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 the People's Republic of China on 20 December 1999. In this agreement, China promised that, under its "one country, two systems" formula, China's socialist economic system would not be practiced in Macau, and that Macau would enjoy a high degree of autonomy in all matters except foreign and defense affairs for the next 50 years.

Eastern Asia, bordering the South China Sea and China

22 10 N, 113 33 E

Southeast Asia

less than one-sixth the size of Washington, DC

41 km

not specified

subtropical; marine with cool winters, warm summers

generally flat

NEGL

NA

typhoons

NA

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

559,846 (July 2010 est.)

1.995% (2010 est.)

8.88 births/1,000 population (2010 est.)

3.5 deaths/1,000 population (July 2010 est.)

14.56 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2010 est.)

0.91 children born/woman (2010 est.)

NA

NA

NA

Chinese 94.3%, other 5.7% (includes Macanese - mixed Portuguese and Asian ancestry) (2006 census)

Buddhist 50%, Roman Catholic 15%, none or other 35% (1997 est.)

Cantonese 85.7%, Hokkien 4%, Mandarin 3.2%, other Chinese dialects 2.7%, English 1.5%, Tagalog 1.3%, other 1.6% (2001 census)

2.4% of GDP (2005)

special administrative region of China

limited democracy

none (special administrative region of the People's Republic of China)

none (special administrative region of China)

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

Basic Law, approved on 31 March 1993 by China's National People's Congress, is Macau's charter

based on Portuguese civil law system

direct election 18 years of age for some non-executive positions, 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

unicameral Legislative Assembly (29 seats; 12 members elected by popular vote, 10 by indirect vote, and 7 appointed by the chief executive; members to serve four-year terms)

Court of Final Appeal in Macau Special Administrative Region

Alliance for Change or MUDAR; Macau Development Alliance or NUDM [Angela LEONG On-kei]; Macau-Guangdong Union or UNG; Macau United Citizens' Association or ACUM [CHAN Meng-kam]; New Democratic Macau Association or APMD [Antonio NG Kuok-cheong]; New Hope or NE [Jose Maria Pereira COUTINHO]; Union for Promoting Progress or UPP [LEONG Heng-teng]

Civic Power [Agnes LAM Lok-fong]; Macau Society of Tourism and Entertainment or STDM [Stanley HO]; Macau Worker's Union [HO Heng-kuok]; Union for Democracy Development [Antonio NG Kuok-cheong]

IHO, IMF, IMO (associate), ISO (correspondent), UNESCO (associate), UNWTO (associate), UPU, WCO, WFTU, WMO, WTO

none (special administrative region of China)

the US has no offices in Macau; US Consulate General in Hong Kong is accredited to Macau

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 the center of the arc and two smaller on either side; the lotus is the floral emblem of Macau, the three petals represent the peninsula and two islands that make up Macau; the five stars echo those on the flag of China

Macau's economy enjoyed strong growth in 2009 despite the global economic slowdown, largely on the back of strong tourism and gaming sectors. After opening up its locally-controlled casino industry to foreign competition in 2001, the territory attracted tens of billions of dollars in foreign investment, transforming Macao into the world's largest gaming center. Macau's gaming and tourism businesses were fueled by China's decision to relax travel restrictions on Chinese citizens wishing to visit Macau. By 2006, Macau's gaming revenue surpassed that of the Las Vegas strip, and gaming-related taxes accounted for more than 70% of total government revenue. This city of nearly 570,000 hosted more than 21 million visitors in 2009. Almost 51% came from mainland China. Macau's traditional manufacturing industry has virtually disappeared since the termination of the Multi-Fiber Agreement in 2005. In 2009, total exports were less than US$1 billion, while gaming receipts were almost US$15 billion. The Closer Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) between Macau and mainland China that came into effect on 1 January 2004 offers Macau-made products tariff-free access to the mainland, nevertheless, China remains Macau's third largest goods export market, behind Hong Kong and the United States. Macau's currency, the Pataca, is closely tied to the Hong Kong dollar, which is also freely accepted in the territory.

$18.47 billion (2009 est.)

$18.14 billion (2008 est.)

$14.4 billion (2006)

$22.1 billion (2009 est.)

1% (2009 est.)

12.9% (2008)

26% (2007)

$33,000 (2009)

$31,800 (2008)

$28,400 (2006)

322,000 (2009 est.)

3.6% (2009)

3% (2008)

NA%

1.2% (December 2009)

8.6% (2008)

5.25% (31 December 2009)

5.43% (31 December 2008)

$4.55 billion (31 December 2009)

$3.09 billion (31 December 2008)

$22.68 billion (31 December 2009 est.)

$22.15 billion (31 December 2008)

$11.5 billion (31 December 2008)

$NA (31 December 2007)

$2.3 billion (31 December 2008 est.)

$NA (31 December 2007)

$413.1 million (2004 est.)

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

tourism, gambling, clothing, textiles, electronics, footwear, toys

NA%

1.424 billion kWh (2009 est.)

3.474 billion kWh (2009 est.)

0 kWh (2009 est.)

2.215 billion kWh (2009 est.)

0 bbl/day (2009 est.)

16,000 bbl/day (2009 est.)

0 bbl/day (2009 est.)

9,294 bbl/day (2009 est.)

0 bbl (1 January 2009 est.)

0 cu m (2009 est.)

91.3 million cu m (2009)

0 cu m (2009 est.)

97.8 million cu m (2009 est.)

300,000 cu m (1 January 2008 est.)

$NA

$950 million (2009 est.)

$2 billion (2008); note - includes reexports

clothing, textiles, footwear, toys, electronics, machinery and parts

Hong Kong 38.7%, US 17.9%, China 14.4%, Germany 4% (2009)

$4.5 billion (2009 est.)

$5.4 billion (2008 est.)

raw materials and semi-manufactured goods, consumer goods (foodstuffs, beverages, tobacco), capital goods, mineral fuels and oils

China 31.1%, Hong Kong 10.8%, Japan 8.1%, France 8%, US 6.2% (2009)

$NA

$0 (2009)

$13.6 billion (2009 est.)

$11.1 billion (2008 est.)

$980 million (2009 est.)

$1 billion (2008 est.)

patacas (MOP) per US dollar - 7.985 (2009), 7.983 (2008), 8.011 (2007), 8.0015 (2006), 8.011 (2005)

171,360 (2009)

1.037 million (2009)

local government dominates broadcast media; 2 television stations operated by the government with one broadcasting in Portuguese and the other in Cantonese and Mandarin; cable and satellite TV services are available; 3 radio stations broadcasting, of which 2 are government-operated (2008)

.mo

252 (2010)

259,000 (2008)

1 (2010)

2 (2010)

Macau

no regular military forces

defense is the responsibility of China

none

transshipment point for drugs going into mainland China; consumer of opiates and amphetamines