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Compare European Union (2004) - Macau (2003)

Compare European Union (2004) z Macau (2003)

 European Union (2004)Macau (2003)
 European UnionMacau
Administrative divisions - none (special administrative region of China)
Age structure 0-14 years: 16.3%


15-64 years: 67.2%


65 years and over: 16.6% (July 2004 est.)
0-14 years: 20.9% (male 51,078; female 47,118)


15-64 years: 71.8% (male 159,500; female 178,043)


65 years and over: 7.3% (male 13,930; female 20,234) (2003 est.)
Agriculture - products wheat, barley, oilseeds, sugar beets, wine, grapes, dairy products, cattle, sheep, pigs, poultry, fish vegetables, livestock
Airports total: 3,130


with paved runways: 1,834


with unpaved runways: 1,296 (2003)
1 (2002)
Airports - with paved runways - total: 1


over 3,047 m: 1 (2002)
Area total: 3,976,372 sq km total: 25.4 sq km


land: 25.4 sq km


water: 0 sq km
Area - comparative less than one-half the size of the US about 0.1 times the size of Washington, DC
Background Following the two devastating World Wars of the first half of the 20th century, a number of European leaders in the late 1940s became convinced that the only way to establish a lasting peace was to unite the two chief belligerent nations - France and Germany - both economically and politically. In 1950, the French Foreign Minister Robert SCHUMAN proposed an eventual union of all of Europe, the first step of which would be the integration of the coal and steel industries of Western Europe. The following year the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC) was set up when six members, Belgium, France, West Germany, Italy, Luxembourg, and the Netherlands, signed the Treaty of Paris.

The ECSC was so successful that within a few years the decision was made to integrate other parts of the countries' economies. In 1957, the Treaties of Rome created the European Economic Community (EEC) and the European Atomic Energy Community (EURATOM), and the six member states undertook to eliminate trade barriers among themselves by forming a common market. In 1967, the institutions of all three communities were formally merged into the European Community (EC), creating a single Commission, a single Council of Ministers, and the European Parliament. Members of the European Parliament were initially selected by national parliaments, but in 1979 the first direct elections were undertaken and they have been held every five years since.

In 1973, the first enlargement of the EC took place with the addition of Denmark, Ireland, and the United Kingdom. The 1980s saw further membership expansion with Greece joining in 1981 and Spain and Portugal in 1986. The 1992 Treaty of Maastricht laid the basis for further forms of cooperation in foreign and defense policy, in judicial and internal affairs, and in the creation of an economic and monetary union - including a common currency. This further integration created the European Union (EU). In 1995, Austria, Finland, and Sweden joined to the EU, raising the membership total to 15.

A new currency, the euro, was launched in world money markets on 1 January 1999; it became the unit of exchange for all of the EU states except Great Britain, Sweden, and Denmark. In 2002, citizens of the 12 euro-area countries began using euro banknotes and coins. Ten new countries joined the EU in 2004 - Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Slovakia, and Slovenia - bringing the current membership to 25. In order to ensure that the EU can continue to function efficiently with an expanded membership, the 2003 Treaty of Nice set forth rules streamlining the size and procedures of EU institutions. An EU Constitutional Treaty, signed in Rome on 29 October 2004, gives member states two years to ratify the document before it is scheduled to take effect on 1 November 2006.

Despite the expansion of membership and functions, "Eurosceptics" in various countries have raised questions about the erosion of national cultures and the imposition of a flood of regulations from the EU capital in Brussels. Failure by member states to ratify the constitution or the inability of newcomer countries to meet euro currency standards might force a loosening of some EU agreements and perhaps lead to several levels of EU participation. These "tiers" might eventually range from an "inner" core of politically integrated countries to a looser "outer" economic association of members.
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 10.2 births/1,000 population (July 2004 est.) 12.07 births/1,000 population (2003 est.)
Budget - revenues: $1.41 billion


expenditures: $1.19 billion, including capital expenditures of $194 million (2002)
Capital Brussels, Belgium -
Climate cold temperate; potentially subarctic in the north to temperate; mild wet winters; hot dry summers in the south subtropical; marine with cool winters, warm summers
Coastline 65,413.9 km 41 km
Constitution based on a series of treaties: the Treaty of Paris, which set up the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC) in 1951; the Treaties of Rome, which set up the European Economic Community (EEC) and the European Atomic Energy Community (Euratom) in 1957; the Single European Act in 1986; the Treaty on European Union (Maastrict) in 1992; the Treaty of Amsterdam in 1997; and the Treaty of Nice in 2001; note - a new draft Constitutional Treaty, signed on 29 October 2004 in Rome, gives member states two years for ratification either by parliamentary vote or national referendum before it is scheduled to take effect on 1 November 2006 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 euro; pound (Cyprus), koruna (Czech Republic), krone (Denmark), kroon (Estonia), forint (Hungary), lat (Latvia), litas (Lithuania), lira (Malta), zloty (Poland), koruna (Slovakia), tolar (Slovenia), krona (Sweden), pound (UK) pataca (MOP)
Death rate 10 deaths/1,000 population (July 2004 est.) 3.85 deaths/1,000 population (2003 est.)
Debt - external $NA $255 million (2000 est.)
Dependency status - special administrative region of China
Diplomatic representation from the US chief of mission: Ambassador Rockwell SCHNABEL


embassy: 13 Zinnerstraat (Rue Zinner), B-1000 Brussels


mailing address: same as above


telephone: [32] (2) 508-2222


FAX: [32] (2) 512-5720
the US has no offices in Macau; US interests are monitored by the US Consulate General in Hong Kong
Diplomatic representation in the US chief of mission: Ambassador John BRUTON


chancery: 2300 M Street, NW, Washington, D.C. 20037


telephone: [1] (202) 862-9500


FAX: [1] (202) 429-1766
none (special administrative region of China)
Disputes - international - none
Economic aid - donor $NA -
Economic aid - recipient - $NA
Economy - overview Domestically, the European Union attempts to lower trade barriers, adopt a common currency, and move toward convergence of living standards. Internationally, the EU aims to bolster Europe's trade position and its political and economic power. Because of the great differences in per capita income (from $10,000 to $28,000) and historic national animosities, the European Community faces difficulties in devising and enforcing common policies. For example, both Germany and France since 2003 have flouted the member states' treaty obligation to prevent their national budgets from running more than a 3% deficit. In 2004, the EU admitted 10 central and eastern European countries that are, in general, less advanced technologically and economically than the existing 15. The Economic and Monetary Union (EMU), an associated organization, introduced the euro as the common currency on 1 January 1999. The UK, Sweden, and Denmark do not now participate; the 10 new countries may choose to join the EMU when they meet its fiscal and monetary criteria and the member states so agree. Macau's economy four years after reversion to China remains one of the most open in the world. The territory's net exports of goods and services account for 39% of GDP with tourism and apparel exports as the mainstays. Although the territory was hit hard by the 1998 Asian financial crisis and the global downturn in 2001, its economy grew an estimated 9.5% in 2002. A rapid rise in the number of mainland visitors because of China's easing of restrictions on travel drove the recovery. 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 63% of government revenue. The liberalization of Macao's gambling monopoly may contribute to GDP growth, as the three companies awarded gambling licenses have pledged to invest $2.2 billion - roughly 33% of GDP - in the territory. 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. Growth fell to 4% in 2003, according to early government forecasts, with the drop in large measure due to concerns over the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS).
Electricity - consumption 2.635 trillion kWh (2001) 1.688 billion kWh (2002)
Electricity - exports 234.8 billion kWh (2001) 1 million kWh (2001)
Electricity - imports 245.7 billion kWh (2001) 193 million kWh (2002)
Electricity - production 2.822 trillion kWh (2001) 1.611 billion kWh (2002)
Electricity - production by source - fossil fuel: 100%


hydro: 0%


nuclear: 0%


other: 0% (2001)
Elevation extremes lowest point: Lammefjord, Denmark -7 m; Zuidplaspolder, Netherlands -7 m


highest point: Mount Blanc, France/Italy 4,807 m
lowest point: South China Sea 0 m


highest point: Coloane Alto 172.4 m
Environment - current issues NA NA
Environment - international agreements Hazardous Wastes, Biodiversity, Air Pollution, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Tropical Timber 82, Tropical Timber 94, Ozone Layer Protection, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Sulphur 94, Law of the Sea, Desertification, Climate Change; has signed, but not yet ratified: Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants -
Ethnic groups - Chinese 95%, Macanese (mixed Portuguese and Asian ancestry), Portuguese, other
Exchange rates euros per US dollar - 0.886 (2003), 1.0626 (2002), 1.1175 (2001) patacas per US dollar - 8.03 (2002), 8.03 (2001), 8.03 (2000), 7.99 (1999), 7.98 (1998)
Executive branch chief of union: President of the European Commission Jose DURAO BARROSO (since 22 November 2004)


cabinet: European Commission (composed of 25 members, one from each member country; each commissioner responsible for one or more policy areas)


elections: the president of the European Commission is designated by member governments; the president-designate then chooses the other Commission members; the European Parliament confirms the entire Commission for a five-year term; election last held 18 November 2004 (next to be held 2009)


election results: European Parliament approved the European Commission by an approval vote of 449-149 with 82 abstentions


note: the European Council brings together heads of state and government and the president of the European Commission and meets at least twice a year; its aim is to provide the impetus for the major political issues relating to European integration and to issue general policy guidelines
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 all five government secretaries, three legislators, and two businessmen


elections: chief executive chosen by a 200-member selection committee for up to two five-year terms
Exports 6.429 million bbl/day (2001) NA (2001)
Exports - commodities machinery, motor vehicles, aircraft, plastics, pharmaceuticals and other chemicals, fuels, iron and steel, nonferrous metals, wood pulp and paper products, textiles, meat, dairy products, fish, alcoholic beverages. clothing, textiles, footwear, cement, machines, and parts
Exports - partners NA US 48.6%, China 15.5%, Germany 7.4%, Hong Kong 5.8%, UK 5.4% (2002)
Fiscal year NA calendar year
Flag description on a blue field, 12 five-pointed gold stars arranged in a circle, representing the union of the peoples of Europe; the number of stars is fixed 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 - $11.05 trillion (2004 est.) purchasing power parity - $8.6 billion (2002 est.)
GDP - composition by sector agriculture: 2.3%


industry: 28.3%


services: 69.4% (2004 est.)
agriculture: 1%


industry: 12%


services: 87% (2002 est.)
GDP - per capita purchasing power parity - $25,700 (2004 est.) purchasing power parity - $18,500 (2002 est.)
GDP - real growth rate 1% (2004 est.) 9.5% (2002 est.)
Geographic coordinates - 22 10 N, 113 33 E
Geography - note - essentially urban; one causeway and two bridges connect the two islands of Coloane and Taipa to the peninsula on mainland
Heliports 94 (2003) -
Highways total: 4,634,810 km (including 56,704 km of expressways)


paved: 4,161,318 km


unpaved: 473,492 km (1999-2000)
total: 271 km


paved: 271 km


unpaved: 0 km (2000)
Household income or consumption by percentage share lowest 10%: 2.9%


highest 10%: 25.2% (1995 est.)
lowest 10%: NA%


highest 10%: NA%
Imports 16.97 million bbl/day (2001) NA (2001)
Imports - commodities machinery, vehicles, aircraft, plastics, crude oil, chemicals, textiles, metals, foodstuffs, clothing clothing, textiles, yarn, foodstuffs, fuel, automobiles, capital goods
Imports - partners NA China 41.7%, Hong Kong 14.5%, Japan 6.7%, Taiwan 6.6%, South Korea 5%, France 4.3%, US 4.1% (2002)
Independence 7 February 1992 (Maastricht Treaty signed establishing the EU); 1 November 1993 (Maastricht Treaty entered into force) none (special administrative region of China)
Industrial production growth rate 0.8% (2004 est.) NA%
Industries among the world's largest and most technologically advanced industries, including iron and steel, aluminum, petroleum, coal, cement, chemicals, pharmaceuticals, automobiles, aircraft, railroad equipment, shipbuilding, electrical power equipment, machine tools, electronics, telecommunications equipment, fishing, food processing, furniture, paper, textiles and clothing, tourism tourism, gambling, clothing, textiles, electronics, footwear, toys
Infant mortality rate total: 5.3 deaths/1,000 live births (July 2004 est.) total: 4.42 deaths/1,000 live births


male: 4.01 deaths/1,000 live births


female: 4.84 deaths/1,000 live births (2003 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2% (2004 est.) -2.6% (2002 est.)
International organization participation European Union: ASEAN (dialogue member), ARF (dialogue member), EBRD, IDA, OAS (observer), OECD, WTO


European Commission: Australian Group, CBSS, CERN, FAO, G-10, NSG (observer), UN (observer)


European Central Bank: BIS


European Investment Bank: WADB (nonregional member)
ESCAP (associate), IHO, IMO (associate), Interpol (sub-bureau), ISO (correspondent), UNESCO (associate), WCO, WMO, WToO (associate), WTrO
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) - 1 (2000)
Irrigated land 115,807 sq km NA sq km
Judicial branch European Court of Justice (ensures that the treaties are interpreted and applied correctly) - 25 Justices (one from each member state) appointed for a six-year term; note - for the sake of efficiency, the court can sit with 11 justices known as the "Grand Chamber"; Court of First Instance - 25 justices appointed for a six-year term The Court of Final Appeal in the Macau Special Administrative Region
Labor force 211.1 million 214,000 (2002)
Labor force - by occupation agriculture 4.3%, industry 29%, services 66.8% (2000) restaurants and hotels 12%, manufacturing 20%, other services and agriculture 68% (2002 est.)
Land boundaries total: 11,214.8 km


border countries: Albania 282 km, Andorra 120.3 km, Belarus 1,050 km, Bulgaria 494 km, Croatia 999 km, Holy See 3.2 km, Liechtenstein 34.9 km, Macedonia 246 km, Monaco 4.4 km, Norway 2,348 km, Romania 443 km, Russia 2,257 km, San Marino 39 km, Serbia and Montenegro 151 km, Switzerland 1,811 km, Turkey 206 km, Ukraine 726 km


note: data for European Continent only
total: 0.34 km


border countries: China 0.34 km
Land use arable land: NA


permanent crops: NA
arable land: 0%


permanent crops: 0%


other: 100%


note: "green areas" represent 22.4% (1998 est.)
Languages Czech, Danish, Dutch, English, Estonian, Finnish, French, German, Greek, Hungarian, Italian, Latvian, Lithuanian, Maltese, Polish, Portuguese, Slovak, Slovene, Spanish, Swedish; note - only official languages are listed Portuguese, Chinese (Cantonese)
Legal system - based on Portuguese civil law system
Legislative branch Council of the European Union (25 member-state ministers having 321 votes; the number of votes is roughly proportional to member-states' population); note - the Council is the main decision-making body of the EU; European Parliament (732 seats; seats allocated among member states by proportion to population); members elected by direct universal suffrage for a five-year term


elections: last held 10-13 June 2004 (next to be held June 2009)


election results: percent of vote - NA%; seats by party - EPP-ED 268, PES 202, ALDE 88, Greens/EFA 42, EUL/NGL 41, IND/DEM 36, UEN 27, independents 28
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)


elections: last held 23 September 2001 (next to be held NA 2005)


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
Life expectancy at birth total population: 78.1 years


male: 74.9 years


female: 81.4 years (July 2004 est.)
total population: 81.87 years


male: 79.05 years


female: 84.82 years (2003 est.)
Literacy - definition: age 15 and over can read and write


total population: 94.5%


male: 97.2%


female: 92% (2003 est.)
Location Europe between Eastern Europe and the North Atlantic Ocean Eastern Asia, bordering the South China Sea and China
Map references Europe Southeast Asia
Maritime claims NA not specified
Merchant marine - none (2002 est.)
Military - note In October 2004, the European Union heads of government signed a "constitutional treaty" that offers possibilities - with some limits - for increased defense and security cooperation. If ratified, in a process that may take some two years, this treaty will in effect make operational the European Security and Defense Policy (ESDP) approved in the 2000 Nice Treaty. Despite limits of cooperation for some EU members, development of a European military planning unit is likely to continue. So is creation of a rapid-reaction military force and a humanitarian aid system, which the planning unit will support. France, Germany, Belgium, Netherlands, Luxembourg, and Italy continue to press for wider coordination. The five-nation Eurocorps - created in 1992 by France, Germany, Belgium, Spain, and Luxembourg - has already deployed troops and police on peacekeeping missions to Bosnia-Herzegovina, Macedonia, and the Democratic Republic of Congo and assumed command of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in Afghanistan in August 2004. Eurocorps directly commands the 5,000-man Franco-German Brigade and the Multinational Command Support Brigade and will command EUFOR, which will take over from SFOR in Bosnia in December 2004. Other troop contributions are under national command - committments to provide 67,100 troops were made at the Helsinki EU session in 2000. Some 56,000 EU troops were actually deployed in 2003. In August 2004, the new European Defense Agency, tasked with promoting cooperative European defense capabilities, began operations. As of November 2004, Germany, the United Kingdom, and France had proposed creation of three 1,500-man rapid-reaction "battle groups." -
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: 130,228 (2003 est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service - males age 15-49: 71,826 (2003 est.)
National holiday Europe Day 9 May (1950); note - a Union-wide holiday, the day that Robert Schuman proposed the creation of an organized Europe 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 flooding along coasts; avalanches in mountainous area; earthquakes in the south; volcanic eruptions in Italy; periodic droughts in Spain; ice floes in the Baltic typhoons
Natural resources iron ore, arable land, natural gas, petroleum, coal, copper, lead, zinc, hydropower, uranium, potash, fish NEGL
Net migration rate 1.5 migrant(s)/1,000 population (July 2004 est.) 8.93 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2003 est.)
Political parties and leaders Group of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe or ALDE [Graham R. WATSON]; Independence/Democracy Group or IND/DEM [Jens-Peter BONDE and Nigel FARAGE]; Group of Greens/European Free Alliance or Greens/EFA [Monica FRASSONI and Daniel Marc COHN-BENDIT]; Socialist Group in the European Parliament or PES [Martin SCHULZ]; Confederal Group of the European United Left-Nordic Green Left or EUL/NGL [Francis WURTZ]; European People's Party-European Democrats or EPP-ED [Hans-Gert POETTERING]; Union for Europe of the Nations Group or UEN [Brian CROWLEY and Cristiana MUSCARDINI] 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 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 456,285,839 (July 2004 est.) 469,903 (July 2003 est.)
Population below poverty line NA NA%
Population growth rate 0.17% (July 2004 est.) 1.72% (2003 est.)
Ports and harbors Antwerp (Belgium), Barcelona (Spain), Bremen (Germany), Copenhagen (Denmark), Gdansk (Poland), Hamburg (Germany), Helsinki (Finland), Las Palmas (Canary Islands, Spain), Le Havre (France), Lisbon (Portugal), London (UK), Marseille (France), Naples (Italy), Peiraiefs or Piraeus (Greece), Riga (Latvia), Rotterdam (Netherlands), Stockholm (Sweden), Talinn (Estonia) Macau
Radio broadcast stations AM 866, FM 13,396, shortwave 73 (1998); note - sum of individual country radio broadcast stations; there is also a European-wide station (Euroradio) AM 0, FM 2, shortwave 0 (1998)
Railways total: 222,293 km


broad gauge: 28,438 km


standard gauge: 186,405 km


narrow gauge: 7,427 km


other: 23 km (2003)
0 km
Religions Roman Catholic, Protestant, Orthodox, Muslim, Jewish Buddhist 50%, Roman Catholic 15%, none and other 35% (1997 est.)
Sex ratio at birth: NA


under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female


15-64 years: 1.01 male(s)/female


65 years and older: 0.69 male(s)/female


total population: 0.96 male(s)/female (July 2004 est.)
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: 0.69 male(s)/female


total population: 0.91 male(s)/female (2003 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 note - see individual country entries of member states 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 238,763,162 (2002) 176,902 (November 2001)
Telephones - mobile cellular 314,644,700 (2002) 158,251 (November 2001)
Television broadcast stations 2,791 (1995); note - does not include repeaters; sum of indiviual country television broadcast stations; there is also a European-wide station (Eurovision) 1 (2003)
Terrain fairly flat along the Baltic and Atlantic coast; mountainous in the central and southern areas generally flat
Total fertility rate 1.48 children born/woman (July 2004 est.) 1.32 children born/woman (2003 est.)
Unemployment rate 9.1% (2004 est.) 6.3% (2002)
Waterways 53,512 km none
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