km² and known as Cotai now connects the islands of Coloane and Taipa; the island area is connected to the mainland peninsula by three bridges


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Population: 587,914
Rank: 170
Growth rate: 0.83% (2014 est.)
Growth rate rank: 133
Below poverty line: NA%

Nationality
Adjective: Chinese

Ethnic groups: Chinese 92.4% Portuguese 0.6% mixed 1.1% other 5.9% (includes Macanese - mixed Portuguese and Asian ancestry) (2011 est.)

Languages: Cantonese 83.3% Mandarin 5% Hokkien 3.7% English 2.3% other Chinese dialects 2% Tagalog 1.7% Portuguese 0.7% other 1.3%

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

Demographic profile

Age structure
15-24 years: 13.7% (male 41,941/female 38,697)
25-54 years: 50.9% (male 133,612/female 165,735)
55-64 years: 11.8% (male 35,011/female 34,372)
65 years and over: 8.8% (male 25,254/female 28,670) (2014 est.)

Dependency ratios
Youth dependency ratio: 15.7 %
Elderly dependency ratio: 10.8 %
Potential support ratio: 9.2 (2014 est.)

Median age
Male: 38.3 years
Female: 37.3 years (2014 est.)

Population growth rate: 0.83% (2014 est.)
Rank: 133

Birth rate: 8.98 births/1000 population (2014 est.)
Rank: 209

Death rate: 4.1 deaths/1000 population (2014 est.)
Rank: 209

Net migration rate: 3.4 migrant(s)/1000 population (2014 est.)
Rank: 33

Population distribution

Urbanization
Rate of urbanization: 2.01% annual rate of change (2010-15 est.)

Major urban areas

Environment
Current issues: NA

Air pollutants

Sex ratio
0-14 years: 1.1 male(s)/female
15-24 years: 1.08 male(s)/female
25-54 years: 0.81 male(s)/female
55-64 years: 0.91 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.88 male(s)/female
Total population: 0.91 male(s)/female (2014 est.)

Mothers mean age at first birth

Maternal mortality ratio

Infant mortality rate
Rank: 216
Male: 3.29 deaths/1000 live births
Female: 2.97 deaths/1000 live births (2014 est.)

Life expectancy at birth
Rank: 2
Male: 81.52 years
Female: 87.59 years (2014 est.)

Total fertility rate: 0.93 children born/woman (2014 est.)
Rank: 223

Contraceptive prevalence rate

Drinking water source

Current health expenditure

Physicians density

Hospital bed density

Sanitation facility access

Hiv/Aids
Adult prevalence rate: NA
People living with hivaids: NA
Deaths: NA

Major infectious diseases

Obesity adult prevalence rate

Alcohol consumption

Tobacco use

Children under the age of 5 years underweight

Education expenditures: 2.7% of GDP (2011)
Rank: 148

Literacy
Total population: 95.6%
Male: 97.8%
Female: 93.7% (2011 est.)

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education
Male: 15 years
Female: 14 years (2008)

Youth unemployment


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Country name
Conventional short form: Macau
Official long form: Aomen Tebie Xingzhengqu (Chinese); Regiao Administrativa Especial de Macau (Portuguese)
Official short form: Aomen (Chinese); Macau (Portuguese)

Government type: limited democracy

Capital

Administrative divisions: none (special administrative region of the People's Republic of China)

Dependent areas

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: previous 1976 (Organic Statute of Macau by Portugal); latest adopted 31 March 1993 effective 20 December 1999 (Basic Law of the Macau Special Administrative Region by the People's Republic of China serves as Macau's constitution) (2013)

Legal system: civil law system based on the Portuguese model

International law organization participation

Citizenship

Suffrage: 18 years of age in direct elections for some legislative positions universal for permanent residents living in Macau for the past seven years; note - indirect elections are limited to organizations registered as 'corporate voters' (973 were registered in the 2009 legislative elections) and a 400-member Election Committee for the Chief Executive drawn from broad regional groupings municipal organizations central government bodies and elected Macau officials

Executive branch
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 2 pro-Beijing unionists and 1 professional
Elections: chief executive chosen by a 400-member Election Committee for a five-year term (current chief executive is eligible for a second term); election last held on 26 July 2009 (next to be held in August 2014)
Election results: Fernando CHUI Sai On elected with 282 votes and took office on 20 December 2009

Legislative branch: unicameral Legislative Assembly (33 seats; 14 geographical constituency seats elected by popular vote 12 functional constituency seats elected by indirect vote and 7 seats appointed by the chief executive; members serve four-year terms)
Elections: last held on 15 September 2013 (next to be held in September 2017)
Election results: percent of vote - ACUM 18.0% UMG 11.1% UPP 10.8% NE 9.0% NUDM 8.9% UPD 8.2% APMD 7.5% ANMD 6.0% APM 6.0% others 14.5%; seats by political group - ACUM 3 UMG 2 UPP 2 NE 2 NUDM 1 UPD 1 APMD 1 ANMD 1 APM 1; 12 seats filled by professional and business groups; 7 members appointed by the chief executive

Judicial branch
Judge selection and term of office: justices appointed by the Macau chief executive upon the recommendation of an independent commission of judges lawyers and 'eminent' persons; judge tenure NA
Subordinate courts: Court of Second Instance; Court of First instance; Lower Court; Administrative Court

Political parties and leaders:

International organization participation: ICC (national committees) 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)
From the us: the US has no offices in Macau; US Consulate General in Hong Kong currently Consul General Clifford A. HART Jr. 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 symbols: lotus blossom

National anthem

National heritage


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Economy overview: Since opening up its locally-controlled casino industry to foreign competition in 2001 Macau has attracted tens of billions of dollars in foreign investment transforming the territory into one of the world's largest gaming centers. Macau's gaming and tourism businesses were fueled by China''s decision to relax travel restrictions on Chinese citizens wishing to visit Macau. - In 2013 Macau's gaming-related taxes accounted for more than 85% of total government revenue. Macau''s economy slowed dramatically in 2009 as a result of the global economic slowdown but strong growth resumed in 2010-13 largely on the back of tourism from mainland China and the gaming sectors. In 2013 this city of 607,500 hosted nearly 29.3 million visitors. Almost 64% came from mainland China. Macau''s traditional manufacturing industry has slowed greatly since the termination of the Multi-Fiber Agreement in 2005. China is Macau''s second largest goods export market behind Hong Kong and followed by the United States. In 2013 exports were US$1.1 billion while gaming receipts were US$45.2 billion an 18.6% increase over 2012. Macau''s economy expanded by 11.9% in 2013; although impressive it was a slower growth rate than in previous years. Macau continues to face the challenges of managing its growing casino industry money-laundering and the need to diversify the economy away from heavy dependence on gaming revenues. Macau''s currency the pataca is closely tied to the Hong Kong dollar which is also freely accepted in the territory.

Real gdp purchasing power parity:
Rank: 98

Real gdp growth rate:
Rank: 5

Real gdp per capita:
Rank: 3

Gross national saving

Gdp composition by end use
Government consumption: 6.5%
Investment in fixed capital: 12.8%
Investment in inventories: 1.1%
Exports of goods and services: 107%
Imports of goods and services: -46%: (2013 est.)

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Industry: 6.5%
Services: 93.5% (2013 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: 17.6% (2013 est.)
Rank: 2

Labor force: 367,800 (2013 est.)
Rank: 160
By occupation construction: 9.8%
By occupation transport and communications: 4.4%
By occupation wholesale and retail trade: 12.4%
By occupation restaurants and hotels: 15%
By occupation gambling: 25.9%
By occupation public sector: 7.1%
By occupation financial services: 2.6%
By occupation other services: 20.3% (2013)

Unemployment rate: 2% (2012 est.)
Rank: 9

Youth unemployment

Population below poverty line: NA%

Gini index

Household income or consumption by percentage share
Highest 10: NA%

Distribution of family income gini index: 38 (2008)
Rank: 91

Budget
Expenditures: $7.407 billion (2013 est.)
Surplus or deficit: 23.3% of GDP (2013 est.)
Surplus or deficit rank: 2

Taxes and other revenues: 37.6% of GDP (2013 est.)
Rank: 53

Public debt

Revenue

Fiscal year: calendar year

Inflation rate consumer prices: 6.1% (2012 est.)
Rank: 163

Central bank discount rate

Commercial bank prime lending rate: 5.25% (31 December 2012 est.)
Rank: 149

Stock of narrow money: $5.953 billion (31 December 2012 est.)
Rank: 91

Stock of broad money: $46.87 billion (31 December 2012 est.)
Rank: 67

Stock of domestic credit: $-5.678 billion (31 December 2012 est.)
Rank: 187

Market value of publicly traded shares:
Rank: 48

Current account balance: $16.2 billion (2011 est.)
Rank: 17

Exports: $1.02 billion (2012 est.)
Rank: 155
Commodities: clothing textiles footwear toys electronics machinery and parts
Partners: Hong Kong 53.4% China 17.7% US 4% (2013 est.)

Imports: $8.866 billion (2012 est.)
Rank: 100
Commodities: raw materials and semi-manufactured goods consumer goods (foodstuffs beverages tobacco garments and footwear motor vehicles) capital goods mineral fuels and oils
Partners: China 32.6% Hong Kong 13% France 8.6% Japan 5.9% US 5% (2013 est.)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: $16.6 billion (31 December 2012 est.)
Rank: 66

Debt external: $0 (31 December 2012)
Rank: 204

Stock of direct foreign investment at home: $14.91 billion (31 December 2011 est.)
Rank: 73

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad: $667.8 million (2011)
Rank: 78

Exchange rates:


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Electricity
Production: 413.7 million kWh (2013 est.)
Production rank: 166
Consumption: 4.291 billion kWh (2013 est.)
Consumption rank: 121
Exports: 0 kWh (2013 est.)
Exports rank: 162
Imports: 4.059 billion kWh (2013 est.)
Imports rank: 40
Installed generating capacity: 472,000 kW (2013 est.)
Installed generating capacity rank: 142
Generation sources fossil fuels: 100% of total installed capacity (2013 est.)
Generation sources fossil fuels rank: 22
Generation sources nuclear: 0% of total installed capacity (2013 est.)
Generation sources nuclear rank: 131
Generation sources hydroelectricity: 0% of total installed capacity (2013 est.)
Generation sources hydroelectricity rank: 181
Generation sources other renewable sources: 0% of total installed capacity (2013 est.)
Generation sources other renewable sources rank: 197

Coal

Petroleum
Petroleum total petroleum production: 0 bbl/day (2013 est.)
Petroleum total petroleum production rank: 192
Crude oil exports: 0 bbl/day (2013 est.)
Crude oil exports rank: 147
Crude oil imports: 0 bbl/day (2013 est.)
Crude oil imports rank: 86
Crude oil proven reserves: 0 bbl (1 January 2013 est.)
Crude oil proven reserves rank: 159

Crude oil

Refined petroleum
Products production: 0 bbl/day (2013 est.)
Products production rank: 168
Products consumption: 7,376 bbl/day (2013 est.)
Products consumption rank: 160
Products exports: 0 bbl/day (2013 est.)
Products exports rank: 194
Products imports: 5,780 bbl/day (2013 est.)
Products imports rank: 145

Natural gas
Production: 0 m³ (2013 est.)
Production rank: 159
Consumption: 355,000 m³ (2013 est.)
Consumption rank: 113
Exports: 0 m³ (2013 est.)
Exports rank: 140
Imports: 371,000 m³ (2013 est.)
Imports rank: 75
Proven reserves: 0 m³ (1 January 2013 est.)
Proven reserves rank: 163

Carbon dioxide emissions
From consumption of energy: 1.805 million Mt (2011 est.)

Energy consumption per capita


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Telephones
Main lines in use: 162,500 (2012)
Main lines in use rank: 132
Mobile cellular: 1.613 million (2012)
Mobile cellular rank: 150

Telephone system
Domestic: termination of monopoly over mobile-cellular telephone services in 2001 spurred sharp increase in subscriptions with mobile-cellular teledensity exceeding 200 per 100 persons; fixed-line subscribership appears to have peaked and is now in decline
International: country code - 853; landing point for the SEA-ME-WE-3 submarine cable network that provides links to Asia the Middle East and Europe; HF radiotelephone communication facility; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Indian Ocean) (2011)

Broadcast media: local government dominates broadcast media; 2 television stations operated by the government with one broadcasting in Portuguese and the other in Cantonese and Mandarin; 1 cable TV and 4 satellite TV services available; 3 radio stations broadcasting of which 2 are government-operated (2012)

Internet
Country code: .mo
Hosts: 327 (2012)
Hosts rank: 189
Users: 270,200 (2009)
Users rank: 134

Broadband fixed subscriptions


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Military expenditures

Military and security forces

Military service age and obligation

Space program

Terrorist groups


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National air transport system

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix

Airports: 1 (2013)
Rank: 224
With paved runways over 3047 m: 1 (2013)

Heliports: 2 (2013)

Pipelines

Railways

Roadways
Rank: 199
Paved: 413 km (2009)

Waterways

Merchant marine

Ports and terminals


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Disputes international: none

Refugees and internally displaced persons

Illicit drugs: transshipment point for drugs going into mainland China; consumer of opiates and amphetamines