Macau (2002) | Guadeloupe (2002) | |
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Administrative divisions | none (special administrative region of China) | none (overseas department of France) |
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.) |
0-14 years: 24.9% (male 55,393; female 53,047)
15-64 years: 66.2% (male 142,945; female 145,757) 65 years and over: 8.9% (male 16,168; female 22,429) (2002 est.) |
Agriculture - products | rice, vegetables | bananas, sugarcane, tropical fruits and vegetables; cattle, pigs, goats |
Airports | 1 (2001) | 9 (2001) |
Airports - with paved runways | total: 1
over 3,047 m: 1 (2002) |
total: 8
over 3,047 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 2 under 914 m: 5 (2002) |
Airports - with unpaved runways | - | total: 1 1
under 914 m: 1 (2002) |
Area | total: 25.4 sq km
land: 25.4 sq km water: 0 sq km |
total: 1,780 sq km
land: 1,706 sq km water: 74 sq km note: Guadeloupe is an archipelago of nine inhabited islands, including Basse-Terre, Grande-Terre, Marie-Galante, La Desirade, Iles des Saintes (2), Saint-Barthelemy, Iles de la Petite Terre, and Saint-Martin (French part of the island of Saint Martin) |
Area - comparative | about 0.1 times the size of Washington, DC | 10 times the size of Washington, DC |
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. | Guadeloupe has been a French possession since 1635. The island of Saint Martin is shared with the Netherlands; its southern portion is named Sint Maarten and is part of the Netherlands Antilles and its northern portion is named Saint-Martin and is part of Guadeloupe |
Birth rate | 12.19 births/1,000 population (2002 est.) | 16.53 births/1,000 population (2002 est.) |
Budget | revenues: $1.15 billion
expenditures: $1.03 billion, including capital expenditures of $166 million (2000 est.) |
revenues: $225 million
expenditures: $390 million, including capital expenditures of $105 million (1996) |
Capital | - | Basse-Terre |
Climate | subtropical; marine with cool winters, warm summers | subtropical tempered by trade winds; moderately high humidity |
Coastline | 41 km | 306 km |
Constitution | Basic Law, approved in March 1993 by China's National People's Congress, is Macau's "mini-constitution" | 28 September 1958 (French 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) |
conventional long form: Department of Guadeloupe
conventional short form: Guadeloupe local long form: Departement de la Guadeloupe local short form: Guadeloupe |
Currency | pataca (MOP) | euro (EUR); French franc (FRF) |
Death rate | 3.78 deaths/1,000 population (2002 est.) | 6.03 deaths/1,000 population (2002 est.) |
Debt - external | $1.5 billion (1998) | $NA |
Dependency status | special administrative region of China | overseas department of France |
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 | none (overseas department of France) |
Diplomatic representation in the US | none (special administrative region of China) | none (overseas department of France) |
Disputes - international | none | none |
Economic aid - recipient | $NA | $NA; note - substantial annual French subsidies |
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. | The economy depends on agriculture, tourism, light industry, and services. It also depends on France for large subsidies and imports. Tourism is a key industry, with most tourists from the US; an increasingly large number of cruise ships visit the islands. The traditional sugarcane crop is slowly being replaced by other crops, such as bananas (which now supply about 50% of export earnings), eggplant, and flowers. Other vegetables and root crops are cultivated for local consumption, although Guadeloupe is still dependent on imported food, mainly from France. Light industry features sugar and rum production. Most manufactured goods and fuel are imported. Unemployment is especially high among the young. Hurricanes periodically devastate the economy. |
Electricity - consumption | 1.476 billion kWh (2000) | 1.293 billion kWh (2000) |
Electricity - exports | 1 million kWh (2000) | 0 kWh (2000) |
Electricity - imports | 175 million kWh (2000) | 0 kWh (2000) |
Electricity - production | 1.4 billion kWh (2000) | 1.39 billion kWh (2000) |
Electricity - production by source | fossil fuel: 100%
hydro: 0% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2000) |
fossil fuel: 100%
hydro: 0% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2000) |
Elevation extremes | lowest point: South China Sea 0 m
highest point: Coloane Alto 172.4 m |
lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m
highest point: Soufriere 1,484 m |
Environment - current issues | NA | NA |
Ethnic groups | Chinese 95%, Macanese (mixed Portuguese and Asian ancestry), Portuguese, other | black or mulatto 90%, white 5%, East Indian, Lebanese, Chinese less than 5% |
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 | Euros per US dollar - 1.1324 (January 2002), 1.1175 (2001), 1.0854 (2000), 0.9386 (1999); French francs per US dollar - 5.8995 (1998), 5.8367 (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: chief executive chosen by a 200-member selection committee for up to two five-year terms |
chief of state: President Jacques CHIRAC of France (since 17 May 1995), represented by Prefect Dominique VIAN (since 6 August 2002)
head of government: President of the General Council Jacques GILLOT (since 26 March 2001); President of the Regional Council Lucette MICHAUX-CHEVRY (since 22 March 1992) cabinet: NA elections: French president elected by popular vote for a five-year term; prefect appointed by the French president on the advice of the French Ministry of Interior; the presidents of the General and Regional Councils are elected by the members of those councils election results: NA |
Exports | $2.5 billion f.o.b. (2000) | $140 million f.o.b. (1997) |
Exports - commodities | clothing, textiles, cement, electronics, cameras | bananas, sugar, rum |
Exports - partners | US 48%, EU 28%, China 10%, Hong Kong 7% (2000) | France 60%, Martinique 18%, US 4% (1997) |
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 | the flag of France is used |
GDP | purchasing power parity - $8 billion (2001 est.) | purchasing power parity - $3.7 billion (1997 est.) |
GDP - composition by sector | agriculture: 1%
industry: 25% services: 74% (2000 est.) |
agriculture: 15%
industry: 17% services: 68% (1997 est.) |
GDP - per capita | purchasing power parity - $17,600 (2001 est.) | purchasing power parity - $9,000 (1997 est.) |
GDP - real growth rate | 0.5% (2001 est.) | NA% |
Geographic coordinates | 22 10 N, 113 33 E | 16 15 N, 61 35 W |
Geography - note | essentially urban; one causeway and two bridges connect the two islands of Coloane and Taipa to the peninsula on mainland | a narrow channel, the Riviere Salee, divides Guadeloupe proper into two islands: the larger, western Basse-Terre and the smaller, eastern Grande-Terre |
Highways | total: 50 km
paved: 50 km unpaved: 0 km (2001) |
total: 2,560 km
paved: 965 km unpaved: 1,595 km (1996) |
Household income or consumption by percentage share | lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA% |
lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA% |
Imports | $2.3 billion c.i.f. (2000) | $1.7 billion c.i.f. (1997) |
Imports - commodities | clothing, textiles, yarn, minerals, electrical machinery, fuel, livestock | foodstuffs, fuels, vehicles, clothing and other consumer goods, construction materials |
Imports - partners | China 41%, Hong Kong 15%, EU 10%, Taiwan 10%, Japan 6% (2000) | France 63%, Germany 4%, US 3%, Japan 2%, Netherlands Antilles 2% (1997) |
Independence | none (special administrative region of China) | none (overseas department of France) |
Industrial production growth rate | NA% | NA% |
Industries | tourism, gambling, clothing, textiles, electronics, footwear, toys | construction, cement, rum, sugar, tourism |
Infant mortality rate | 4.44 deaths/1,000 live births (2002 est.) | 9.3 deaths/1,000 live births (2002 est.) |
Inflation rate (consumer prices) | -2% (2001 est.) | NA% |
International organization participation | CCC, ESCAP (associate), IHO, IMO (associate), Interpol (subbureau), ISO (correspondent), UNESCO (associate), WMO, WToO (associate), WTrO | FZ, WCL, WFTU |
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) | 1 (2000) | 3 (2000) |
Irrigated land | NA sq km | 20 sq km (1998 est.) |
Judicial branch | The Court of Final Appeal in the Macau Special Administrative Region | Court of Appeal or Cour d'Appel with jurisdiction over Guadeloupe, French Guiana, and Martinique |
Labor force | 218,000 (2001) | 125,900 (1997) (1997) |
Labor force - by occupation | restaurants and hotels 26%, manufacturing 20%, other services and agriculture 54% (2000 est.) | NA |
Land boundaries | total: 0.34 km
border countries: China 0.34 km |
total: 10.2 km
border countries: Netherlands Antilles (Sint Maarten) 10.2 km |
Land use | arable land: 0%
permanent crops: 0% other: 100% note: "green areas" represent 22.4% (1998 est.) |
arable land: 10.65%
permanent crops: 4.14% other: 85.21% (1998 est.) |
Languages | Portuguese, Chinese (Cantonese) | French (official) 99%, Creole patois |
Legal system | based on Portuguese civil law system | French legal system |
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)
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 |
unicameral General Council or Conseil General (42 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve six-year terms) and the unicameral Regional Council or Conseil Regional (41 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve six-year terms)
elections: General Council - last held 22 March 1998 (next to be held by NA 2004); Regional Council - last held 15 March 1998 (next to be held NA 2004) election results: General Council - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - left-wing candidates 11, PS 8, RPR 8, PPDG 6, right-wing candidates 5, PCG 3, UDF 1; Regional Council - percent of vote by party - RPR 48.03%, PS/PPDG/diverse left parties 24.49%, PCG 5.29%, diverse right parties 5.73%; seats by party - RPR 25, PS/PPDG/diverse left parties 12, PCG 2, diverse right parties 2 note: Guadeloupe elects two representatives to the French Senate; elections last held NA September 1995 (next to be held NA September 2004); percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - RPR 1, FGPS 1; Guadeloupe elects four representatives to the French National Assembly; elections last held 9 June-16 June 2002 (next to be held NA 2002); percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - RPR 1, PS 2, PC 1 |
Life expectancy at birth | total population: 81.78 years
male: 78.97 years female: 84.73 years (2002 est.) |
total population: 77.35 years
male: 74.19 years female: 80.66 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: 90% male: 90% female: 90% (1982 est.) |
Location | Eastern Asia, bordering the South China Sea and China | Caribbean, islands in the eastern Caribbean Sea, southeast of Puerto Rico |
Map references | Southeast Asia | Central America and the Caribbean |
Maritime claims | not specified | exclusive economic zone: 200 NM
territorial sea: 12 NM |
Merchant marine | none (2002 est.) | total: 1 ship (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 1,240 GRT/109 DWT
ships by type: passenger 1 note: includes a foreign-owned ship registered here as a flag of convenience: France 1 (2002 est.) |
Military - note | responsibility for defense reverted to China on 20 December 1999 | defense is the responsibility of France |
Military branches | no regular indigenous military forces; responsibility for defense reverted to China on 20 December 1999; there is a local police force | no regular indigenous military forces; French Forces, Gendarmerie |
Military manpower - availability | males age 15-49: 128,005 (2002 est.) | - |
Military manpower - fit for military service | males age 15-49: 70,508 (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 | Bastille Day, 14 July (1789) |
Nationality | noun: Chinese
adjective: Chinese |
noun: Guadeloupian(s)
adjective: Guadeloupe |
Natural hazards | typhoons | hurricanes (June to October); Soufriere de Guadeloupe is an active volcano |
Natural resources | NEGL | cultivable land, beaches and climate that foster tourism |
Net migration rate | 9.08 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2002 est.) | -0.15 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2002 est.) |
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 | Communist Party of Guadeloupe or PCG [Christian CELESTE]; FGPS [Dominique LARIFLA]; Progressive Democratic Party or PPDG [Henri BANGOU]; Rally for the Republic or RPR [Aldo BLAISE]; Socialist Party or PS [Georges LOUISOR]; Union for French Democracy or UDF [Marcel ESDRAS] |
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] | Christian Movement for the Liberation of Guadeloupe or KLPG; General Federation of Guadeloupe Workers or CGT-G; General Union of Guadeloupe Workers or UGTG; Movement for Independent Guadeloupe or MPGI |
Population | 461,833 (July 2002 est.) | 435,739 (July 2002 est.) |
Population below poverty line | NA% | NA% |
Population growth rate | 1.75% (2002 est.) | 1.04% (2002 est.) |
Ports and harbors | Macau | Basse-Terre, Gustavia (on Saint Barthelemy), Marigot, Pointe-a-Pitre |
Radio broadcast stations | AM 0, FM 2, shortwave 0 (1998) | AM 1, FM 17, shortwave 0 (1998) |
Radios | 160,000 (1997) | 113,000 (1997) |
Railways | 0 km | total: NA km; privately owned, narrow-gauge plantation lines |
Religions | Buddhist 50%, Roman Catholic 15%, none and other 35% (1997 est.) | Roman Catholic 95%, Hindu and pagan African 4%, Protestant 1% |
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.) |
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.98 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.72 male(s)/female total population: 0.97 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 | 18 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: domestic facilities inadequate
domestic: NA international: satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean); microwave radio relay to Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica, and Martinique |
Telephones - main lines in use | 176,902 (November 2001) | 171,000 (1996) |
Telephones - mobile cellular | 158,251 (November 2001) | NA |
Television broadcast stations | 0 (receives Hong Kong broadcasts) (1997) | 5 (plus several low-power repeaters) (1997) |
Terrain | generally flat | Basse-Terre is volcanic in origin with interior mountains; Grande-Terre is low limestone formation; most of the seven other islands are volcanic in origin |
Total fertility rate | 1.31 children born/woman (2002 est.) | 1.92 children born/woman (2002 est.) |
Unemployment rate | 6.5% (2001 est.) | 27.8% (1998) (1998) |
Waterways | none | none |