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 April 13,1987, Macau became the Macau Special Administrative Region (SAR) of China on Dec. 20, 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.

Source: CIA World Fact Book

Population: 456,989 (July 2007 est.)

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Age structure: 0-14 years: 15.4% (male 36,413/female 33,981) 15-64 years: 76.6% (male 166,797/female 183,088) 65 years and over: 8% (male 15,541/female 21,169) (2007 est.)

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Median age: total: 36.6 years male: 36 years female: 36.9 years (2007 est.)

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Population growth rate: 0.841% (2007 est.)

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Birth rate: 8.57 births/1,000 population (2007 est.)

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Death rate: 4.59 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.)

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Net migration rate: 4.42 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 est.)

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Sex ratio: at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.072 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.911 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.734 male(s)/female total population: 0.918 male(s)/female (2007 est.)

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Infant mortality rate: total: 4.33 deaths/1,000 live births male: 4.51 deaths/1,000 live births female: 4.13 deaths/1,000 live births (2007 est.)

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Life expectancy at birth: total population: 82.27 years male: 79.44 years female: 85.25 years (2007 est.)

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Total fertility rate: 1.03 children born/woman (2007 est.)

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HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: NA

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HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: NA

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HIV/AIDS - deaths: NA

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Nationality: noun: Chinese adjective: Chinese

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Ethnic groups: Chinese 95.7%, Macanese (mixed Portuguese and Asian ancestry) 1%, other 3.3% (2001 census)

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Religions: Buddhist 50%, Roman Catholic 15%, none and other 35% (1997 est.)

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Languages: Cantonese 87.9%, Hokkien 4.4%, Mandarin 1.6%, other Chinese dialects 3.1%, other 3% (2001 census)

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Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 91.3% male: 95.3% female: 87.8% (2001 census)

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 1997-98 Asian financial crisis and the global downturn in 2001, its economy grew 10.1% in 2002, 14.2% in 2003, and 28.6% in 2004 before slowing to 6.7% in 2005. The economic boom was powered by gambling, tourism, and the construction necessary to support such endeavors. China's decision to ease travel restrictions led to a rapid rise in the number of mainland visitors. The opening of Macau's gaming industry to foreign access in 2001 spurred an increase in public works expenditures. 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. Much of Macau's textile industry may move to the mainland due to the termination in 2005 of the Multi-Fiber Agreement, which provided a near guarantee of export markets, leaving the territory more dependent on gambling and trade-related services to generate growth. 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. The range of products covered by CEPA was expanded on 1 January 2005.

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GDP (purchasing power parity): $10 billion (2004)

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GDP (official exchange rate): $11.56 billion (2005)

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GDP - real growth rate: 6.7%

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GDP - per capita (PPP): $24,300 (2005)

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GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 0.1% industry: 7.2% services: 92.7% (2002 est.)

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Labor force: 248,000 (2005)

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Labor force - by occupation: manufacturing 13.7%, construction 10.5%, transport and communications 5.9%, wholesale and retail trade 14.6%, restaurants and hotels 10.3%, gambling 17.9%, public sector 7.8%, other services and agriculture 19.3% (2005 est.)

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Unemployment rate: 4.1% (2005)

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Population below poverty line: NA%

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Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA%

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Inflation rate (consumer prices): 4.4% (2005)

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Budget: revenues: $3.16 billion expenditures: $3.16 billion; including capital expenditures of $NA (FY05/06)

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Agriculture - products: 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

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

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Industrial production growth rate: NA%

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Electricity - production: 2.027 billion kWh (2005)

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Electricity - consumption: 2.159 billion kWh (2005)

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Electricity - exports: 1 million kWh (2004)

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Electricity - imports: 340.8 million kWh (2005)

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Oil - production: 0 bbl/day (2005 est.)

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Oil - consumption: 12,360 bbl/day (2005 est.)

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Oil - exports: 21 bbl/day (2005)

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Oil - imports: 12,840 bbl/day (2005)

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Oil - proved reserves: 0 bbl

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Natural gas - production: 0 cu m (2005 est.)

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Natural gas - consumption: 43.96 million cu m (2005 est.)

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Exports: $3.156 billion f.o.b.; note - includes reexports (2005)

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Exports - commodities: clothing, textiles, footwear, toys, electronics, machinery and parts

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Exports - partners: US 44.1%, China 14.8%, Hong Kong 11.3%, Germany 7.3%, UK 4.1% (2006)

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Imports: $3.912 billion c.i.f. (2005)

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

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Imports - partners: China 45.2%, Hong Kong 10.2%, Japan 8.4%, US 5.5%, Singapore 4.1%, France 4% (2006)

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Debt - external: $3.1 billion (2004)

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Economic aid - recipient: $NA

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Currency (code): pataca (MOP)

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Exchange rates: patacas per US dollar - 8.0015 (2006), 8.011 (2005), 8.022 (2004), 8.021 (2003), 8.033 (2002)

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Fiscal year: calendar year