1.
[syn: Macao, Macau]
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:
Macau \Ma*ca"u\, prop. n.
Same as Macao, the territory.
[PJC]
WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006):
Macau
n 1: a former Portuguese province on the south coast of China
and two islands in the South China Sea; reverted to China
in 1999 [syn: Macao, Macau]
CIA World Factbook 2002:
Macau
Introduction Macau
------------------
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.
Geography Macau
---------------
Location: Eastern Asia, bordering the South
China Sea and China
Geographic coordinates: 22 10 N, 113 33 E
Map references: Southeast Asia
Area: total: 25.4 sq km
water: 0 sq km
land: 25.4 sq km
Area - comparative: about 0.1 times the size of
Washington, DC
Land boundaries: total: 0.34 km
border countries: 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 172.4 m
Natural resources: NEGL
Land use: arable land: 0%
permanent crops: 0%
other: 100%
note: "green areas" represent 22.4%
(1998 est.)
Irrigated land: NA sq km
Natural hazards: typhoons
Environment - current issues: NA
Geography - note: essentially urban; one causeway and
two bridges connect the two islands
of Coloane and Taipa to the
peninsula on mainland
People Macau
------------
Population: 461,833 (July 2002 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 21.8% (male 52,262;
female 48,439)
15-64 years: 70.9% (male 154,942;
female 172,647)
65 years and over: 7.3% (male
13,616; female 19,927) (2002 est.)
Population growth rate: 1.75% (2002 est.)
Birth rate: 12.19 births/1,000 population (2002
est.)
Death rate: 3.78 deaths/1,000 population (2002
est.)
Net migration rate: 9.08 migrant(s)/1,000 population
(2002 est.)
Sex ratio: at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.08 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.9 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.68 male(s)/
female
total population: 0.92 male(s)/
female (2002 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 4.44 deaths/1,000 live births (2002
est.)
Life expectancy at birth: total population: 81.78 years
female: 84.73 years (2002 est.)
male: 78.97 years
Total fertility rate: 1.31 children born/woman (2002 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: NA%
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/ NA
AIDS:
HIV/AIDS - deaths: NA
Nationality: noun: Chinese
adjective: Chinese
Ethnic groups: Chinese 95%, Macanese (mixed
Portuguese and Asian ancestry),
Portuguese, other
Religions: Buddhist 50%, Roman Catholic 15%,
none and other 35% (1997 est.)
Languages: Portuguese, Chinese (Cantonese)
Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read
and write
total population: 90%
male: 93%
female: 86% (1981 est.)
Government Macau
----------------
Country name: conventional long form: Macau
Special Administrative Region
conventional short form: Macau
local short form: Aomen (Chinese);
Macau (Portuguese)
local long form: Aomen Tebie
Xingzhengqu (Chinese); Regiao
Administrativa Especial de Macau
(Portuguese)
Dependency status: special administrative region of
China
Government type: NA
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 in 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
JIANG Zemin (since 27 March 1993)
elections: chief executive chosen by
a 200-member selection committee for
up to two five-year terms
cabinet: Executive Council consists
of all five government secretaries,
three legislators, and two
businessmen
head of government: Chief Executive
Edmund HO Hau-wah (since 20 December
1999)
Legislative branch: unicameral Legislative Council or
LEGCO (27 seats; 10 elected by
popular vote, 10 by indirect vote,
and 7 appointed by the chief
executive; members serve four-year
terms)
election results: percent of vote -
NA%; seats by political bloc -
Entertainment Industry 3, pro-
democracy 2, pro-Beijing Labor Union
2, pro-Beijing Neighborhood
Association 2, pro-business 1
elections: last held 23 September
2001 (next to be held NA 2005)
Judicial branch: The Court of Final Appeal in the
Macau Special Administrative Region
Political parties and leaders: there are no formal political
parties, however, there are civic
associations that, for purposes of
legislative voting, join together to
form political blocs
Political pressure groups and Catholic Church [Domingos LAM,
leaders: bishop]; Macau Society of Tourism
and Entertainment or STDM [Stanley
HO, managing director]; Union for
Democracy Development [Antonio NG
Kuok-cheong, leader]
International organization CCC, ESCAP (associate), IHO, IMO
participation: (associate), Interpol (subbureau),
ISO (correspondent), UNESCO
(associate), WMO, WToO (associate),
WTrO
Diplomatic representation in the US: none (special administrative region
of China)
Diplomatic representation from the the US has no offices in Macau, and
US: 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 Macau
-------------
Economy - overview: Macau's economy two years after
reversion to China remains one of
the most open in the world,
according to the World Trade
Organization. The government
collects no duty on imports and sets
no restrictions on exports beyond
those required by international
agreements. The territory's net
exports of goods and services
account for 35% of GDP, with tourism
and apparel exports as the
mainstays. The territory therefore
has been hit hard by the 2001
downturn in its key US and EU export
markets. Tourism remained strong,
however, driven by a surge in
visitors from mainland China. In
response to the expected contraction
of the economy in 2002, the
government has announced a
stimulative income tax cut and
public works program that will push
the budget into deficit. China
already has extended support by
easing restrictions on travel to
Macau and is proposing a China-Hong
Kong-Macau free trade area. China's
economic weight is increasingly
felt, with the mainland now holding
more than 50% of assets in the
financial, real estate, and
construction sectors. Mainlanders,
however, have been excluded from
bidding on the gambling industry
licenses that Macau is offering to
break up the territory's four-
decade-old gambling monopoly.
Gambling taxes account for up to 60%
of revenue, and the government with
Beijing's backing intends to
revitalize the industry.
GDP: purchasing power parity - $8 billion
(2001 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: 0.5% (2001 est.)
GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $17,600
(2001 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 1%
industry: 25%
services: 74% (2000 est.)
Population below poverty line: NA%
Household income or consumption by lowest 10%: NA%
percentage share: highest 10%: NA%
Inflation rate (consumer prices): -2% (2001 est.)
Labor force: 218,000 (2001)
Labor force - by occupation: restaurants and hotels 26%,
manufacturing 20%, other services
and agriculture 54% (2000 est.)
Unemployment rate: 6.5% (2001 est.)
Budget: revenues: $1.15 billion
expenditures: $1.03 billion,
including capital expenditures of
$166 million (2000 est.)
Industries: tourism, gambling, clothing,
textiles, electronics, footwear,
toys
Industrial production growth rate: NA%
Electricity - production: 1.4 billion kWh (2000)
Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 100%
hydro: 0%
other: 0% (2000)
nuclear: 0%
Electricity - consumption: 1.476 billion kWh (2000)
Electricity - exports: 1 million kWh (2000)
Electricity - imports: 175 million kWh (2000)
Agriculture - products: rice, vegetables
Exports: $2.5 billion (f.o.b., 2000)
Exports - commodities: clothing, textiles, cement,
electronics, cameras
Exports - partners: US 48%, EU 28%, China 10%, Hong Kong
7% (2000)
Imports: $2.3 billion (c.i.f., 2000)
Imports - commodities: clothing, textiles, yarn, minerals,
electrical machinery, fuel,
livestock
Imports - partners: China 41%, Hong Kong 15%, EU 10%,
Taiwan 10%, Japan 6% (2000)
Debt - external: $1.5 billion (1998)
Economic aid - recipient: $NA
Currency: pataca (MOP)
Currency code: MOP
Exchange rates: patacas per US dollar - 8.033
(January 2002), 8.034 (2001), 8.026
(2000), 7.992 (1999), 7.979 (1998),
7.975 (1997); note - linked to the
Hong Kong dollar at the rate of 1.03
patacas per Hong Kong dollar
Fiscal year: calendar year
Communications Macau
--------------------
Telephones - main lines in use: 176,902 (November 2001)
Telephones - mobile cellular: 158,251 (November 2001)
Telephone system: general assessment: 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)
Radio broadcast stations: AM 0, FM 2, shortwave 0 (1998)
Radios: 160,000 (1997)
Television broadcast stations: 0 (receives Hong Kong broadcasts)
(1997)
Televisions: 49,000 (1997)
Internet country code: .mo
Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 1 (2000)
Internet users: 60,000 (2001)
Transportation Macau
--------------------
Railways: 0 km
Highways: total: 50 km
paved: 50 km
unpaved: 0 km (2001)
Waterways: none
Ports and harbors: Macau
Merchant marine: none (2002 est.)
Airports: 1 (2001)
Airports - with paved runways: total: 1
over 3,047 m: 1 (2001)
Military Macau
--------------
Military branches: no regular indigenous military
forces; responsibility for defense
reverted to China on 20 December
1999; there is a local police force
Military manpower - availability: males age 15-49: 128,005 (2002 est.)
Military manpower - fit for military males age 15-49: 70,508 (2002 est.)
service:
Military - note: responsibility for defense reverted
to China on 20 December 1999
Transnational Issues Macau
--------------------------
Disputes - international: none