| Introduction - Hong Kong: |
Country | Hong Kong |
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Background | 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 has promised that, under its one country, two systems formula, Chinas socialist economic system will not be imposed on Hong Kong and that Hong Kong will enjoy a high degree of autonomy in all matters except foreign and defense affairs for the next 50 years. |
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| Location - Hong Kong: |
Location | Eastern Asia, bordering the South China Sea and China |
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Geographic coordinates | 22 15 N, 114 10 E |
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Map references | Southeast Asia |
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Area | total: 1,092 sq km
land: 1,042 sq km
water: 50 sq km |
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Area comparative | six times the size of Washington, DC |
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Land boundaries | total: 30 km
regional border: China 30 km |
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Coastline | 733 km |
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Maritime claims | territorial sea: 3 nm |
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Climate | subtropical monsoon; cool and humid in winter, hot and rainy from spring through summer, warm and sunny in fall |
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Terrain | hilly to mountainous with steep slopes; lowlands in north |
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Elevation extremes | lowest point: South China Sea 0 m
highest point: Tai Mo Shan 958 m |
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Natural resources | outstanding deepwater harbor, feldspar |
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Land use | arable land: 5.05%
permanent crops: 1.01%
other: 93.94% (2001) |
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Irrigated land | 20 sq km (1998 est.) |
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Natural hazards | occasional typhoons |
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Environment current issues | air and water pollution from rapid urbanization |
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Environment international agreements | party to: Marine Dumping (associate member), Ship Pollution (associate member) |
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Geography note | more than 200 islands |
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| People - Hong Kong: |
Population | 6,980,412 (July 2007 est.) |
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Age structure | 0-14 years: 13% (male 476,089/female 434,326)
15-64 years: 74% (male 2,515,518/female 2,652,660)
65 years and over: 12.9% (male 419,479/female 482,340) (2007 est.) |
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Dependency status | special administrative region of China |
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Median age | total: 41.2 years
male: 40.9 years
female: 41.4 years (2007 est.) |
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Population growth rate | 0.561% (2007 est.) |
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Birth rate | 7.34 births/1,000 population (2007 est.) |
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Death rate | 6.45 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.) |
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Net migration rate | 4.72 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 est.) |
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Sex ratio | at birth: 1.08 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.096 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.948 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.87 male(s)/female
total population: 0.956 male(s)/female (2007 est.) |
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Infant mortality rate | total: 2.94 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 3.12 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 2.74 deaths/1,000 live births (2007 est.) |
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Life expectancy at birth | total population: 81.68 years
male: 78.99 years
female: 84.6 years (2007 est.) |
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Total fertility rate | 0.98 children born/woman (2007 est.) |
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Hiv aids adult prevalence rate | 0.1% (2003 est.) |
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Hiv aids people living with hiv aids | 2,600 (2003 est.) |
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Hiv aids deaths | less than 200 (2003 est.) |
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Nationality | noun: Chinese/Hong Konger
adjective: Chinese/Hong Kong |
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Ethnic groups | Chinese 94.9%, Filipino 2.1%, other 3% (2001 census) |
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Religions | eclectic mixture of local religions 90%, Christian 10% |
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Languages | Chinese (Cantonese) 89.2% (official), other Chinese dialects 6.4%, English 3.2% (official), other 1.2% (2001 census) |
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Literacy | definition: age 15 and over has ever attended school
total population: 93.5%
male: 96.9%
female: 89.6% (2002) |
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| 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 |
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Government type | limited democracy |
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Administrative divisions | none (special administrative region of China) |
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Independence | none (special administrative region of China) |
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National holiday | National Day (Anniversary of the Founding of the Peoples Republic of China), 1 October (1949); note - 1 July 1997 is celebrated as Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Establishment Day |
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Constitution | Basic Law, approved in March 1990 by Chinas National Peoples Congress, is Hong Kongs mini-constitution |
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Legal system | based on English common law |
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Suffrage | direct election 18 years of age; universal for permanent residents living in the territory of Hong Kong for the past seven years; indirect election limited to about 200,000 members of functional constituencies and an 800-member election committee drawn from broad regional groupings, municipal organizations, and central government bodies |
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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 14 official members and 15 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; Alan LEONG received 15.9% |
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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 |
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Judicial branch | Court of Final Appeal in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region |
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Political parties and leaders | Association for Democracy and Peoples 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 [MA Lik]; Democratic Party [Albert HO]; Frontier Party [Emily LAU Wai-hing]; Liberal Party [James TIEN Pei-chun]
note: political blocs include: pro-democracy - ADPL, Democratic Party, Frontier Party; pro-Beijing - DAB, Liberal Party |
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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 CHAN, exco member] |
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International organization participation | APEC, AsDB, BIS, ICC, IHO, IMF, IMO (associate), IOC, ISO (correspondent), ITUC, UNWTO (associate), UPU, WCL, WCO, WMO, WTO |
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Diplomatic representation in the us | none (special administrative region of China) |
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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 |
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Flag description | red with a stylized, white, five-petal bauhinia flower in the center |
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| Economy - Hong Kong: |
Economy overview | Hong Kong has a free market economy highly dependent on international trade. The territory has become more closely linked to mainland China over the past few years. Even before Hong Kong reverted to Chinese administration on 1 July 1997, it had extensive trade and investment ties with China. Hong Kongs service industry over the past decade has grown rapidly as its manufacturing industry has moved to the mainland. Hong Kong also has stepped up its efforts to gain approval to offer more mainland financial services in a bid to remain competitive with Chinas growing financial centers. Hong Kongs natural resources are limited, and food and raw materials must be imported. Gross imports and exports (including reexports to and from third countries) each exceed GDP in dollar value. Per capita GDP exceeds that of the four big economies of Western Europe. GDP growth averaged a strong 5% from 1989 to 2006, but Hong Kong suffered two recessions in the past eight years because of the Asian financial crisis in 1997-98 and the global downturn in 2001-02. Although the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) outbreak in 2003 also battered Hong Kongs economy, a solid rise in exports, a boom in tourism from the mainland because of Chinas easing of travel restrictions, and a return of consumer confidence resulted in the resumption of strong growth from late 2003 through 2006. Moreover, several large initial public offerings of Chinese companies on the Hong Kong stock exchange since late 2005 have helped to boost Hong Kongs status as a financial hub and have contributed to the improved performance of the market in late 2006. |
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Gdp purchasing power parity | $258.8 billion (2006 est.) |
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Gdp official exchange rate | $188.7 billion (2006 est.) |
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Gdp real growth rate | 6.8% (2006 est.) |
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Gdp per capita ppp | $37,300 (2006 est.) |
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Gdp composition by sector | agriculture: 0.1%
industry: 9%
services: 90.9% (2006 est.) |
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Labor force | 3.63 million (2006 est.) |
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Labor force by occupation | manufacturing 7.5%, construction 2.9%, wholesale and retail trade, restaurants, and hotels 43.9%, financing, insurance, and real estate 19.6%, transport and communications 7.1%, community and social services 18.8%
note: above data exclude public sector (2005 est.) |
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Unemployment rate | 4.9% (2006 est.) |
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Population below poverty line | NA% |
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Household income or consumption by percentage share | lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA% |
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Distribution of family income gini index | 52.3 (2001) |
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Inflation rate consumer prices | 2.2% (2006 est.) |
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Investment gross fixed | 21.1% of GDP (2006 est.) |
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Budget | revenues: $35.16 billion
expenditures: $33.02 billion; including capital expenditures of $5.9 billion (2006 est.) |
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Public debt | 1% of GDP (2006 est.) |
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Agriculture products | fresh vegetables; poultry, pork; fish |
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Industries | textiles, clothing, tourism, banking, shipping, electronics, plastics, toys, watches, clocks |
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Industrial production growth rate | 4% (2006 est.) |
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Electricity production | 38.45 billion kWh (2005) |
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Electricity consumption | 44.55 billion kWh (2005) |
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Electricity exports | 4.497 billion kWh (2005) |
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Electricity imports | 10.39 billion kWh (2005) |
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Oil production | 0 bbl/day (2005 est.) |
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Oil consumption | 285,000 bbl/day (2005 est.) |
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Oil exports | 26,090 bbl/day (2004) |
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Oil imports | 344,200 bbl/day (2004) |
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Oil proved reserves | 0 bbl |
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Natural gas production | 0 cu m (2005 est.) |
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Natural gas consumption | 2.2 billion cu m (2005 est.) |
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Natural gas exports | 0 cu m (2004 est.) |
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Natural gas imports | 2.524 billion cu m (2004 est.) |
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Current account balance | $20.9 billion (2006 est.) |
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Exports | $611.6 billion f.o.b., including reexports (2006 est.) |
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Exports commodities | electrical machinery and appliances, textiles, apparel, footwear, watches and clocks, toys, plastics, precious stones, printed material |
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Exports partners | China 47%, US 15.1%, Japan 4.9% (2006) |
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Imports | $329.8 billion (2006 est.) |
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Imports commodities | raw materials and semi-manufactures, consumer goods, capital goods, foodstuffs, fuel (most is re-exported) |
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Imports partners | China 45.9%, Japan 10.3%, Taiwan 7.5%, Singapore 6.3%, US 4.8%, South Korea 4.6% (2006) |
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Reserves of foreign exchange and gold | $132 billion (November 2006 est.) |
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Debt external | $472.9 billion (30 June 2006 est.) |
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Currency code | Hong Kong dollar (HKD) |
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Exchange rates | Hong Kong dollars per US dollar - 7.7678 (2006), 7.7773 (2005), 7.788 (2004), 7.7868 (2003), 7.7989 (2002) |
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| Communications - Hong Kong: |
Fiscal year | 1 April - 31 March |
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Telephones main lines in use | 3.85 million (2006) |
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Telephones mobile cellular | 9.356 million (2006) |
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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; satellite earth stations - 3 Intelsat (1 Pacific Ocean and 2 Indian Ocean); coaxial cable to Guangzhou, China; access to 5 international submarine cables providing connections to ASEAN member nations, Japan, Taiwan, Australia, Middle East, and Western Europe |
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Radio broadcast stations | AM 5, FM 9, shortwave 0 (2004) |
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Television broadcast stations | 55 (2 TV networks, each broadcasting on 2 channels) (2006) |
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Internet country code | .hk |
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Internet hosts | 800,834 (2006) |
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Internet users | 3.77 million (2006) |
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| Transportation - Hong Kong: |
Airports | 3 (2006) |
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Airports with paved runways | total: 3
over 3,047 m: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
under 914 m: 1 (2006) |
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Heliports | 3 (2006) |
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Roadways | total: 1,955 km
paved: 1,955 km (2005) |
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Merchant marine | total: 924 ships (1000 GRT or over) 30,838,025 GRT/51,957,682 DWT
by type: barge carrier 2, bulk carrier 495, cargo 121, chemical tanker 44, container 133, liquefied gas 22, passenger 6, passenger/cargo 7, petroleum tanker 76, roll on/roll off 3, specialized tanker 7, vehicle carrier 8
foreign-owned: 562 (Australia 1, Belgium 3, Canada 28, China 274, Denmark 6, Germany 6, Greece 27, Indonesia 4, Japan 67, South Korea 6, Norway 26, Philippines 16, Portugal 1, Singapore 24, Syria 1, Taiwan 6, UAE 2, UK 43, US 21)
registered in other countries: 417 (Bahamas 8, Belize 8, Bermuda 10, Cambodia 15, China 7, Cyprus 1, France 1, French Southern and Antarctic Lands 2, Greece 1, Honduras 2, India 1, Liberia 37, Malaysia 14, Malta 2, Marshall Islands 7, Norway 55, Panama 169, Philippines 3, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 6, Singapore 50, Taiwan 3, Tuvalu 8, unknown 7) (2006) |
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Ports and terminals | Hong Kong |
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| Military - Hong Kong: |
Military branches | no regular indigenous military forces; Hong Kong garrison of Chinas Peoples Liberation Army (PLA) includes elements of Ground Forces, Navy, and 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 |
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Military service age and obligation | 18 years of age (2004) |
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Manpower available for military service | males age 18-49: 1,743,972
females age 18-49: 1,904,967 (2005 est.) |
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Manpower fit for military service | males age 18-49: 1,403,088
females age 18-49: 1,527,278 (2005 est.) |
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Military note | defense is the responsibility of China |
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Manpower reaching military service age annually | males age 18-49: 40,343
females age 18-49: 38,234 (2005 est.) |
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Military expenditures percent of gdp | NA |
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Disputes international | none |
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This page was last updated on 16 September, 2007