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Background:
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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. |
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Location:
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Eastern
Asia, bordering the South China Sea and China |
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Geographic coordinates:
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22 10 N,
113 33 E |
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Map references:
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Southeast
Asia |
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Area:
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total:
25.4 sq km
land: 25.4 sq km
water: 0 sq km |
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Area - comparative:
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about 0.1
times the size of Washington, DC |
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Land boundaries:
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total:
0.34 km
regional border: China 0.34 km |
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Coastline:
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41 km
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Maritime claims:
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not
specified |
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Climate:
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subtropical; marine with cool winters, warm summers |
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Terrain:
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generally
flat |
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Elevation extremes:
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lowest
point: South China Sea 0 m
highest point: Coloane Alto 172.4 m |
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Natural resources:
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NEGL |
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Land use:
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arable
land: 0%
permanent crops: 0%
other: 100%
note: "green areas" represent 22.4% (2001) |
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Irrigated land:
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NA sq km
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Natural hazards:
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typhoons
|
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Environment - current issues:
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NA |
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Geography - note:
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essentially urban; one causeway and two bridges connect
the two islands of Coloane and Taipa to the peninsula on
mainland |
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Population:
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449,198
(July 2005 est.) |
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Age structure:
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0-14
years: 17% (male 39,564/female 36,947)
15-64 years: 75.1% (male 160,957/female 176,386)
65 years and over: 7.9% (male 14,713/female
20,631) (2005 est.) |
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Median age:
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total:
35.2 years
male: 34.9 years
female: 35.4 years (2005 est.) |
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Population growth rate:
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0.87%
(2005 est.) |
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Birth rate:
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8.04
births/1,000 population (2005 est.) |
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Death rate:
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4.23
deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.) |
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Net migration rate:
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4.86
migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 est.) |
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Sex ratio:
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at
birth: 1.07 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.07 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.91 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.71 male(s)/female
total population: 0.92 male(s)/female (2005 est.)
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Infant mortality rate:
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total:
4.39 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 4.59 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 4.19 deaths/1,000 live births (2005 est.)
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Life expectancy at birth:
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total
population: 82.12 years
male: 79.29 years
female: 85.09 years (2005 est.) |
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Total fertility rate:
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0.93
children born/woman (2005 est.) |
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HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
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NA |
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HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
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NA |
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HIV/AIDS - deaths:
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NA |
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Nationality:
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noun:
Chinese
adjective: Chinese |
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Ethnic groups:
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Chinese
95.7%, Macanese (mixed Portuguese and Asian ancestry)
1%, other 3.3% (2001 census) |
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Religions:
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Buddhist
50%, Roman Catholic 15%, none and other 35% (1997 est.)
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Languages:
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Cantonese
87.9%, Hokkien 4.4%, Mandarin 1.6%, other Chinese
dialects 3.1%, other 3% (2001 census) |
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Literacy:
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definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 94.5%
male: 97.2%
female: 92% (2003 est.) |
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Country name:
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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) |
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Dependency status:
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special
administrative region of China |
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Government type:
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limited
democracy |
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Administrative divisions:
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none
(special administrative region of China) |
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Independence:
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none
(special administrative region of China) |
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National holiday:
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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 |
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Constitution:
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Basic
Law, approved in March 1993 by China's National People's
Congress, is Macau's "mini-constitution" |
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Legal system:
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based on
Portuguese civil law system |
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Suffrage:
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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 |
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Executive branch:
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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 one
government secretary, four legislators, four
businessmen, and one pro-Beijing unionist
elections: chief executive chosen by a 300-member
Election Committee for up to two five-year terms
election results: Edmund HO Hau-wah reelected on
29 August 2004; received 296 votes in Election Committee
out of 300 possible; 3 members submitted blank ballots;
1 member was absent |
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Legislative branch:
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unicameral Legislative Council or LEGCO (29 seats; 12
elected by popular vote, 10 by indirect vote, and seven
appointed by the chief executive; members serve
four-year terms)
elections: last held 26 September 2005 (next in
September 2009)
election results: percent of vote - Development
Union 12.8%, Macau Development Alliance 9%, Macau United
Citizens' Association 16%, New Democratic Macau
Association 18.2%, others na; seats by political group -
Development Union 2, Macau Development Alliance 1, Macau
United Citizens' Association 2, New Democratic Macau
Association 2, New Hope 1, Union Forces 2, others 2; 10
seats filled by professional and business groups; seven
members appointed by chief executive |
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Judicial branch:
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Court of
Final Appeal in Macau Special Administrative Region |
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Political parties and leaders:
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Civil
Service Union [Jose Maria Pereira COUTINHO]; Development
Union [KWAN Tsui-hang]; Macau Development Alliance
[Angela LEONG On-kei]; Macau United Citizens'
Association [CHAN Meng-kam]; New Democratic Macau
Association [Antonio NG Kuok-cheong]; United Forces
[leader NA] |
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Political pressure groups and leaders:
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NA |
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International organization participation:
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IHO, IMF,
IMO (associate), ISO (correspondent), UNESCO
(associate), UPU, WCO, WMO, WToO (associate), WTO |
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Diplomatic representation in the US:
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none
(special administrative region of China) |
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Diplomatic representation from the US:
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the US
has no offices in Macau; US interests are monitored by
the US Consulate General in Hong Kong |
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Flag description:
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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 |
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Economy - overview:
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Macau's
well-to-do economy has remained one of the most open in
the world since its reversion to China in 1999. Apparel
exports and tourism are mainstays of the economy.
Although the territory was hit hard by the 1997-1998
Asian financial crisis and the global downturn in 2001,
its economy grew 9.5% in 2002 and 15.6% in 2003. During
the first three quarters of 2004, Macau registered
year-on-year GDP increases of more than 20 percent. A
rapid rise in the number of mainland visitors because of
China's easing of restrictions on travel, increased
public works expenditures, and significant investment
inflows associated with the liberalization of Macau's
gaming industry 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 70% of government
revenue. The three companies awarded gambling licenses
have pledged to invest $2.2 billion in the territory,
which will boost GDP growth. 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. Two new casinos were opened by new foreign
gambling licensees in 2004; development of new
infrastructure and facilities in preparation for Macau's
hosting of the 2005 East Asian Games led the
construction sector. The Closer Economic Partnership
Agreement (CEPA) between Macau and mainland China that
came into effect on 1 January 2004 offers many
Macau-made products tariff-free access to the mainland,
and the range of products covered by CEPA was expanded
on 1 January 2005. |
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GDP (purchasing power parity):
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$9.1
billion (2003) |
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GDP (official exchange rate):
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$10.05
billion (2004) |
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GDP - real growth rate:
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8.2% (2nd
Quarter 2005) |
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GDP - per capita:
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purchasing power parity - $19,400 (2003) |
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GDP - composition by sector:
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agriculture: 0.1%
industry: 7.2%
services: 92.7% (2002 est.) |
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Labor force:
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231,500
(3rd Quarter, 2004) |
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Labor force - by occupation:
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manufacturing 18.3%, construction 8%, transport and
communications 7%, wholesale and retail trade 16.2%,
restaurants and hotels 10.9%, gambling 11.6%, public
sector 8.8%, other services and agriculture 19.2% (2003
est.) |
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Unemployment rate:
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4.8%
(2004) |
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Population below poverty line:
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NA |
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Household income or consumption by percentage share:
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lowest
10%: NA
highest 10%: NA |
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Inflation rate (consumer prices):
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3.8% (2nd
quarter, 2005) |
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Budget:
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revenues: $2.44 billion
expenditures: $1.67 billion, including capital
expenditures of NA (2004) |
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Agriculture - products:
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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; most food
requirements are met by imports, primarily from China
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Industries:
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tourism,
gambling, clothing, textiles, electronics, footwear,
toys |
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Industrial production growth rate:
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NA |
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Electricity - production:
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1.616
billion kWh (2003) |
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Electricity - consumption:
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1.682
billion kWh (2003) |
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Electricity - exports:
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1 million
kWh (2003) |
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Electricity - imports:
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180
million kWh (2003) |
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Oil - production:
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0 bbl/day
(2003 est.) |
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Oil - consumption:
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12,000
bbl/day (2003 est.) |
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Oil - exports:
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NA (2001)
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Oil - imports:
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NA (2001)
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Exports:
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$3.465
billion f.o.b., including reexports (2004) |
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Exports - partners:
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US 48.7%,
China 13.9%, Germany 8.3%, Hong Kong 7.6%, UK 4.4%
(2004) |
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Imports:
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$3.478
billion c.i.f. (2004) |
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Imports - partners:
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China
44.4%, Hong Kong 10.6%, Japan 9.6%, Taiwan 4.9%,
Singapore 4.1%, US 4.1% (2004) |
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Debt - external:
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$2.7
billion (2003) |
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Economic aid - recipient:
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NA |
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Currency (code):
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pataca
(MOP) |
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Exchange rates:
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patacas
per US dollar - 8.01 (2005), 8.022 (2004), 8.021 (2003),
8.033 (2002), 8.034 (2001) |
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Fiscal year:
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calendar
year |
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Telephones - main lines in use:
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174,600
(2003) |
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Telephones - mobile cellular:
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364,000
(2003) |
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Telephone system:
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general assessment: fairly modern communication
facilities maintained for domestic and international
services
domestic: NA
international: country code - 853; HF
radiotelephone communication facility; access to
international communications carriers provided via Hong
Kong and China; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat
(Indian Ocean) |
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Radio broadcast stations:
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AM 0, FM
2, shortwave 0 (1998) |
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Television broadcast stations:
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1 (2003)
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Internet country code:
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.mo |
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Internet hosts:
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89 (2003)
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Internet users:
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120,000
(2003) |
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Airports:
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1 (2004
est.) |
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Airports - with paved runways:
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total:
1
over 3,047 m: 1 (2005 est.) |
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Roadways:
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total:
345 km
paved: 345 km (2003) |
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Ports and terminals:
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Macau
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Military branches:
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China's
People's Revolutionary Army (PLA) constitutes the only
armed force in Macau; several police forces constitute
the Security Forces of Macau (SFM) that are subordinate
to the General Secretariat of Security, a body
comparable to a ministry of interior (2004) |
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Manpower available for military service:
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males
age 18-49: 112,744 (2005 est.) |
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Manpower fit for military service:
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males
age 18-49: 91,299 (2005 est.) |
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Disputes - international:
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none |
This page was last updated on 10
January, 2006
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