Macao

Location

• Eastern Asia, bordering the South China Sea and China
• primarily urban; an area of land reclaimed from the sea measuring 5.2 sq km (2 sq mi) and known as Cotai now connects the islands of Coloane and Taipa; the island area is connected to the mainland peninsula by three bridges

Population

Notable Population Centers

City	Population	Note
Macau	649,335	Capital
Taipa	112,051
Sé	52,200
Luhuan	36,384
Zhuojiacun	24,000
Lai Chi Van	22,125

Size

• 98 square miles
• 254 square kilometers
• less than one-sixth the size of Washington, D.C.

History

Portuguese ships began arriving in 1513. In the 1550s, Portuguese paying tribute to China settled in Macau, which became the official entrepôt for all international trade with China and Japan and the first European settlement in the Far East.  The first governor was appointed in the 17th century, but the Portuguese remained largely under the control of the Chinese. In the 1930s and ’40s Macau was declared a neutral territory during the Sino-Japanese War and World War II and became a refuge for both Chinese and Europeans. Portugal officially made Macau an overseas province in 1951.  In April 1987, Portugal and China reached an agreement to return Macau to Chinese rule in 1999, using the Hong Kong Joint Declaration between China and the UK as a model. In this agreement, China promised that, under its "one country, two systems" formula, China's political and economic system would not be imposed on Macau, and that Macau would enjoy a "high degree of autonomy" in all matters except foreign affairs and defense for the next 50 years. However, after China's multi-year crackdown against the pro-democracy movement in nearby Hong Kong, the governments of China and the Macau Special Administrative Region worked to limit Macau's political autonomy by suppressing opposition activity in the 2021 legislative elections.

Climate

subtropical; marine with cool winters, warm summers

Terrain

generally flat

Languages

Cantonese 81%, Mandarin 4.7%, other Chinese dialects 5.4%, English 3.6%, Tagalog 2.9%, Portuguese 0.6%, other 1.8% (2021 est.)major-language sample(s): 世界概况, 必須擁有的基本資料参考书 (Cantonese) The World Factbook, the indispensable source for basic information.note: Chinese and Portuguese are official languages; Macanese or Patua, a Portuguese-based Creole, is also spoken

Religions

folk religion 58.9%, Buddhist 17.3%, Christian 7.2%, other 1.2%, none 15.4% (2020 est.)

Government

executive-led limited democracy; a special administrative region of the People's Republic of China

• Constitution: history: previous 1976 (Organic Statute of Macau, under Portuguese authority); latest adopted 31 March 1993, effective 20 December 1999 (Basic Law of the Macau Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China serves as Macau's constitution)amendment process: proposed by the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress (NPC), the People’s Republic of China State Council, and the Macau Special Administrative Region; submittal of proposals to the NPC requires two-thirds majority vote by the Legislative Assembly of Macau, approval by two thirds of Macau's deputies to the NPC, and consent of the Macau chief executive; final passage requires approval by the NPC
• Political Parties and Leaders: n/a
• Suffrage: 18 years of age in direct elections for some legislative positions, universal for permanent residents living in Macau for the past 7 yearsnote: indirect elections are limited to organizations registered as "corporate voters" and an election committee for the chief executive drawn from broad regional groupings, municipal organizations, central government bodies, and elected Macau officials
• Legal System: civil law system based on the Portuguese model
• Executive Branch: chief of state: President of China XI Jinping (since 14 March 2013)head of government: Chief Executive Sam Hou FAI (since 20 December 2024)cabinet: Executive Council appointed by the chief executiveelection/appointment process: president indirectly elected by National People's Congress for a 5-year term (eligible for a second term); chief executive chosen by a 400-member Election Committee for a 5-year term (eligible for a second term)most recent election date: president: 10 March 2023chief executive: 13 October 2024election results: 2024: Sam Hou FAI (unopposed; received 394 out of 400 votes)2019: HO lat Seng (unopposed; received 392 out of 400 votes)expected date of next election: president: March 2028chief executive: 2029
• Judicial Branch: highest court(s): Court of Final Appeal of Macau Special Administrative Region (consists of the court president and 2 associate justices)judge selection and term of office: justices appointed by the Macau chief executive upon the recommendation of an independent commission of judges, lawyers, and "eminent" persons; judge tenure NAsubordinate courts: Court of Second Instance; Court of First instance; Lower Court; Administrative Court
• Legislative Branch: legislature name: Legislative Assembly (Regiao Administrativa Especial de Macau)legislative structure: unicameralnumber of seats: 33 (14 directly elected, 12 indirectly elected, 7 appointed)electoral system: mixedscope of elections: full renewalterm in office: 4 yearsmost recent election date: 9/12/2021parties elected and seats per party: United Citizens Association of Macau (ACUM) (3); Union for Development (UPD) (2); Macau-Guangdong Union (UGM) (2); Union for Promoting Progress (UPP) (2); Alliance for a Happy Home (ABL) (2); New Hope (NE) (2); Association of Synergy of Macau (PS) (1)expected date of next election: September 2025

Demographic Profile

n/a

Economy

• high-income, Chinese special administrative region economy; known for apparel exports and gambling tourism; currency pegged to Hong Kong dollar; significant recession due to 2015 Chinese anticorruption campaign; COVID-19 further halved economic activity
• Budget: revenues: $12.513 billion (2023 est.)expenditures: $11.509 billion (2023 est.)note: central government revenues (excluding grants) and expenditures converted to US dollars at average official exchange rate for year indicated
• Credit Rating: n/a
• Natural Resources: NEGL
• Industries: tourism, gambling, clothing, textiles, electronics, footwear, toys
• Agricultural Products: pork, chicken, beef, eggs, pork offal, pork fat, pepper, beef offal, cattle hides, goose meat (2023)note: top ten agricultural products based on tonnage
• Land Use: agricultural land: 0% (2022 est.)forest: 0% (2022 est.)other: 100% (2022 est.)
• Labor Force by Occupation: n/a
• Imports
• Imported Commodities: jewelry, garments, trunks and cases, broadcasting equipment, electricity (2023)note: top five import commodities based on value in dollars
• Import Partners: China 36%, Hong Kong 17%, USA 6%, France 6%, Japan 5% (2023)note: top five import partners based on percentage share of imports
• Exports
• Exported Commodities: jewelry, garments, broadcasting equipment, precious metal watches, video and card games (2023)note: top five export commodities based on value in dollars
• Export Partners: Hong Kong 73%, China 6%, USA 6%, Philippines 3%, Singapore 1% (2023)note: top five export partners based on percentage share of exports