Note: essentially urban; one causeway and one bridge connect the two
islands to the peninsula on mainland

@Macau:People

Population: 490,901 (July 1995 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 24% (female 56,991; male 60,944)
15-64 years: 68% (female 167,366; male 165,168)
65 years and over: 8% (female 23,537; male 16,895) (July 1995 est.)

Population growth rate: 1.25% (1995 est.)

Birth rate: 14.5 births/1,000 population (1995 est.)

Death rate: 4.21 deaths/1,000 population (1995 est.)

Net migration rate: 2.24 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1995 est.)

Infant mortality rate: 5.4 deaths/1,000 live births (1995 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 79.86 years
male: 77.41 years
female: 82.43 years (1995 est.)

Total fertility rate: 1.49 children born/woman (1995 est.)

Nationality:
noun: Macanese (singular and plural)
adjective: Macau

Ethnic divisions: Chinese 95%, Portuguese 3%, other 2%

Religions: Buddhist 45%, Roman Catholic 7%, Protestant 1%, none 45.8%,
other 1.2% (1981)

Languages: Portuguese (official), Cantonese is the language of
commerce

Literacy: age 15 and over can read and write (1981)
total population: 90%
male: 93%
female: 86%

Labor force: 180,000 (1986)
by occupation: NA

@Macau:Government

Names:
conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Macau
local long form: none
local short form: Ilha de Macau

Digraph: MC

Type: overseas territory of Portugal scheduled to revert to China in
1999

Capital: Macau

Administrative divisions: 2 districts (concelhos, singular -
concelho); Ilhas, Macau

Independence: none (territory of Portugal; Portugal signed an
agreement with China on 13 April 1987 to return Macau to China on 20
December 1999; in the joint declaration, China promises to respect
Macau's existing social and economic systems and lifestyle for 50 year
after transition)

National holiday: Day of Portugal, 10 June (1580)

Constitution: 17 February 1976, Organic Law of Macau; basic law
drafted primarily by Beijing awaiting final approval

Legal system: Portuguese civil law system

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:
chief of state: President (of Portugal) Mario Alberto SOARES (since 9
March 1986)
head of government: Governor Gen. Vasco Joachim Rocha VIEIRA (since 20
March 1991)
cabinet: Consultative Council; consists of five members appointed by
the governo