Macau (2001) | Tunisia (2002) | |
![]() | ![]() | |
Administrative divisions | none (special administrative region of China) | 23 governorates; Ariana (Aryanah), Beja (Bajah), Ben Arous (Bin 'Arus), Bizerte (Banzart), El Kef (Al Kaf), Gabes (Qabis), Gafsa (Qafsah), Jendouba (Jundubah), Kairouan (Al Qayrawan), Kasserine (Al Qasrayn), Kebili (Qibili), Mahdia (Al Mahdiyah), Medenine (Madanin), Monastir (Al Munastir), Nabeul (Nabul), Sfax (Safaqis), Sidi Bou Zid (Sidi Bu Zayd), Siliana (Silyanah), Sousse (Susah), Tataouine (Tatawin), Tozeur (Tawzar), Tunis, Zaghouan (Zaghwan) |
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.) |
0-14 years: 27.8% (male 1,412,625; female 1,320,729)
15-64 years: 65.9% (male 3,234,770; female 3,233,149) 65 years and over: 6.3% (male 303,093; female 311,278) (2002 est.) |
Agriculture - products | rice, vegetables | olives, olive oil, grain, dairy products, tomatoes, citrus fruit, beef, sugar beets, dates, almonds |
Airports | 1 (2000 est.) | 30 (2001) |
Airports - with paved runways | total:
1 over 3,047 m: 1 (2000 est.) |
total: 14
over 3,047 m: 3 2,438 to 3,047 m: 6 1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 914 to 1,523 m: 3 (2002) |
Airports - with unpaved runways | - | total: 16
1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 914 to 1,523 m: 7 under 914 m: 7 (2002) |
Area | total:
21 sq km land: 21 sq km water: 0 sq km |
total: 163,610 sq km
land: 155,360 sq km water: 8,250 sq km |
Area - comparative | about 0.1 times the size of Washington, DC | slightly larger than Georgia |
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. | Following independence from France in 1956, President Habib BOURGUIBA established a strict one-party state. He dominated the country for 31 years, repressing Islamic fundamentalism and establishing rights for women unmatched by any other Arab nation. In recent years, Tunisia has taken a moderate, non-aligned stance in its foreign relations. Domestically, it has sought to diffuse rising pressure for a more open political society. |
Birth rate | 12.36 births/1,000 population (2001 est.) | 16.83 births/1,000 population (2002 est.) |
Budget | revenues:
$1.26 billion expenditures: $1.22 billion, including capital expenditures of $175 million (1999 est.) |
revenues: $5.7 billion
expenditures: $6.3 billion, including capital expenditures of $1.5 billion (2001 est.) |
Capital | - | Tunis |
Climate | subtropical; marine with cool winters, warm summers | temperate in north with mild, rainy winters and hot, dry summers; desert in south |
Coastline | 40 km | 1,148 km |
Constitution | Basic Law, approved in March 1993 by China's National People's Congress, is Macau's "mini-constitution" | 1 June 1959; amended 12 July 1988 |
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) |
conventional long form: Tunisian Republic
conventional short form: Tunisia local long form: Al Jumhuriyah at Tunisiyah local short form: Tunis |
Currency | pataca (MOP) | Tunisian dinar (TND) |
Death rate | 3.71 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.) | 5 deaths/1,000 population (2002 est.) |
Debt - external | $1.7 billion (1997) | $11.5 billion (2001 est.) |
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 | chief of mission: Ambassador Rust M. DEMING
embassy: Zone Nord-Est des Berges du Lac Nord de Tunis, 2045 La Goulette, Tunisia mailing address: use embassy street address telephone: [216] 71 782-566 FAX: [216] 71 789-719 |
Diplomatic representation in the US | none (special administrative region of China) | chief of mission: Ambassador Hatem ATALLAH
chancery: 1515 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20005 telephone: [1] (202) 862-1850 FAX: [1] (202) 862-1858 |
Disputes - international | none | none |
Economic aid - recipient | $NA | $933.2 million (1995) |
Economy - overview | 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. | Tunisia has a diverse economy, with important agricultural, mining, energy, tourism, and manufacturing sectors. Governmental control of economic affairs while still heavy has gradually lessened over the past decade with increasing privatization, simplification of the tax structure, and a prudent approach to debt. Real growth averaged 5.4% in the past five years, and inflation is slowing. Growth in tourism and increased trade have been key elements in this steady growth, although tourism revenues have slowed since 11 September 2001 and may take a year or more to fully recover. Tunisia's association agreement with the European Union entered into force on 1 March 1998, the first such accord between the EU and a Mediterranean country. Under the agreement Tunisia will gradually remove barriers to trade with the EU over the next decade. Broader privatization, further liberalization of the investment code to increase foreign investment, and improvements in government efficiency are among the challenges for the future. |
Electricity - consumption | 1.422 billion kWh (1999) | 9.562 billion kWh (2000) |
Electricity - exports | 3 million kWh (1999) | 19 million kWh (2000) |
Electricity - imports | 165 million kWh (1999) | 2 million kWh (2000) |
Electricity - production | 1.355 billion kWh (1999) | 10.3 billion kWh (2000) |
Electricity - production by source | fossil fuel:
100% hydro: 0% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (1999) |
fossil fuel: 99%
hydro: 1% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2000) |
Elevation extremes | lowest point:
South China Sea 0 m highest point: Coloane Alto 174 m |
lowest point: Shatt al Gharsah -17 m
highest point: Jebel ech Chambi 1,544 m |
Environment - current issues | NA | toxic and hazardous waste disposal is ineffective and poses health risks; water pollution from raw sewage; limited natural fresh water resources; deforestation; overgrazing; soil erosion; desertification |
Environment - international agreements | - | party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: Marine Life Conservation |
Ethnic groups | Chinese 95%, Macanese (mixed Portuguese and Asian ancestry), Portuguese, other | Arab 98%, European 1%, Jewish and other 1% |
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 | Tunisian dinars per US dollar - 1.44 (January 2002), 1.3753 (2001), 1.3707 (2000), 1.1862 (1999), 1.1387 (1998), 1.1059 (1997) |
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 |
chief of state: President Zine El Abidine BEN ALI (since 7 November 1987)
head of government: Prime Minister Mohamed GHANNOUCHI (since 17 November 1999) cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term; election last held 24 October 1999 (next to be held NA 2004); prime minister appointed by the president election results: President Zine El Abidine BEN ALI reelected for a third term without opposition; percent of vote - Zine El Abidine BEN ALI nearly 100% |
Exports | $2.6 billion (f.o.b., 2000 est.) | $6.6 billion f.o.b. (2001 est.) |
Exports - commodities | textiles, clothing, toys, electronics, cement, footwear, machinery | textiles, mechanical goods, phosphates and chemicals, agricultural products, hydrocarbons |
Exports - partners | US 47%, EU 30%, China 9.2%, Hong Kong 6.7% (1999) | France 28%, Italy 21%, Germany 14%, Belgium 6%, Libya (2000) |
Fiscal year | calendar 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 | red with a white disk in the center bearing a red crescent nearly encircling a red five-pointed star; the crescent and star are traditional symbols of Islam |
GDP | purchasing power parity - $7.82 billion (2000 est.) | purchasing power parity - $64.5 billion (2001 est.) |
GDP - composition by sector | agriculture:
1% industry: 25% services: 74% (2000 est.) |
agriculture: 13%
industry: 33% services: 54% (2000 est.) |
GDP - per capita | purchasing power parity - $17,500 (2000 est.) | purchasing power parity - $6,600 (2001 est.) |
GDP - real growth rate | 2% (2000 est.) | 4.8% (2001 est.) |
Geographic coordinates | 22 10 N, 113 33 E | 34 00 N, 9 00 E |
Geography - note | essentially urban; one causeway and two bridges connect the two islands of Coloane and Taipa to the peninsula on mainland | strategic location in central Mediterranean; Malta and Tunisia are discussing the commercial exploitation of the continental shelf between their countries, particularly for oil exploration |
Highways | total:
50 km paved: 50 km unpaved: 0 km (2001) |
total: 23,100 km
paved: 18,226 km unpaved: 4,874 km (1996) |
Household income or consumption by percentage share | lowest 10%:
NA% highest 10%: NA% |
lowest 10%: 2%
highest 10%: 32% (1995) (1995) |
Imports | $2.4 billion (c.i.f., 2000 est.) | $8.9 billion f.o.b. (2001 est.) |
Imports - commodities | raw materials, foodstuffs, capital goods, fuels, consumer goods | machinery and equipment, hydrocarbons, chemicals, food |
Imports - partners | China 36%, Hong Kong 18%, EU 13%, Taiwan 10%, Japan 7% (1999) | France 30%, Italy 21%, Germany 11%, Spain 4%, Belgium (2000) |
Independence | none (special administrative region of China) | 20 March 1956 (from France) |
Industrial production growth rate | NA% | 5.2% (2001 est.) |
Industries | clothing, textiles, toys, electronics, footwear, tourism, gambling | petroleum, mining (particularly phosphate and iron ore), tourism, textiles, footwear, agribusiness, beverages |
Infant mortality rate | 4.47 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.) | 27.97 deaths/1,000 live births (2002 est.) |
Inflation rate (consumer prices) | -1.8% (2000 est.) | 2.7% (2001 est.) |
International organization participation | CCC, ESCAP (associate), IMO (associate), Interpol (subbureau), UNESCO (associate), WMO, WToO (associate), WTrO | ABEDA, ACCT, AfDB, AFESD, AL, AMF, AMU, BSEC (observer), CCC, ECA, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, MIPONUH, MONUC, NAM, OAS (observer), OAU, OIC, OPCW, OSCE (partner), UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNMEE, UNMIK, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO |
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) | 1 (2000) | 1 (2000) |
Irrigated land | NA sq km | 3,800 sq km (1998 est.) |
Judicial branch | The Court of Final Appeal in the Macau Special Administrative Region | Court of Cassation or Cour de Cassation |
Labor force | 283,450 (1999) | 2.69 million
note: shortage of skilled labor |
Labor force - by occupation | restaurants and hotels 26%, manufacturing 22%, other services 52% (2000 est.) | services 55%, industry 23%, agriculture 22% (1995 est.) |
Land boundaries | total:
0.34 km border countries: China 0.34 km |
total: 1,424 km
border countries: Algeria 965 km, Libya 459 km |
Land use | arable land:
0% permanent crops: 2% permanent pastures: 0% forests and woodland: 0% other: 98% (1998 est.) |
arable land: 18.67%
permanent crops: 12.87% other: 68.46% (1998 est.) |
Languages | Portuguese, Chinese (Cantonese) | Arabic (official and one of the languages of commerce), French (commerce) |
Legal system | based on Portuguese civil law system | based on French civil law system and Islamic law; some judicial review of legislative acts in the Supreme Court in joint session |
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 |
unicameral Chamber of Deputies or Majlis al-Nuwaab (182 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms)
elections: last held 24 October 1999 (next to be held NA 2004) election results: percent of vote by party - RCD 92%; seats by party - RCD 148, MDS 13, UDU 7, PUP 7, Al-Tajdid 5, PSL 2; note - reforms enabled opposition parties to win up to 20% of seats, increasing the number of seats they hold from 19 in the last election to 34 now |
Life expectancy at birth | total population:
81.69 years male: 78.88 years female: 84.64 years (2001 est.) |
total population: 74.16 years
male: 72.56 years female: 75.89 years (2002 est.) |
Literacy | definition:
age 15 and over can read and write total population: 90% male: 93% female: 86% (1981 est.) |
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 66.7% male: 78.6% female: 54.6% (1995 est.) |
Location | Eastern Asia, bordering the South China Sea and China | Northern Africa, bordering the Mediterranean Sea, between Algeria and Libya |
Map references | Southeast Asia | Africa |
Maritime claims | not specified | contiguous zone: 24 NM
territorial sea: 12 NM |
Merchant marine | none (2000 est.) | total: 16 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 150,710 GRT/162,616 DWT
ships by type: bulk 2, cargo 4, chemical tanker 4, liquefied gas 1, petroleum tanker 1, short-sea passenger 3, specialized tanker 1 (2002 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 | Army, Navy, Air Force, paramilitary forces, National Guard |
Military expenditures - dollar figure | - | $356 million (FY99) |
Military expenditures - percent of GDP | - | 1.5% (FY99) |
Military manpower - availability | males age 15-49:
125,737 (2001 est.) |
males age 15-49: 2,806,881 (2002 est.) |
Military manpower - fit for military service | males age 15-49:
69,191 (2001 est.) |
males age 15-49: 1,597,565 (2002 est.) |
Military manpower - military age | - | 20 years of age (2002 est.) |
Military manpower - reaching military age annually | - | males: 105,146 (2002 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 | Independence Day, 20 March (1956) |
Nationality | noun:
Chinese adjective: Chinese |
noun: Tunisian(s)
adjective: Tunisian |
Natural hazards | typhoons | NA |
Natural resources | NEGL | petroleum, phosphates, iron ore, lead, zinc, salt |
Net migration rate | 9.25 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.) | -0.63 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2002 est.) |
Pipelines | - | crude oil 797 km; petroleum products 86 km; natural gas 742 km |
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 |
Al-Tajdid Movement [Adel CHAOUCH]; Constitutional Democratic Rally Party (Rassemblement Constitutionnel Democratique) or RCD [President Zine El Abidine BEN ALI (official ruling party)]; Liberal Social Party or PSL [Mounir BEJI]; Movement of Democratic Socialists or MDS [Khamis CHAMMARI]; Popular Unity Party or PUP [Mohamed Belhaj AMOR]; Unionist Democratic Union or UDU [Abderrahmane TLILI] |
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] | the Islamic fundamentalist party, Al Nahda (Renaissance), is outlawed |
Population | 453,733 (July 2001 est.) | 9,815,644 (July 2002 est.) |
Population below poverty line | NA% | 6% (2000 est.) |
Population growth rate | 1.79% (2001 est.) | 1.12% (2002 est.) |
Ports and harbors | Macau | Bizerte, Gabes, La Goulette, Sfax, Sousse, Tunis, Zarzis |
Radio broadcast stations | AM 0, FM 2, shortwave 0 (1998) | AM 7, FM 20, shortwave 2 (1998) |
Radios | 160,000 (1997) | 2.06 million (1997) |
Railways | 0 km | total: 2,168 km
standard gauge: 471 km 1.435-m gauge narrow gauge: 1,687 km 1.000-m gauge dual gauge: 10 km 1.000-m and 1.435-m gauges (three rails) (2001) |
Religions | Buddhist 50%, Roman Catholic 15%, none and other 35% (1997 est.) | Muslim 98%, Christian 1%, Jewish and other 1% |
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.) |
at birth: 1.08 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.07 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.97 male(s)/female total population: 1.02 male(s)/female (2002 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 | 20 years of age; universal |
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) |
general assessment: above the African average and continuing to be upgraded; key centers are Sfax, Sousse, Bizerte, and Tunis; Internet access available
domestic: trunk facilities consist of open-wire lines, coaxial cable, and microwave radio relay international: 5 submarine cables; satellite earth stations - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) and 1 Arabsat; coaxial cable and microwave radio relay to Algeria and Libya; participant in Medarabtel; two international gateway digital switches |
Telephones - main lines in use | 176,837 (2000) | 654,000 (1997) |
Telephones - mobile cellular | 120,957 (2000) | 50,000 (1998) |
Television broadcast stations | 0 (receives Hong Kong broadcasts) (1997) | 26 (plus 76 repeaters) (1995) |
Terrain | generally flat | mountains in north; hot, dry central plain; semiarid south merges into the Sahara |
Total fertility rate | 1.31 children born/woman (2001 est.) | 1.94 children born/woman (2002 est.) |
Unemployment rate | 6.6% (2000) | 15.6% (2000 est.) |
Waterways | none | none |