Compare British Virgin Islands (2008) - Macau (2006)

Compare British Virgin Islands (2008) z Macau (2006)

	British Virgin Islands (2008)	Macau (2006)

Administrative divisions	none (overseas territory of the UK)	none (special administrative region of China)
Age structure	0-14 years: 20.2% (male 2,410/female 2,337) 15-64 years: 74.5% (male 9,004/female 8,534) 65 years and over: 5.4% (male 665/female 602) (2007 est.)	0-14 years: 16.2% (male 37,934/female 35,412) 15-64 years: 75.9% (male 163,975/female 179,830) 65 years and over: 7.9% (male 15,099/female 20,875) (2006 est.)
Agriculture - products	fruits, vegetables; livestock, poultry; fish	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
Airports	3 (2007)	1 (2006)
Airports - with paved runways	total: 2 914 to 1,523 m: 1 under 914 m: 1 (2007)	total: 1 over 3,047 m: 1 (2006)
Airports - with unpaved runways	total: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2007)	-
Area	total: 153 sq km land: 153 sq km water: 0 sq km note: comprised of 16 inhabited and more than 20 uninhabited islands; includes the islands of Tortola, Anegada, Virgin Gorda, Jost van Dyke	total: 28.2 sq km land: 28.2 sq km water: 0 sq km
Area - comparative	about 0.9 times the size of Washington, DC	less than one-sixth the size of Washington, DC
Background	First inhabited by Arawak and later by Carib Indians, the Virgin Islands were settled by the Dutch in 1648 and then annexed by the English in 1672. The islands were part of the British colony of the Leeward Islands from 1872-1960; they were granted autonomy in 1967. The economy is closely tied to the larger and more populous US Virgin Islands to the west; the US dollar is the legal currency.	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.
Birth rate	14.82 births/1,000 population (2007 est.)	8.48 births/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Budget	revenues: $204.7 million expenditures: $180.4 million (2004)	revenues: $3.16 billion expenditures: $3.16 billion; including capital expenditures of $NA (FY05/06)
Capital	name: Road Town geographic coordinates: 18 27 N, 64 37 W time difference: UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)	-
Climate	subtropical; humid; temperatures moderated by trade winds	subtropical; marine with cool winters, warm summers
Coastline	80 km	41 km
Constitution	13 June 2007	Basic Law, approved in March 1993 by China's National People's Congress, is Macau's "mini-constitution"
Country name	conventional long form: none conventional short form: British Virgin Islands abbreviation: BVI	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)
Death rate	4.42 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.)	4.47 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Debt - external	$36.1 million (1997)	$3.1 billion (2004)
Dependency status	overseas territory of the UK; internal self-governing	special administrative region of China
Diplomatic representation from the US	none (overseas territory of the UK)	the US has no offices in Macau; US interests are monitored by the US Consulate General in Hong Kong
Diplomatic representation in the US	none (overseas territory of the UK)	none (special administrative region of China)
Disputes - international	none	none
Economic aid - recipient	$NA	$NA
Economy - overview	The economy, one of the most stable and prosperous in the Caribbean, is highly dependent on tourism, generating an estimated 45% of the national income. An estimated 820,000 tourists, mainly from the US, visited the islands in 2005. In the mid-1980s, the government began offering offshore registration to companies wishing to incorporate in the islands, and incorporation fees now generate substantial revenues. Roughly 400,000 companies were on the offshore registry by yearend 2000. The adoption of a comprehensive insurance law in late 1994, which provides a blanket of confidentiality with regulated statutory gateways for investigation of criminal offenses, made the British Virgin Islands even more attractive to international business. Livestock raising is the most important agricultural activity; poor soils limit the islands' ability to meet domestic food requirements. Because of traditionally close links with the US Virgin Islands, the British Virgin Islands has used the US dollar as its currency since 1959.	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. During the first three quarters of 2005, Macau registered year-on-year GDP increases of 6.2%. A rapid rise in the number of mainland visitors because of China's easing of travel restrictions, increased public works expenditures, and significant investment inflows associated with the liberalization of Macau's gaming industry drove the four-year recovery. The budget also returned to surplus since 2002 because of the surge in visitors from China and a hike in taxes on gambling profits, which generated about 70% of government revenue. The three companies awarded gambling licenses have pledged to invest $2.2 billion in the territory, which will boost GDP growth. Much of Macau's textile industry may move to the mainland as the Multi-Fiber Agreement is phased out. The territory may have to rely more on gambling and trade-related services to generate growth. Two new casinos were opened by new foreign gambling licensees in 2004; development of new infrastructure and facilities in preparation for Macau's hosting of the 2005 East Asian Games led the construction sector. 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, and the range of products covered by CEPA was expanded on 1 January 2005.
Electricity - consumption	41.85 million kWh (2005)	1.899 billion kWh (2004)
Electricity - exports	0 kWh (2005)	0 kWh (2004)
Electricity - imports	0 kWh (2005)	153.3 million kWh (2004)
Electricity - production	45 million kWh (2005)	1.893 billion kWh (2004)
Elevation extremes	lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m highest point: Mount Sage 521 m	lowest point: South China Sea 0 m highest point: Coloane Alto 172.4 m
Environment - current issues	limited natural fresh water resources (except for a few seasonal streams and springs on Tortola, most of the islands' water supply comes from wells and rainwater catchments)	NA
Ethnic groups	black 83%, other 17% (includes white, Indian, Asian and mixed)	Chinese 95.7%, Macanese (mixed Portuguese and Asian ancestry) 1%, other 3.3% (2001 census)
Exchange rates	the US dollar is used	patacas per US dollar - 8.011 (2005), 8.022 (2004), 8.021 (2003), 8.033 (2002), 8.034 (2001)
Executive branch	chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952); represented by Governor David PEAREY (since 18 April 2006) head of government: Premier Ralph T. O'NEAL (since 23 August 2007) cabinet: Executive Council appointed by the governor from members of the House of Assembly elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; governor appointed by the monarch; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or the leader of the majority coalition is usually appointed premier by the governor	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
Exports	0 bbl/day (2004)	NA bbl/day
Exports - commodities	rum, fresh fish, fruits, animals; gravel, sand	clothing, textiles, footwear, toys, electronics, machinery and parts
Exports - partners	Virgin Islands (US), Puerto Rico, US (2006)	US 48.7%, China 14.9%, Hong Kong 9.8%, Germany 5.9% (2005)
Fiscal year	1 April - 31 March	calendar year
Flag description	blue, with the flag of the UK in the upper hoist-side quadrant and the Virgin Islander coat of arms centered in the outer half of the flag; the coat of arms depicts a woman flanked on either side by a vertical column of six oil lamps above a scroll bearing the Latin word VIGILATE (Be Watchful)	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 - composition by sector	agriculture: 1.8% industry: 6.2% services: 92% (1996 est.)	agriculture: 0.1% industry: 7.2% services: 92.7% (2002 est.)
GDP - real growth rate	1% (2002 est.)	2.8% (3rd Quarter 2005)
Geographic coordinates	18 30 N, 64 30 W	22 10 N, 113 33 E
Geography - note	strong ties to nearby US Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico	essentially urban; an area of land reclaimed from the sea measuring 5.2 sq km and known as Cotai now connects the islands of Coloane and Taipa; the island area is connected to the mainland peninsula by three bridges
Household income or consumption by percentage share	lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA%	lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA%
Illicit drugs	transshipment point for South American narcotics destined for the US and Europe; large offshore financial center makes it vulnerable to money laundering	-
Imports	604.3 bbl/day (2004)	NA bbl/day
Imports - commodities	building materials, automobiles, foodstuffs, machinery	raw materials and semi-manufactured goods, consumer goods (foodstuffs, beverages, tobacco), capital goods, mineral fuels and oils
Imports - partners	Virgin Islands (US), Puerto Rico, US (2006)	China 43.1%, Japan 10.9%, Hong Kong 10%, Singapore 5.2%, US 4.1%, Taiwan 4% (2005)
Independence	none (overseas territory of the UK)	none (special administrative region of China)
Industrial production growth rate	NA%	NA%
Industries	tourism, light industry, construction, rum, concrete block, offshore financial center	tourism, gambling, clothing, textiles, electronics, footwear, toys
Infant mortality rate	total: 16.13 deaths/1,000 live births male: 18.82 deaths/1,000 live births female: 13.29 deaths/1,000 live births (2007 est.)	total: 4.35 deaths/1,000 live births male: 4.54 deaths/1,000 live births female: 4.15 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices)	2% (2005)	3.8% (2nd quarter, 2005)
International organization participation	Caricom (associate), CDB, Interpol (subbureau), IOC, OECS, UNESCO (associate), UPU	IHO, IMF, IMO (associate), ISO (correspondent), UNESCO (associate), UPU, WCO, WMO, WToO (associate), WTO
Irrigated land	NA	NA
Judicial branch	Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court, consisting of the High Court of Justice and the Court of Appeal (one judge of the Supreme Court is a resident of the islands and presides over the High Court); Magistrate's Court; Juvenile Court; Court of Summary Jurisdiction	Court of Final Appeal in Macau Special Administrative Region
Labor force	12,770 (2004)	251,200 (3rd Quarter, 2005)
Labor force - by occupation	agriculture: 0.6% industry: 40% services: 59.4% (2005)	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.)
Land boundaries	0 km	total: 0.34 km regional border: China 0.34 km
Land use	arable land: 20% permanent crops: 6.67% other: 73.33% (2005)	arable land: 0% permanent crops: 0% other: 100% (2005)
Languages	English (official)	Cantonese 87.9%, Hokkien 4.4%, Mandarin 1.6%, other Chinese dialects 3.1%, other 3% (2001 census)
Legal system	English law	based on Portuguese civil law system
Legislative branch	unicameral House of Assembly (13 elected seats and 1 non-voting ex officio member in the attorney general; members are elected by direct popular vote, 1 member from each of nine electoral districts, 4 at-large members; to serve four-year terms) elections: last held 20 August 2007 (next to be held in 2011) election results: percent of vote by party - VIP 45.2%, NDP 39.6%, independent 15.2%; seats by party - VIP 10, NDP 2, independent 1	unicameral Legislative Assembly (29 seats; 12 elected by popular vote, 10 by indirect vote, and 7 appointed by the chief executive; members serve four-year terms) elections: last held 25 September 2005 (next in September 2009) election results: percent of vote - Development Union 12.8%, Macau Development Alliance 9%, Macau United Citizens' Association 16%, New Democratic Macau Association 18.2%, others NA; seats by political group - Development Union 2, Macau Development Alliance 1, Macau United Citizens' Association 2, New Democratic Macau Association 2, New Hope 1, United Forces 2, others 2; 10 seats filled by professional and business groups; seven members appointed by chief executive
Life expectancy at birth	total population: 76.86 years male: 75.71 years female: 78.07 years (2007 est.)	total population: 82.19 years male: 79.36 years female: 85.17 years (2006 est.)
Literacy	definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 97.8% (1991 est.) male: NA% female: NA%	definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 94.5% male: 97.2% female: 92% (2003 est.)
Location	Caribbean, between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, east of Puerto Rico	Eastern Asia, bordering the South China Sea and China
Map references	Central America and the Caribbean	Southeast Asia
Maritime claims	territorial sea: 3 nm exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm	not specified
Military - note	defense is the responsibility of the UK	defense is the responsiblity of China
Military branches	-	no regular military forces
National holiday	Territory Day, 1 July (1956)	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: British Virgin Islander(s) adjective: British Virgin Islander	noun: Chinese adjective: Chinese
Natural hazards	hurricanes and tropical storms (July to October)	typhoons
Natural resources	NEGL	NEGL
Net migration rate	8.83 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 est.)	4.56 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Political parties and leaders	Concerned Citizens Movement or CCM [Ethlyn SMITH]; National Democratic Party or NDP [Orlando SMITH]; United Party or UP [Gregory MADURO]; Virgin Islands Party or VIP [Ralph T. O'NEAL]	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
Political pressure groups and leaders	NA	NA
Population	23,552 (July 2007 est.)	453,125 (July 2006 est.)
Population below poverty line	NA%	NA%
Population growth rate	1.923% (2007 est.)	0.86% (2006 est.)
Radio broadcast stations	AM 1, FM 5, shortwave 0 (2004)	AM 0, FM 2, shortwave 0 (1998)
Religions	Protestant 86% (Methodist 33%, Anglican 17%, Church of God 9%, Seventh-Day Adventist 6%, Baptist 4%, Jehovah's Witnesses 2%, other 15%), Roman Catholic 10%, other 2%, none 2% (1991)	Buddhist 50%, Roman Catholic 15%, none and other 35% (1997 est.)
Sex ratio	at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.031 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.055 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 1.105 male(s)/female total population: 1.053 male(s)/female (2007 est.)	at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.07 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.91 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.72 male(s)/female total population: 0.92 male(s)/female (2006 est.)
Suffrage	18 years of age; universal	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: worldwide telephone service domestic: NA international: country code - 1-284; connected via submarine cable to Bermuda; the East Caribbean Fiber System (ECFS) optic submarine cable provides connectivity to 13 other islands in the eastern Caribbean (2007)	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)
Telephones - main lines in use	11,700 (2002)	174,400 (2005)
Telephones - mobile cellular	8,000 (2002)	532,800 (2005)
Television broadcast stations	1 (plus 1 cable company) (1997)	1 (2006)
Terrain	coral islands relatively flat; volcanic islands steep, hilly	generally flat
Total fertility rate	1.72 children born/woman (2007 est.)	1.02 children born/woman (2006 est.)
Unemployment rate	3.6% (1997)	4.1% (3rd Quarter 2005)

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