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.

Geography Macau

Location:
Eastern Asia, bordering the South China Sea and China

Geographic coordinates:
22 10 N, 113 33 E

Map references:
Southeast Asia

Area:
total: 28.2 sq km
land: 28.2 sq km
water: 0 sq km

Area - comparative:
less than one-sixth the size of Washington, DC

Land boundaries:
total: 0.34 km
regional border: China 0.34 km

Coastline:
41 km

Maritime claims:
not specified

Climate:
subtropical; marine with cool winters, warm summers

Terrain:
generally flat

Elevation extremes:
lowest point: South China Sea 0 m
highest point: Coloane Alto 172.4 m

Natural resources:
NEGL

Land use:
arable land: 0%
permanent crops: 0%
other: 100% (2005)

Irrigated land:
NA

Natural hazards:
typhoons

Environment - current issues:
NA

Environment - international agreements:
party to: Marine Dumping -associate member to the London Convention

Geography - note:
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

People Macau

Population:
453,125 (July 2006 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 16.2% (male 37,934/female 35,412)
15-64 years: 75.9% (male 163,975/female 179,830)
65 years and over: 7.9% (male 15,099/female 20,875) (2006 est.)

Median age:
total: 36.1 years
male: 35.7 years
female: 36.4 years (2006 est.)

Population growth rate:
0.86% (2006 est.)

Birth rate:
8.48 births/1,000 population (2006 est.)

Death rate:
4.47 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.)

Net migration rate:
4.56 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.)

Sex ratio:
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: 0.72 male(s)/female
total population: 0.92 male(s)/female (2006 est.)

Infant mortality rate: