Occupied by the UK in 1841,
Hong Kong was formally ceded by China the following year; various adjacent
lands were added later in the 19th century. Pursuant to an agreement
signed by China and the UK on 19 December 1984, Hong Kong became the Hong
Kong Special Administrative Region (SAR) of China on 1 July 1997. In this
agreement, China promised that, under its 'one country, two systems'
formula, China's socialist economic system would not be imposed on Hong
Kong and that Hong Kong would enjoy a high degree of autonomy in all
matters except foreign and defense affairs for the next 50 years.
Geography
Hong Kong
Location:
Eastern Asia, bordering the
South China Sea and China
Geographic coordinates:
22 15 N, 114 10 E
Map references:
Southeast Asia
Area:
total: 1,092 sq km
land: 1,042 sq km water: 50 sq km
Area - comparative:
six times the size of
Washington, DC
Land boundaries:
total: 30 km
regional border: China 30 km
Coastline:
733 km
Maritime claims:
territorial sea: 3 nm
Climate:
subtropical monsoon; cool and
humid in winter, hot and rainy from spring through summer, warm and sunny
in fall
Terrain:
hilly to mountainous with steep
slopes; lowlands in north
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: South
China Sea 0 m highest point: Tai Mo Shan 958 m
total: 41.7 years
male: 41.4 years female: 42 years (2008 est.)
Population growth rate:
0.532% (2008 est.)
Birth rate:
7.37 births/1,000 population
(2008 est.)
Death rate:
6.6 deaths/1,000 population
(2008 est.)
Net migration rate:
4.55 migrant(s)/1,000
population (2008 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.08
male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.1 male(s)/female 15-64
years: 0.94 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.87
male(s)/female total population: 0.95 male(s)/female (2008
est.)
Infant mortality rate:
total: 2.93 deaths/1,000
live births male: 3.11 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 2.73 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 81.77
years male: 79.07 years female: 84.69 years (2008
est.)
Total fertility rate:
1 children born/woman (2008
est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
0.1% (2003 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
2,600 (2003 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths:
less than 200 (2003 est.)
Nationality:
noun: Chinese/Hong
Konger adjective: Chinese/Hong Kong
Ethnic groups:
Chinese 94.9%, Filipino 2.1%,
other 3% (2001 census)
Religions:
eclectic mixture of local
religions 90%, Christian 10%
Languages:
Chinese (Cantonese) 89.2%
(official), other Chinese dialects 6.4%, English 3.2% (official), other
1.2% (2001 census)
Literacy:
definition: age 15 and
over has ever attended school total population: 93.5%
male: 96.9% female: 89.6% (2002)
Government
Hong Kong
Country name:
conventional long form:
Hong Kong Special Administrative Region conventional short
form: Hong Kong local long form: Xianggang Tebie
Xingzhengqu local short form: Xianggang
abbreviation: HK
Dependency status:
special administrative region
of China
Government type:
limited democracy
Administrative divisions:
none (special administrative
region of China)
Independence:
none (special administrative
region of China)
National holiday:
National Day (Anniversary of
the Founding of the People's Republic of China), 1 October (1949); note -
1 July 1997 is celebrated as Hong Kong Special Administrative Region
Establishment Day
Constitution:
Basic Law, approved in March
1990 by China's National People's Congress, is Hong Kong's
'mini-constitution'
Legal system:
based on English common law
Suffrage:
direct election - 18 years of
age for a number of non-executive positions; universal for permanent
residents living in the territory of Hong Kong for the past seven years;
indirect election - limited to about 220,000 members of functional
constituencies and an 800-member election committee drawn from broad
regional groupings, central government bodies, and municipal organizations
Executive branch:
chief of state:
President of China HU Jintao (since 15 March 2003) head of
government: Chief Executive Donald TSANG (since 24 June 2005)
cabinet: Executive Council consists of 15 official members and
16 non-official members elections: chief executive elected for
five-year term by 800-member electoral committee; last held on 25 March
2007 (next to be held in 2012) election results: Donald TSANG
elected chief executive receiving 84.1% of the vote of the election
committee; Alan LEONG received 15.9%
Legislative branch:
unicameral Legislative Council
or LEGCO (60 seats; in 2004, 30 seats indirectly elected by functional
constituencies, 30 elected by popular vote; members serve four-year terms)
elections: last held 12 September 2004 (next to be held in
September 2008) election results: percent of vote by party -
pro-democracy 63%, pro-Beijing 37%; seats by party - (pro-Beijing 34) DAB
12, Liberal Party 10, FTU 1, independents 11; (pro-democracy 25)
Democratic Party 9, CTU 2, ADPL 1, Frontier Party 1, NWSC 1, independents
11; non-voting LEGCO president 1
Judicial branch:
Court of Final Appeal in the
Hong Kong Special Administrative Region
Political parties and leaders:
Association for Democracy and
People's Livelihood or ADPL [Frederick FUNG Kin-kee]; Citizens Party [Alex
CHAN Kai-chung]; Civic Party [KUAN Hsin-chi]; Democratic Alliance for the
Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong or DAB [TAM Yiu Cheng]; Democratic
Party [Albert HO]; Frontier Party [Emily LAU Wai-hing]; League of Social
Democrats [Raymond WONG]; Liberal Party [James TIEN Pei-chun]
note: political blocs include: pro-democracy - ADPL, Democratic
Party, Frontier Party, League of Social Democrats; pro-Beijing - DAB,
Liberal Party, The Alliance (a group of five generally pro-government and
pro-business Legco members from functional constituencies); there is no
political party ordinance, so there are no registered political parties;
politically active groups register as societies or companies
Political pressure groups and leaders:
Chinese General Chamber of
Commerce (pro-China); Chinese Manufacturers' Association of Hong Kong;
Confederation of Trade Unions or CTU (pro-democracy) [LAU Chin-shek,
president; LEE Cheuk-yan, general secretary]; Federation of Hong Kong
Industries; Federation of Trade Unions or FTU (pro-China) [CHENG Yiu-tong,
executive councilor]; Hong Kong Alliance in Support of the Patriotic
Democratic Movement in China [Szeto WAH, chairman]; Hong Kong and Kowloon
Trade Union Council (pro-Taiwan); Hong Kong General Chamber of Commerce;
Hong Kong Professional Teachers' Union [CHEUNG Man-kwong, president];
Neighborhood and Workers' Service Center or NWSC (pro-democracy); The
Alliance [Bernard CHARNWUT, exco member]
none (special administrative
region of China); Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in Washington and
two other cities carries out normal liaison and communication with the US
Government and other US entities
Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Consul
General James B. CUNNINGHAM consulate(s) general: 26 Garden
Road, Hong Kong mailing address: PSC 461, Box 1, FPO AP
96521-0006 telephone: [852] 2523-9011 FAX: [852]
2845-1598
Flag description:
red with a stylized, white,
five-petal bauhinia flower in the center
Economy
Hong Kong
Economy - overview:
Hong Kong has a free market
economy highly dependent on international trade. In 2006, the total value
of goods and services trade, including the sizable share of reexports, was
equivalent to 400% of GDP. The territory has become increasingly
integrated with mainland China over the past few years through trade,
tourism, and financial links. The mainland has long been Hong Kong's
largest trading partner, accounting for 46% of Hong Kong's total trade by
value in 2006. As a result of China's easing of travel restrictions, the
number of mainland tourists to the territory has surged from 4.5 million
in 2001 to 13.6 million in 2006, when they outnumbered visitors from all
other countries combined. Hong Kong has also established itself as the
premier stock market for Chinese firms seeking to list abroad. Bolstered
by several successful initial public offerings in 2007, mainland companies
by September 2007 accounted for one-third of the firms listed on the Hong
Kong Stock Exchange, and over half of the Exchange's market
capitalization. Hong Kong's service industry over the past decade has
grown rapidly as its manufacturing industry has moved to the mainland and
now accounts for 91% of the territory's GDP. Hong Kong's natural resources
are limited, and food and raw materials must be imported. GDP growth
averaged a strong 5% from 1989 to 2007, despite the economy suffering two
recessions during the Asian financial crisis in 1997-98 and the global
downturn in 2001-02. Hong Kong continues to link its currency closely to
the US dollar, maintaining an arrangement established in 1983.
manufacturing 6.5%,
construction 2.1%, wholesale and retail trade, restaurants, and hotels
43.3%, financing, insurance, and real estate 20.7%, transport and
communications 7.8%, community and social services 19.5% note:
above data exclude public sector (2007 est.)
Unemployment rate:
4.2% (2007 est.)
Population below poverty line:
NA%
Household income or consumption by percentage
share:
$353.3 billion f.o.b.,
including reexports (2007 est.)
Exports - commodities:
electrical machinery and
appliances, textiles, apparel, footwear, watches and clocks, toys,
plastics, precious stones, printed material
Exports - partners:
China 47%, US 15.1%, Japan 4.9%
(2006)
Imports:
$371.3 billion (2007 est.)
Imports - commodities:
raw materials and
semi-manufactures, consumer goods, capital goods, foodstuffs, fuel (most
is re-exported)
Imports - partners:
China 45.9%, Japan 10.3%,
Taiwan 7.5%, Singapore 6.3%, US 4.8%, South Korea 4.6% (2006)
Economic aid - recipient:
$6.95 million (2004)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
$152.7 billion (31 December
2007 est.)
Debt - external:
$588 billion (2007 est.)
Stock of direct foreign investment - at home:
$506.4 billion (2006)
Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad:
$441.4 billion (2006)
Market value of publicly traded shares:
$2.97 trillion (2007 est.)
Currency (code):
Hong Kong dollar (HKD)
Currency code:
HKD
Exchange rates:
Hong Kong dollars per US dollar
- 7.802 (2007), 7.7678 (2006), 7.7773 (2005), 7.788 (2004), 7.7868 (2003)
Fiscal year:
1 April - 31 March
Communications
Hong Kong
Telephones - main lines in use:
3.87 million (2007)
Telephones - mobile cellular:
9.913 million (2007)
Telephone system:
general assessment:
modern facilities provide excellent domestic and international services
domestic: microwave radio relay links and extensive fiber-optic
network international: country code - 852; multiple
international submarine cables provide connections to Asia, US, Australia,
the Middle East, and Western Europe; satellite earth stations - 3 Intelsat
(1 Pacific Ocean and 2 Indian Ocean); coaxial cable to Guangzhou, China
Radio broadcast stations:
AM 5, FM 9, shortwave 0 (2004)
Radios:
4.45 million (1997)
Television broadcast stations:
55 (2 TV networks, each
broadcasting on 2 channels) (2007)
Televisions:
1.84 million (1997)
Internet country code:
.hk
Internet hosts:
812,137 (2007)
Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
17 (2000)
Internet users:
3.77 million (2006)
Transportation
Hong Kong
Airports:
2 (2007)
Airports - with paved runways:
total: 2 over
3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2007)
Heliports:
5 (2007)
Roadways:
total: 2,009 km
paved: 2,009 km (2007)
Merchant marine:
total: 1,009 ships (1000
GRT or over) 34,556,075 GRT/57,423,309 DWT by type: barge
carrier 2, bulk carrier 499, cargo 135, chemical tanker 51, combination
ore/oil 3, container 173, liquefied gas 24, passenger 6, passenger/cargo
5, petroleum tanker 91, roll on/roll off 4, specialized tanker 8, vehicle
carrier 8 foreign-owned: 617 (Belgium 4, Hong Kong 39, China 309,
Denmark 12, France 1, Germany 10, Greece 30, Indonesia 7, Japan 78, South
Korea 6, Lebanon 1, Norway 30, Pakistan 1, Philippines 10, Portugal 1,
Singapore 11, Syria 1, Taiwan 11, UAE 1, UK 32, US 22) registered
in other countries: 275 (Bahamas 3, Belize 5, Bermuda 4, Cambodia 11,
China 6, Cyprus 2, Honduras 1, India 1, Liberia 21, Malaysia 14, Malta 1,
Marshall Islands 4, Mongolia 1, Norway 5, Panama 137, Philippines 2,
Seychelles 1, Singapore 37, St Vincent and The Grenadines 7, Tuvalu 10, UK
2, unknown 7) (2007)
Ports and terminals:
Hong Kong
Military
Hong Kong
Military branches:
no regular indigenous military
forces; Hong Kong garrison of China's People's Liberation Army (PLA)
includes elements of the PLA Ground Forces, PLA Navy, and PLA Air Force;
these forces are under the direct leadership of the Central Military
Commission in Beijing and under administrative control of the adjacent
Guangzhou Military Region (2007)
Manpower available for military service:
males age 16-49:
1,772,820 females age 16-49: 1,941,448 (2008 est.)
Manpower fit for military service:
males age 16-49:
1,438,165 females age 16-49: 1,561,252 (2008 est.)
Manpower reaching military service age annually:
males age 16-49: 42,173
females age 16-49: 38,753 (2008 est.)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
NA
Military - note:
defense is the responsibility
of China
Transnational Issues
Hong Kong
Disputes - international:
none
Illicit drugs:
despite strenuous law
enforcement efforts, faces difficult challenges in controlling transit of
heroin and methamphetamine to regional and world markets; modern banking
system provides conduit for money laundering; rising indigenous use of
synthetic drugs, especially among young people
