What are the Key Facts of Macau SAR, China?

Where is Macau?

Macau, a Special Administrative Region of China, shares its border with Mainland China and the South China Sea. It is in southern China, particularly on the western part of the Pearl River estuary and it is around 60 km (37 mi) west of Hong Kong. While Zhuhai’s Guangdong city is in the west and north of Macau, in the east and south the country is surrounded by the South China Sea.

What is the Geography of Macau?

The Macau Special Administrative Region of the People’s Republic of China is spread across a total area of 115.3 sq. km (44.5 sq. mi), out of which 115.3 sq. km (44.5 sq. mi) is land area and 0 sq. km (0 sq. mi) is water area. It shares a three km (1.9 mi) long land boundary with China. The country has a 41 km (25 mi) long coastline.

While Alto Coloane is the highest elevation point of the country at 172 m (564 ft), the South China Sea is the lowest elevation point at 0 m (0 ft). Some of the significant mountains in this region are Coloane Alto, Taipa Grande, Guia Marco, Colina da Barra and Wangxia Shan. No significant rivers or lakes are present in the country.

This region generally has a flat terrain. The territory of Macau Special Administrative Region of the People’s Republic of China consists of three regions: Macau Peninsula, Coloane, and Taipa. The neighbouring Hengqin Island (a parcel of land spread across one sq km or 0.39 sq mi) comes within the jurisdiction of the regional government of Macau. Most of the urban landscape is concentrated on the Macau Peninsula. This peninsula was a separate Island that became a tombola over time connecting the sandbar.

What is the Climate of Macau?

This region has a subtropical and marine climate characterized by warm summers and cold winters. The two prominent seasons in this administrative region are summer (May-September) and winter (November-February). Two brief seasons are experienced here, and they are spring (March-April) and autumn (October).

Frequent rainfall occurs during the summer season, brought by the warm or humid air from the sea – the frequency of rainfall increases when the region is affected by the typhoons. The months from April to October is the rainy season with maximum rainfall taking place in May. Typhoon hits this region during July-September.

Though the average annual temperature is around 20°C (72°F), higher temperature above 30 °C (86 °F) persists in this region for about 100 days. The place gets an average temperature of 10 °C (50 °F) for less than 30 days.

Autumn and winter seasons are the best time to visit this region, especially the time starting from mid-October and ending in December.

What is the Economy of Macau?

The nominal GDP of this region was US$54,545.18 million in 2018, and the annual growth rate was 4.7%. Macau Special Administrative Region maintains a separate governing and economic system from China.

The economy is mainly based on the gambling industry, dependent upon both foreign investment and locally controlled casinos and travel industry. The gaming and tourism industry got a shot in the arm when the Chinese government relaxed travel restrictions on Chinese citizens in this region. The year 2016’s data shows that over 76% of the total government revenue came from the gaming-related taxes.

The Statistics and Census Service (DSEC) data show that 35.8 million tourists visited this region in 2018, a jump of 9.8% over 2017. The Macau Government Tourism Office expects that the inflow of tourists in the region will increase by 5-6% in 2019 and exceed 35.80 million. During January-August 2019, over 27,437,982 visitors visited the region, out of which 19,530,804 tourists came from the inner parts of China.

Some of the major export items of this region (China) are jewellery, copper foil, precious metal watches, trunks and cases and rolled tobacco. The major import items are broadcasting equipment, beauty products, trunks and cases, precious metal watches, jewellery, and many more. In 2017, this region had a negative balance of trade amounting to US$8.4 billion. While its value of export was US$1.33 billion, the value of imports was US$9.7 billion.

The general rate of unemployment in the Macau Special Administrative Region of the People’s Republic of China was 1.8% in 2018. The level of unemployment among the residents in the region was 2.4%. While the total employment was 388,000, the total employment of the residents of this region was 283,800.

Government estimates say that 2.3% of the population here lives below the poverty line. This estimate is based on income alone and does not consider the spiraling living cost. One of the largest charities operating in Macau, Caritas, has estimated that around 10% of the population lives below the poverty line and 7% of the population are even struggling to meet the basic needs of food.

What is the Transportation System of Macau?

There is around 428 km of roadway available in the Macau Special Administrative Region of the People’s Republic of China, and all of them are paved ones. The main seaport is Macau, and there is only one merchant marine ship. Macau International Airport is the only airport in this region. Two heliports are also there in Macau.

What International Organizations is Macau part of?

WTO, IMF, IHO, UPU, WCO, WMO, ICC (national committees), IMO (associate), Interpol (sub bureau), ISO (correspondent), UNESCO (associate), UNWTO (associate)

Related Link:

• Is Macau a Country?