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 China on 20 December 1999. China has promised that under its 'one country two systems' formula China's socialist economic system will not be practiced in Macau and that Macau will enjoy a high degree of autonomy in all matters except foreign and defense affairs for the next 50 years.

Geographic coordinates: 22 10 N 113 33 E

Map reference: Southeast Asia

Area
Total: 28.2 km²
Land: 28.2 km²
Water: 0 km²
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
Extremes highest point: Coloane Alto 172.4 m

Natural resources: NEGL

Land use
Arable land: 0%
Permanent crops: 0%
Other: 100% (2005)

Irrigated land: NA

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

Population: 456,989 (July 2007 est.)
Growth rate: 0.841% (2007 est.)
Below poverty line: NA%

Nationality
Noun: Chinese
Adjective: Chinese

Ethnic groups: Chinese 95.7% Macanese (mixed Portuguese and Asian ancestry) 1% other 3.3% (2001 census)

Languages: Cantonese 87.9% Hokkien 4.4% Mandarin 1.6% other Chinese dialects 3.1% other 3% (2001 census)

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

Age structure
0-14 years: 15.4% (male 36,413/female 33,981)
15-64 years: 76.6% (male 166,797/female 183,088)
65 years and over: 8% (male 15,541/female 21,169) (2007 est.)

Median age
Total: 36.6 years
Male: 36 years
Female: 36.9 years (2007 est.)

Population growth rate: 0.841% (2007 est.)

Birth rate: 8.57 births/1000 population (2007 est.)

Death rate: 4.59 deaths/1000 population (2007 est.)

Net migration rate: 4.42 migrant(s)/1000 population (2007 est.)

Environment
Current issues: NA
International agreements party to: Marine Dumping (associate member), Ship Pollution (associate member)

Sex ratio
At birth: 1.05 male/female
Under 15 years: 1.072 male/female
15-64 years: 0.911 male/female
65 years and over: 0.734 male/female
Total population: 0.918 male/female (2007 est.)

Infant mortality rate
Total: 4.33 deaths/1000 live births
Male: 4.51 deaths/1000 live births
Female: 4.13 deaths/1000 live births (2007 est.)

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 82.27 years
Male: 79.44 years
Female: 85.25 years (2007 est.)

Total fertility rate: 1.03 children born/woman (2007 est.)

Hivaids
Adult prevalence rate: NA
People living with hivaids: NA
Deaths: NA

Literacy
Definition: age 15 and over can read and write
Total population: 91.3%
Male: 95.3%
Female: 87.8% (2001 census)

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

Government type: limited democracy

Administrative divisions: none (special administrative region 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 on 31 March 1993 by China's National People's Congress is Macau's 'mini-constitution'

Legal system: based on Portuguese civil law system

Suffrage: direct election 18 years of age 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 Edmund HO Hau-wah (since 20 December 1999)
Cabinet: Executive Council consists of one government secretary, three legislators, four businessmen, one pro-Beijing unionist, and one pro-Beijing educator
Elections: chief executive chosen by a 300-member Election Committee for a five-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held 29 August 2004 (next to be held in 2009)
Election results: Edmund HO Hau-wah reelected received 296 votes; three members submitted blank ballots; one member was absent

Legislative branch
Elections: last held 25 September 2005 (next in September 2009)
Election results: percent of vote - New Democratic Macau Association 18.8%, Macau United Citizens' Association 16.6%, Union for Development 13.3%, Union for Promoting Progress 9.6%, Macau Development Alliance 9.3%, others 32.4%; seats by political group - New Democratic Macau Association 2, Macau United Citizens' Association 2, Union for Development 2, Union for Promoting Progress 2, Macau Development Alliance 1, others 3; 10 seats filled by professional and business groups; seven members appointed by chief executive

Judicial branch: Court of Final Appeal in Macau Special Administrative Region

Political parties and leaders: Civil Service Union [Jose Maria Pereira COUTINHO]; Development Union [KWAN Tsui-hang]; Macau Development Alliance [Angela LEONG On-kei]; Macau United Citizens' Association [CHAN Meng-kam]; New Democratic Macau Association [Antonio NG Kuok-cheong]; United Forces

International organization participation: IHO IMF IMO (associate) ISO (correspondent) UNESCO (associate) UNWTO (associate) UPU WCO WMO WTO

Diplomatic representation
In the us: none (special administrative region of China)
From the us: the US has no offices in Macau; US interests are monitored by the US Consulate General in Hong Kong

Flag description: light 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 center of arc and four smaller

Economy overview: Macau's well-to-do economy has remained one of the most open in the world since its reversion to China in 1999. Apparel exports and tourism are mainstays of the economy. Although the territory was hit hard by the 1997-98 Asian financial crisis and the global downturn in 2001 its economy grew 10.1% in 2002 14.2% in 2003 and 28.6% in 2004 before slowing to 6.7% in 2005. The economic boom was powered by gambling tourism and the construction necessary to support such endeavors. China's decision to ease travel restrictions led to a rapid rise in the number of mainland visitors. The opening of Macau's gaming industry to foreign access in 2001 spurred an increase in public works expenditures. The budget also returned to surplus in 2002 because of the surge in visitors from China and a hike in taxes on gambling profits which generated about 70% of government revenue. Much of Macau's textile industry may move to the mainland due to the termination in 2005 of the Multi-Fiber Agreement which provided a near guarantee of export markets leaving the territory more dependent on gambling and trade-related services to generate growth. The Closer Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) between Macau and mainland China that came into effect on 1 January 2004 offers many Macau-made products tariff-free access to the mainland. The range of products covered by CEPA was expanded on 1 January 2005.

Real gdp purchasing power parity: $10 billion (2004)

Real gdp growth rate: 6.7% (2005)

Real gdp per capita: $24,300 (2005)

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: 0.1%
Industry: 7.2%
Services: 92.7% (2002 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: NA%

Labor force: 248,000 (2005)
By occupation: manufacturing 13.7% construction 10.5% transport and communications 5.9% wholesale and retail trade 14.6% restaurants and hotels 10.3% gambling 17.9% public sector 7.8% other services and agriculture 19.3% (2005 est.)

Unemployment rate: 4.1% (2005)

Population below poverty line: NA%

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

Budget
Revenues: $3.16 billion
Expenditures: $3.16 billion (FY05/06)

Fiscal year: calendar year

Inflation rate consumer prices: 4.4% (2005)

Market value of publicly traded shares: $413.1 million (2004)

Exports: $3.156 billion f.o.b.; note - includes reexports (2005)
Commodities: clothing textiles footwear toys electronics machinery and parts
Partners: US 44.1% China 14.8% Hong Kong 11.3% Germany 7.3% UK 4.1% (2006)

Imports: $3.912 billion c.i.f. (2005)
Commodities: raw materials and semi-manufactured goods consumer goods (foodstuffs beverages tobacco) capital goods mineral fuels and oils
Partners: China 45.2% Hong Kong 10.2% Japan 8.4% US 5.5% Singapore 4.1% France 4% (2006)

Debt external: $3.1 billion (2004)

Stock of direct foreign investment at home: $NA

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad: $NA

Exchange rates: patacas per US dollar - 8.0015 (2006) 8.011 (2005) 8.022 (2004) 8.021 (2003) 8.033 (2002)

Electricity
Production: 1.947 billion kWh (2005)
Consumption: 2.16 billion kWh (2005)
Exports: 0 kWh (2005)
Imports: 341 million kWh (2005)

Natural gas
Production: 0 m³ (2005 est.)
Consumption: 0 m³ (2005 est.)

Telephones
Main lines in use: 176,700 (2006)
Mobile cellular: 636,300 (2006)

Telephone system
General assessment: fairly modern communication facilities maintained for domestic and international services
Domestic: NA
International: country code - 853; HF radiotelephone communication facility; access to international communications carriers provided via Hong Kong and China; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Indian Ocean)

Internet
Country code: .mo
Hosts: 232 (2007)
Users: 200,000 (2006)

Airports: 1 (2007)
With paved runways total: 1
With paved runways over 3047 m: 1 (2007)

Heliports: 1 (2007)

Roadways
Total: 368 km
Paved: 368 km (2005)

Ports and terminals: Macau

Disputes international: none

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