Arctic Ocean (2001) | Macau (2001) | |
Administrative divisions | - | none (special administrative region of China) |
Age structure | - | 0-14 years:
22.68% (male 53,291; female 49,615) 15-64 years: 70.08% (male 150,538; female 167,431) 65 years and over: 7.24% (male 13,287; female 19,571) (2001 est.) |
Agriculture - products | - | rice, vegetables |
Airports | - | 1 (2000 est.) |
Airports - with paved runways | - | total:
1 over 3,047 m: 1 (2000 est.) |
Area | total:
14.056 million sq km note: includes Baffin Bay, Barents Sea, Beaufort Sea, Chukchi Sea, East Siberian Sea, Greenland Sea, Hudson Bay, Hudson Strait, Kara Sea, Laptev Sea, Northwest Passage, and other tributary water bodies |
total:
21 sq km land: 21 sq km water: 0 sq km |
Area - comparative | slightly less than 1.5 times the size of the US | about 0.1 times the size of Washington, DC |
Background | The Arctic Ocean is the smallest of the world's five oceans (after the Pacific Ocean, Atlantic Ocean, Indian Ocean, and the recently delimited Southern Ocean). The Northwest Passage (US and Canada) and Northern Sea Route (Norway and Russia) are two important seasonal waterways. A sparse network of air, ocean, river, and land routes circumscribes the Arctic Ocean. | 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. |
Birth rate | - | 12.36 births/1,000 population (2001 est.) |
Budget | - | revenues:
$1.26 billion expenditures: $1.22 billion, including capital expenditures of $175 million (1999 est.) |
Climate | polar climate characterized by persistent cold and relatively narrow annual temperature ranges; winters characterized by continuous darkness, cold and stable weather conditions, and clear skies; summers characterized by continuous daylight, damp and foggy weather, and weak cyclones with rain or snow | subtropical; marine with cool winters, warm summers |
Coastline | 45,389 km | 40 km |
Constitution | - | Basic Law, approved in March 1993 by China's National People's Congress, is Macau's "mini-constitution" |
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) |
Currency | - | pataca (MOP) |
Death rate | - | 3.71 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.) |
Debt - external | - | $1.7 billion (1997) |
Dependency status | - | special administrative region of China |
Diplomatic representation from the US | - | the US has no offices in Macau, and US interests are monitored by the US Consulate General in Hong Kong |
Diplomatic representation in the US | - | none (special administrative region of China) |
Disputes - international | some maritime disputes (see littoral states) | none |
Economic aid - recipient | - | $NA |
Economy - overview | Economic activity is limited to the exploitation of natural resources, including petroleum, natural gas, fish, and seals. | 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 three-fourths of export earnings; the gambling industry probably represents over 40% of GDP. More than 8 million tourists visited Macau in 2000. 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. Output dropped 5% in 1998 and 3% in 1999, with a small 2% gain in 2000. Macau reverted to Chinese administration on 20 December 1999. Gang violence, a dark spot in the economy, probably will be reduced in 2000-01 to the advantage of the tourism sector. |
Electricity - consumption | - | 1.422 billion kWh (1999) |
Electricity - exports | - | 3 million kWh (1999) |
Electricity - imports | - | 165 million kWh (1999) |
Electricity - production | - | 1.355 billion kWh (1999) |
Electricity - production by source | - | fossil fuel:
100% hydro: 0% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (1999) |
Elevation extremes | lowest point:
Fram Basin -4,665 m highest point: sea level 0 m |
lowest point:
South China Sea 0 m highest point: Coloane Alto 174 m |
Environment - current issues | endangered marine species include walruses and whales; fragile ecosystem slow to change and slow to recover from disruptions or damage; thinning polar icepack | NA |
Ethnic groups | - | Chinese 95%, Macanese (mixed Portuguese and Asian ancestry), Portuguese, other |
Exchange rates | - | patacas per US dollar - 8.033 (January 2001), 8.025 (2000), 7.990 (1999), 7.978 (1998), 7.974 (1997), 7.966 (1996); note - linked to the Hong Kong dollar at the rate of 1.03 patacas per Hong Kong dollar |
Executive branch | - | chief of state:
President of China JIANG Zemin (since 27 March 1993) head of government: Chief Executive Edmund HO Hau-wah (since 20 December 1999) cabinet: Executive Council consists of all five government secretaries, three legislators, and two businessmen elections: NA |
Exports | - | $2.6 billion (f.o.b., 2000 est.) |
Exports - commodities | - | textiles, clothing, toys, electronics, cement, footwear, machinery |
Exports - partners | - | US 47%, EU 30%, China 9.2%, Hong Kong 6.7% (1999) |
Fiscal year | - | calendar year |
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 |
GDP | - | purchasing power parity - $7.82 billion (2000 est.) |
GDP - composition by sector | - | agriculture:
1% industry: 25% services: 74% (2000 est.) |
GDP - per capita | - | purchasing power parity - $17,500 (2000 est.) |
GDP - real growth rate | - | 2% (2000 est.) |
Geographic coordinates | 90 00 N, 0 00 E | 22 10 N, 113 33 E |
Geography - note | major chokepoint is the southern Chukchi Sea (northern access to the Pacific Ocean via the Bering Strait); strategic location between North America and Russia; shortest marine link between the extremes of eastern and western Russia; floating research stations operated by the US and Russia; maximum snow cover in March or April about 20 to 50 centimeters over the frozen ocean; snow cover lasts about 10 months | essentially urban; one causeway and two bridges connect the two islands of Coloane and Taipa to the peninsula on mainland |
Highways | - | total:
50 km paved: 50 km unpaved: 0 km (2001) |
Household income or consumption by percentage share | - | lowest 10%:
NA% highest 10%: NA% |
Imports | - | $2.4 billion (c.i.f., 2000 est.) |
Imports - commodities | - | raw materials, foodstuffs, capital goods, fuels, consumer goods |
Imports - partners | - | China 36%, Hong Kong 18%, EU 13%, Taiwan 10%, Japan 7% (1999) |
Independence | - | none (special administrative region of China) |
Industrial production growth rate | - | NA% |
Industries | - | clothing, textiles, toys, electronics, footwear, tourism, gambling |
Infant mortality rate | - | 4.47 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.) |
Inflation rate (consumer prices) | - | -1.8% (2000 est.) |
International organization participation | - | CCC, ESCAP (associate), IMO (associate), Interpol (subbureau), UNESCO (associate), WMO, WToO (associate), WTrO |
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) | - | 1 (2000) |
Irrigated land | - | NA sq km |
Judicial branch | - | The Court of Final Appeal in the Macau Special Administrative Region |
Labor force | - | 283,450 (1999) |
Labor force - by occupation | - | restaurants and hotels 26%, manufacturing 22%, other services 52% (2000 est.) |
Land boundaries | - | total:
0.34 km border countries: China 0.34 km |
Land use | - | arable land:
0% permanent crops: 2% permanent pastures: 0% forests and woodland: 0% other: 98% (1998 est.) |
Languages | - | Portuguese, Chinese (Cantonese) |
Legal system | - | based on Portuguese civil law system |
Legislative branch | - | unicameral Legislative Council or LEGCO (23 seats; 8 elected by popular vote, 8 by indirect vote, and 7 appointed by the chief executive; members serve four-year terms)
elections: last held 22 September 1996 (next to be held by 15 October 2001) election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - APPEM 2, UNIPRO 2, CODEM 1, UDM 1, UPD 1, ANMD 1 |
Life expectancy at birth | - | total population:
81.69 years male: 78.88 years female: 84.64 years (2001 est.) |
Literacy | - | definition:
age 15 and over can read and write total population: 90% male: 93% female: 86% (1981 est.) |
Location | body of water between Europe, Asia, and North America, mostly north of the Arctic Circle | Eastern Asia, bordering the South China Sea and China |
Map references | Arctic Region | Southeast Asia |
Maritime claims | - | not specified |
Merchant marine | - | none (2000 est.) |
Military - note | - | responsibility for defense reverted to China on 20 December 1999 |
Military branches | - | Macau garrison of China's People's Liberation Army (PLA) includes about 500 troops |
Military manpower - availability | - | males age 15-49:
125,737 (2001 est.) |
Military manpower - fit for military service | - | males age 15-49:
69,191 (2001 est.) |
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 |
Nationality | - | noun:
Chinese adjective: Chinese |
Natural hazards | ice islands occasionally break away from northern Ellesmere Island; icebergs calved from glaciers in western Greenland and extreme northeastern Canada; permafrost in islands; virtually ice locked from October to June; ships subject to superstructure icing from October to May | typhoons |
Natural resources | sand and gravel aggregates, placer deposits, polymetallic nodules, oil and gas fields, fish, marine mammals (seals and whales) | NEGL |
Net migration rate | - | 9.25 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.) |
Political parties and leaders | - | the following is a listing of those associations that participated in the last legislative elections: Associacao de Novo Macau Democratico or ANMD [leader NA]; Associacao Promotora para a Economia de Macau or APPEM [leader NA]; Convergencia para o Desenvolvimento or CODEM [leader NA]; Uniao Geral para o Desenvolvimento de Macau or UDM [leader NA]; Uniao para o Desenvolvimento or UPD [leader NA]; Uniao Promotora para o Progresso or UNIPRO [leader NA]
note: there are no formal political parties, but civic associations are used instead |
Political pressure groups and leaders | - | Catholic Church [Domingos LAM, bishop]; Macau Society of Tourism and Entertainment or STDM [Stanley HO, managing director]; Union for Democracy Development [Antonio NG Kuok-cheong, leader] |
Population | - | 453,733 (July 2001 est.) |
Population below poverty line | - | NA% |
Population growth rate | - | 1.79% (2001 est.) |
Ports and harbors | Churchill (Canada), Murmansk (Russia), Prudhoe Bay (US) | Macau |
Radio broadcast stations | - | AM 0, FM 2, shortwave 0 (1998) |
Radios | - | 160,000 (1997) |
Railways | - | 0 km |
Religions | - | Buddhist 50%, Roman Catholic 15%, none and other 35% (1997 est.) |
Sex ratio | - | at birth:
1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.07 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 (2001 est.) |
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 |
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) |
Telephones - main lines in use | - | 176,837 (2000) |
Telephones - mobile cellular | - | 120,957 (2000) |
Television broadcast stations | - | 0 (receives Hong Kong broadcasts) (1997) |
Terrain | central surface covered by a perennial drifting polar icepack that averages about 3 meters in thickness, although pressure ridges may be three times that size; clockwise drift pattern in the Beaufort Gyral Stream, but nearly straight-line movement from the New Siberian Islands (Russia) to Denmark Strait (between Greenland and Iceland); the icepack is surrounded by open seas during the summer, but more than doubles in size during the winter and extends to the encircling landmasses; the ocean floor is about 50% continental shelf (highest percentage of any ocean) with the remainder a central basin interrupted by three submarine ridges (Alpha Cordillera, Nansen Cordillera, and Lomonosov Ridge) | generally flat |
Total fertility rate | - | 1.31 children born/woman (2001 est.) |
Unemployment rate | - | 6.6% (2000) |
Waterways | - | none |