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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
water: 0 sq km
land: 25.4 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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445,286
(July 2004 est.) |
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Age structure:
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0-14
years: 18% (male 41,460; female 38,595)
15-64 years: 74.2% (male 157,629; female
172,810)
65 years and over: 7.8% (male 14,380; female
20,412) (2004 est.) |
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Median age:
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total:
35.2 years
male: 34.9 years
female: 35.4 years (2004 est.) |
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Population growth rate:
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0.87%
(2004 est.) |
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Birth rate:
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8.04
births/1,000 population (2004 est.) |
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Death rate:
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4.23
deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.) |
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Net migration rate:
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4.86
migrant(s)/1,000 population (2004 est.) |
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Sex ratio:
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at
birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.07 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.91 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.7 male(s)/female
total population: 0.92 male(s)/female (2004
est.) |
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Infant mortality rate:
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total:
4.39 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 4.19 deaths/1,000 live births (2004
est.)
male: 4.59 deaths/1,000 live births |
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Life expectancy at birth:
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total
population: 82.03 years
male: 79.2 years
female: 84.99 years (2004 est.) |
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Total fertility rate:
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0.93
children born/woman (2004 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%, Macanese (mixed Portuguese and Asian ancestry),
Portuguese, other |
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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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Portuguese,
Chinese (Cantonese) |
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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 short form: Aomen (Chinese); Macau
(Portuguese)
local long form: Aomen Tebie Xingzhengqu
(Chinese); Regiao Administrativa Especial de 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)
elections: chief executive chosen by a
300-member selection committee for up to two
five-year terms
election results: Edmond 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
cabinet: Executive Council consists of all
five government secretaries, three legislators, and
two businessmen
head of government: Chief Executive Edmund HO
Hau-wah (since 20 December 1999) |
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Legislative branch:
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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 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 |
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Judicial branch:
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The
Court of Final Appeal in the Macau Special
Administrative Region |
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Political parties and leaders:
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there
are no formal political parties, however, there are
civic associations that, for purposes of legislative
voting, join together to form political blocs |
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Political pressure groups and leaders:
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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] |
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International organization participation:
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IMO
(associate), Interpol (sub-bureau), ISO
(correspondent), UNESCO (associate), WCO, WMO, WToO
(associate), WTrO |
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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.
The territory's net exports of goods and services
account for roughly 41% of GDP with tourism and
apparel exports as the mainstays. Although the
territory was hit hard by the 1998 Asian financial
crisis and the global downturn in 2001, its economy
grew 9.5% in 2002. A rapid rise in the number of
mainland visitors because of China's easing of
restrictions on travel 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 liberalization of Macao's
gambling monopoly contributes to GDP growth, as the
three companies awarded gambling licenses have
pledged to invest $2.2 billion in the territory.
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. The
government estimated GDP growth at 4% in 2003 with
the drop in large measure due to concerns over the
Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS), but
private sector analysts think the figure may have
been higher because of the continuing boom in
tourism. |
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GDP:
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purchasing
power parity - $9.1 billion (2003 est.) |
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GDP - real growth rate:
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4%
(2003 est.) |
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GDP - per capita:
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purchasing
power parity - $19,400 (2003 est.) |
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GDP - composition by sector:
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agriculture:
1%
industry: 12%
services: 87% (2002 est.) |
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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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-2.6%
(2003 est.) |
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Labor force:
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214,000
(2002) |
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Labor force - by occupation:
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manufacturing
20%, construction 7%, transport and communications
6%, wholesale and retail trade 15%, restaurants and
hotels 12%, gambling 7%, public sector 8%, other
services and agriculture 25% (2002 est.) |
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Unemployment rate:
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6.3%
(2003) |
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Budget:
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revenues:
$1.9 billion
expenditures: $1.68 billion, including
capital expenditures of $194 million (2002) |
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Agriculture - products:
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vegetables,
livestock |
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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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1.611
billion kWh (2002) |
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Electricity - production by source:
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fossil
fuel: 100%
hydro: 0%
other: 0% (2001)
nuclear: 0% |
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Electricity - consumption:
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1.688
billion kWh (2002) |
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Electricity - exports:
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1
million kWh (2001) |
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Electricity - imports:
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193
million kWh (2002) |
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Oil - production:
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0
bbl/day (2001 est.) |
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Oil - consumption:
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11,190
bbl/day (2001 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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$2.356
billion f.o.b. (2002) |
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Exports - commodities:
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clothing,
textiles, footwear, cement, machines, and parts |
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Exports - partners:
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US
49.4%, China 11.7%, Germany 8.6%, Hong Kong 7.5%
(2003 est.) |
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Imports:
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$2.53
billion c.i.f. (2002) |
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Imports - commodities:
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clothing,
textiles, yarn, foodstuffs, fuel, automobiles,
capital goods |
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Imports - partners:
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China
39.8%, Hong Kong 21.5%, Chile 8.3%, Taiwan 5.3%,
Japan 4.8% (2003 est.) |
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Debt - external:
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$121
million (2001 est.) |
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Economic aid - recipient:
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NA
(1997) |
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Currency:
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pataca
(MOP) |
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Currency code:
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MOP |
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Exchange rates:
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patacas
per US dollar - 8.0212 (2003), 8.0334 (2002), 8.0335
(2001), 8.0259 (2000), 7.9919 (1999) |
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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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Radios:
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160,000
(1997) |
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Television broadcast stations:
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1
(2003) |
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Televisions:
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49,000
(1997) |
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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 Service Providers (ISPs):
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1
(2000) |
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Internet users:
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120,000
(2003)
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Highways:
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total:
271 km
paved: 271 km
unpaved: 0 km (2000) |
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Ports and harbors:
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Macau |
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Merchant marine:
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none |
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Airports:
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1 (2003
est.) |
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Airports - with paved runways:
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total:
1
over 3,047 m: 1 (2003 est.)
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Military branches:
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responsibility
for defense reverted to China on 20 December 1999;
there are local police forces |
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Military manpower - availability:
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males
age 15-49: 125,060 (2004 est.) |
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Military manpower - fit for military service:
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males
age 15-49: 68,913 (2004 est.)
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| Transnational
Issues |
Macau |
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Disputes - international:
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none
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