Micronesia, Federated States of (2008) | Macau (2002) | |
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Administrative divisions | 4 states; Chuuk (Truk), Kosrae (Kosaie), Pohnpei (Ponape), Yap | none (special administrative region of China) |
Age structure | 0-14 years: 35.9% (male 19,726/female 19,011)
15-64 years: 61.2% (male 32,891/female 33,071) 65 years and over: 2.9% (male 1,379/female 1,784) (2007 est.) |
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.) |
Agriculture - products | black pepper, tropical fruits and vegetables, coconuts, bananas, cassava (tapioca), sakau (kava), betel nuts, sweet potatoes; pigs, chickens; fish | rice, vegetables |
Airports | 6 (2007) | 1 (2001) |
Airports - with paved runways | total: 6
1,524 to 2,437 m: 4 914 to 1,523 m: 2 (2007) |
total: 1
over 3,047 m: 1 (2002) |
Area | total: 702 sq km
land: 702 sq km water: 0 sq km (fresh water only) note: includes Pohnpei (Ponape), Chuuk (Truk) Islands, Yap Islands, and Kosrae (Kosaie) |
total: 25.4 sq km
land: 25.4 sq km water: 0 sq km |
Area - comparative | four times the size of Washington, DC (land area only) | about 0.1 times the size of Washington, DC |
Background | In 1979 the Federated States of Micronesia, a UN Trust Territory under US administration, adopted a constitution. In 1986 independence was attained under a Compact of Free Association with the US, which was amended and renewed in 2004. Present concerns include large-scale unemployment, overfishing, and overdependence on US aid. | 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 | 24.14 births/1,000 population (2007 est.) | 12.19 births/1,000 population (2002 est.) |
Budget | revenues: $127.3 million ($69 million less grants)
expenditures: $144.2 million (FY05 est.) |
revenues: $1.15 billion
expenditures: $1.03 billion, including capital expenditures of $166 million (2000 est.) |
Capital | name: Palikir
geographic coordinates: 6 55 N, 158 09 E time difference: UTC+11 (16 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) |
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Climate | tropical; heavy year-round rainfall, especially in the eastern islands; located on southern edge of the typhoon belt with occasionally severe damage | subtropical; marine with cool winters, warm summers |
Coastline | 6,112 km | 41 km |
Constitution | 10 May 1979 | Basic Law, approved in March 1993 by China's National People's Congress, is Macau's "mini-constitution" |
Country name | conventional long form: Federated States of Micronesia
conventional short form: none local long form: Federated States of Micronesia local short form: none former: Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands, Ponape, Truk, and Yap Districts abbreviation: FSM |
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 | 4.66 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.) | 3.78 deaths/1,000 population (2002 est.) |
Debt - external | $60.8 million (FY05 est.) | $1.5 billion (1998) |
Dependency status | - | special administrative region of China |
Diplomatic representation from the US | chief of mission: Ambassador Miriam K. HUGHES
embassy: 101 Upper Pics Road, Kolonia mailing address: P. O. Box 1286, Kolonia, Pohnpei, 96941 telephone: [691] 320-2187 FAX: [691] 320-2186 |
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 | chief of mission: Ambassador Jesse Bibiano MAREHALAU
chancery: 1725 N Street NW, Washington, DC 20036 telephone: [1] (202) 223-4383 FAX: [1] (202) 223-4391 consulate(s) general: Honolulu, Tamuning (Guam) |
none (special administrative region of China) |
Disputes - international | none | none |
Economic aid - recipient | $106.4 million
note: under terms of the Compact of Free Association, the US pledged $1.3 billion in grant aid during the period 1986-2001; the level of aid has been subsequently reduced (2005) |
$NA |
Economy - overview | Economic activity consists primarily of subsistence farming and fishing. The islands have few mineral deposits worth exploiting, except for high-grade phosphate. The potential for a tourist industry exists, but the remote location, a lack of adequate facilities, and limited air connections hinder development. The Amended Compact of Free Association with the US guarantees the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM) millions of dollars in annual aid through 2023, and establishes a Trust Fund into which the US and the FSM make annual contributions in order to provide annual payouts to the FSM in perpetuity after 2023. The country's medium-term economic outlook appears fragile due not only to the reduction in US assistance but also to the current slow growth of the private sector. | 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. |
Electricity - consumption | 178.6 million kWh (2002) | 1.476 billion kWh (2000) |
Electricity - exports | 0 kWh (2002) | 1 million kWh (2000) |
Electricity - imports | 0 kWh (2002) | 175 million kWh (2000) |
Electricity - production | 192 million kWh (2002) | 1.4 billion kWh (2000) |
Electricity - production by source | - | fossil fuel: 100%
hydro: 0% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2000) |
Elevation extremes | lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m
highest point: Dolohmwar (Totolom) 791 m |
lowest point: South China Sea 0 m
highest point: Coloane Alto 172.4 m |
Environment - current issues | overfishing, climate change, pollution | NA |
Environment - international agreements | party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements |
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Ethnic groups | Chuukese 48.8%, Pohnpeian 24.2%, Kosraean 6.2%, Yapese 5.2%, Yap outer islands 4.5%, Asian 1.8%, Polynesian 1.5%, other 6.4%, unknown 1.4% (2000 census) | Chinese 95%, Macanese (mixed Portuguese and Asian ancestry), Portuguese, other |
Exchange rates | the US dollar is used | 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 |
Executive branch | chief of state: President Emmanuel MORI (since 11 May 2007); Vice President Alik L. ALIK (11 May 2007) note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government
head of government: President Emmanuel MORI (since 11 May 2007); Vice President Alik L. ALIK (11 May 2007) cabinet: Cabinet includes the vice president and the heads of the eight executive departments elections: president and vice president elected by Congress from among the four senators at large for a four-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held 11 May 2007 (next to be held May 2011); note - a proposed constitutional amendment to establish popular elections for president and vice president failed election results: Emmanuel MORI elected president; percent of Congress vote - NA; Alik L. ALIK elected vice president; percent of Congress vote - NA |
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 |
Exports | $14 million (f.o.b.) (2004 est.) | $2.5 billion f.o.b. (2000) |
Exports - commodities | fish, garments, bananas, black pepper, sakau (kava), betel nut | clothing, textiles, cement, electronics, cameras |
Exports - partners | Japan, US, Guam (2006) | US 48%, EU 28%, China 10%, Hong Kong 7% (2000) |
Fiscal year | 1 October - 30 September | calendar year |
Flag description | light blue with four white five-pointed stars centered; the stars are arranged in a diamond pattern | 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 - $8 billion (2001 est.) |
GDP - composition by sector | agriculture: 28.9%
industry: 15.2% services: 55.9% (2004 est.) |
agriculture: 1%
industry: 25% services: 74% (2000 est.) |
GDP - per capita | - | purchasing power parity - $17,600 (2001 est.) |
GDP - real growth rate | 0.3% (2005 est.) | 0.5% (2001 est.) |
Geographic coordinates | 6 55 N, 158 15 E | 22 10 N, 113 33 E |
Geography - note | four major island groups totaling 607 islands | 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% |
lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA% |
Illicit drugs | major consumer of cannabis | - |
Imports | $132.7 million f.o.b. (2004) | $2.3 billion c.i.f. (2000) |
Imports - commodities | food, manufactured goods, machinery and equipment, beverages | clothing, textiles, yarn, minerals, electrical machinery, fuel, livestock |
Imports - partners | US, Japan, Hong Kong (2006) | China 41%, Hong Kong 15%, EU 10%, Taiwan 10%, Japan 6% (2000) |
Independence | 3 November 1986 (from the US-administered UN trusteeship) | none (special administrative region of China) |
Industrial production growth rate | NA% | NA% |
Industries | tourism, construction; fish processing, specialized aquaculture; craft items from shell, wood, and pearls | tourism, gambling, clothing, textiles, electronics, footwear, toys |
Infant mortality rate | total: 28.15 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 31.08 deaths/1,000 live births female: 25.08 deaths/1,000 live births (2007 est.) |
4.44 deaths/1,000 live births (2002 est.) |
Inflation rate (consumer prices) | 2.2% (2005) | -2% (2001 est.) |
International organization participation | ACP, ADB, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IFC, IFRCS, IMF, IOC, ITSO, ITU, MIGA, OPCW, PIF, Sparteca, SPC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, WHO, WMO | CCC, ESCAP (associate), IHO, IMO (associate), Interpol (subbureau), ISO (correspondent), UNESCO (associate), WMO, WToO (associate), WTrO |
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) | - | 1 (2000) |
Irrigated land | NA | NA sq km |
Judicial branch | Supreme Court | The Court of Final Appeal in the Macau Special Administrative Region |
Labor force | 37,410 (2000) | 218,000 (2001) |
Labor force - by occupation | agriculture: 0.9%
industry: 34.4% services: 64.7% note: two-thirds are government employees (FY05 est.) |
restaurants and hotels 26%, manufacturing 20%, other services and agriculture 54% (2000 est.) |
Land boundaries | 0 km | total: 0.34 km
border countries: China 0.34 km |
Land use | arable land: 5.71%
permanent crops: 45.71% other: 48.58% (2005) |
arable land: 0%
permanent crops: 0% other: 100% note: "green areas" represent 22.4% (1998 est.) |
Languages | English (official and common language), Trukese, Pohnpeian, Yapese, Kosrean, Ulithian, Woleaian, Nukuoro, Kapingamarangi | Portuguese, Chinese (Cantonese) |
Legal system | based on adapted Trust Territory laws, acts of the legislature, municipal, common, and customary laws | based on Portuguese civil law system |
Legislative branch | unicameral Congress (14 seats; 4 - one elected from each state to serve four-year terms and 10 - elected from single-member districts delineated by population to serve two-year terms; members elected by popular vote)
elections: last held 6 March 2007 (next to be held in March 2009) election results: percent of vote - NA%; seats - independents 14 |
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: 70.35 years
male: 68.52 years female: 72.28 years (2007 est.) |
total population: 81.78 years
male: 78.97 years female: 84.73 years (2002 est.) |
Literacy | definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 89% male: 91% female: 88% (1980 est.) |
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 90% male: 93% female: 86% (1981 est.) |
Location | Oceania, island group in the North Pacific Ocean, about three-quarters of the way from Hawaii to Indonesia | Eastern Asia, bordering the South China Sea and China |
Map references | Oceania | Southeast Asia |
Maritime claims | territorial sea: 12 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm |
not specified |
Merchant marine | total: 3 ships (1000 GRT or over) 3,560 GRT/2,060 DWT
by type: cargo 1, passenger/cargo 2 (2007) |
none (2002 est.) |
Military - note | defense is the responsibility of the US | responsibility for defense reverted to China on 20 December 1999 |
Military branches | no regular military forces (2007) | 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: 128,005 (2002 est.) |
Military manpower - fit for military service | - | males age 15-49: 70,508 (2002 est.) |
National holiday | Constitution Day, 10 May (1979) | 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: Micronesian(s)
adjective: Micronesian; Chuukese, Kosraen(s), Pohnpeian(s), Yapese |
noun: Chinese
adjective: Chinese |
Natural hazards | typhoons (June to December) | typhoons |
Natural resources | forests, marine products, deep-seabed minerals, phosphate | NEGL |
Net migration rate | -21.02 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 est.) | 9.08 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2002 est.) |
Political parties and leaders | no formal parties | 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 | 107,862 (July 2007 est.) | 461,833 (July 2002 est.) |
Population below poverty line | 26.7% (2000) | NA% |
Population growth rate | -0.154% (2007 est.) | 1.75% (2002 est.) |
Ports and harbors | - | Macau |
Radio broadcast stations | AM 5, FM 1, shortwave 0 (2004) | AM 0, FM 2, shortwave 0 (1998) |
Radios | - | 160,000 (1997) |
Railways | - | 0 km |
Religions | Roman Catholic 50%, Protestant 47%, other 3% | Buddhist 50%, Roman Catholic 15%, none and other 35% (1997 est.) |
Sex ratio | NA (2007 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: 0.68 male(s)/female total population: 0.92 male(s)/female (2002 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: adequate system
domestic: islands interconnected by shortwave radiotelephone (used mostly for government purposes), satellite (Intelsat) ground stations, and some coaxial and fiber-optic cable; cellular service available on Kosrae, Pohnpei, and Yap international: country code - 691; satellite earth stations - 5 Intelsat (Pacific Ocean) (2002) |
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 | 12,400 (2005) | 176,902 (November 2001) |
Telephones - mobile cellular | 14,100 (2005) | 158,251 (November 2001) |
Television broadcast stations | 3 (cable TV also available) (2004) | 0 (receives Hong Kong broadcasts) (1997) |
Terrain | islands vary geologically from high mountainous islands to low, coral atolls; volcanic outcroppings on Pohnpei, Kosrae, and Chuuk | generally flat |
Total fertility rate | 3.07 children born/woman (2007 est.) | 1.31 children born/woman (2002 est.) |
Unemployment rate | 22% (2000 est.) | 6.5% (2001 est.) |
Waterways | - | none |