Map of Hong Kong | Geography | People | Government | Economy | Energy | Communication
Military | Transportation | Transnational Issues | Year: Guide19891990199119921993199419951996199719981999200020012002200320042005200620072008200920102011201220132014201520162017201820192020202120222023 | More stats

top of page


Background: Pursuant to the agreement signed by China and the UK on 19 December 1984, Hong Kong will become a special administrative region of China on 1 July 1997. Under the terms of this agreement, China has promised that Hong Kong shall enjoy a high degree of autonomy in all matters except foreign and defense affairs.


top of page


Location

Geographic coordinates

Map reference

Area

Land boundaries: 30 km with China

Coastline: 733 km

Maritime claims
Exclusive fishing zone: 3 nm
Territorial sea: 3 nm

Climate: tropical 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

Natural resources: outstanding deepwater harbor, feldspar

Land use: arable land: 7%; permanent crops: 1%; meadows and pastures 1%; forest and woodland 12%; other 79%; includes irrigated 3%

Irrigated land

Major rivers

Major watersheds area km²

Total water withdrawal

Total renewable water resources

Natural hazards

Geography
Note: defense is the responsibility of the UK


top of page


Population: 5,855,800 (July 1991), growth rate 0.6% (1991)

Nationality: adjective--Hong Kong

Ethnic groups: Chinese 98%, other 2%

Languages: Chinese (Cantonese), English

Religions: eclectic mixture of local religions 90%, Christian 10%

Demographic profile

Age structure

Dependency ratios

Median age

Population growth rate

Birth rate: 13 births/1000 population (1991)

Death rate: 5 deaths/1000 population (1991)

Net migration rate: - 2 migrants/1000 population (1991)

Population distribution

Urbanization

Major urban areas

Environment
Current issues: more than 200 islands; occasional typhoons

Air pollutants

Sex ratio

Mothers mean age at first birth

Maternal mortality ratio

Infant mortality rate: 7 deaths/1000 live births (1991)

Life expectancy at birth: 77 years male, 84 years female (1991)

Total fertility rate: 1.4 children born/woman (1991)

Contraceptive prevalence rate

Drinking water source

Current health expenditure

Physicians density

Hospital bed density

Sanitation facility access

Hiv/Aids

Major infectious diseases

Obesity adult prevalence rate

Alcohol consumption

Tobacco use

Children under the age of 5 years underweight

Education expenditures

Literacy: 77% (male 90%, female 64%) age 15 and over having ever attended school (1971)

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education

Youth unemployment


top of page


Country name: conventional long form: none; abbreviated HK

Government type: dependent territory of the UK; scheduled to revert to China in 1997

Capital: Victoria

Administrative divisions: none (dependent territory of the UK)

Dependent areas

Independence: none (dependent territory of the UK; the UK signed an agreement with China on 19 December 1984 to return Hong Kong to China on 1 July 1997; in the joint declaration, China promises to respect Hong Kong's existing social and economic systems and lifestyle for 50 years after transition

National holiday: Liberation Day, 29 August (1945)

Constitution: unwritten; partly statutes, partly common law and practice; new Basic Law approved in March 1990 in preparation for 1997

Legal system: based on English common law

International law organization participation

Citizenship

Suffrage: direct election--universal at age 21 as a permanent resident living in the territory of Hong Kong for the past seven years; indirect election--limited to about 100,000 professionals of electoral college and functional constituencies

Executive branch: Chief of State--Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952; Head of Government--Governor Sir David Clive WILSON (since 9 April 1987; Chief Secretary Sir David Robert FORD (since NA February 1987)

Legislative branch: Headquarters of British Forces, Royal Navy, Royal Air Force, Royal Hong Kong Auxiliary Air Force, Gurkha Brigade, Royal Hong Kong Police Force

Judicial branch: Supreme Court

Political parties and leaders

International organization participation: AsDB, CCC, ESCAP (associate), GATT, ICFTU, IMO (associate), IOC, ISO (correspondent), WCL, WMO

Diplomatic representation
In the us: as a dependent territory of the UK, the interests of Hong Kong in the US are represented by the UK; US--Consul General Richard L. WILLIAMS; Consulate General at 26 Garden Road, Hong Kong (mailing address is Box 30, Hong Kong, or FPO San Francisco 96,659-0002; telephone [852] (5) 845-1598

Flag description: blue with the flag of the UK in the upper hoist-side quadrant with the Hong Kong coat of arms on a white disk centered on the outer half of the flag; the coat of arms contains a shield (bearing two junks below a crown) held by a lion (representing the UK) and a dragon (representing China) with another lion above the shield and a banner bearing the words HONG KONG below the shield Hong Kong Hong KongHong Kong

National symbols

National anthem

National heritage


top of page


Economy overview: Hong Kong has a free market economy with few tariffs or nontariff barriers. Natural resources are limited, and food and raw materials must be imported. Manufacturing accounts for about 18% of GDP, employs 28% of the labor force, and exports about 90% of its output. Real GDP growth averaged a remarkable 8% in 1987-88, then slowed to 2.5-3.0% in 1989-90. Unemployment, which has been declining since the mid-1980s, is now less than 2%. A shortage of labor continues to put upward pressure on prices and the cost of living. Short-term prospects remain solid so long as major trading partners continue to be prosperous. The crackdown in China in 1989-90 casts a long shadow over the longer term economic outlook.

Real gdp purchasing power parity

Real gdp growth rate

Real gdp per capita ppp

Gross national saving

Gdp composition by end use

Gdp composition by sector of origin

Agriculture products: minor role in the economy; rice, vegetables, dairy products; less than 20% self-sufficient; shortages of rice, wheat, water

Industries: textiles, clothing, tourism, electronics, plastics, toys, watches, clocks

Industrial production growth rate: 1.7% (1989)

Labor force: 2,800,000 (1990; manufacturing 28.5%, wholesale and retail trade, restaurants, and hotels 27.9%, services 17.7%, financing, insurance, and real estate 9.2%, transport and communications 4.5%, construction 2.5%, other 9.7% (1989)

Unemployment rate: 1.8% (1990)

Youth unemployment

Population below poverty line

Gini index

Household income or consumption by percentage share

Distribution of family income gini index

Budget: $8.8 billion (FY90)

Public debt

Taxes and other revenues

Revenue

Fiscal year: 1 April-31 March

Current account balance

Inflation rate consumer prices

Central bank discount rate

Commercial bank prime lending rate

Stock of narrow money

Stock of broad money

Stock of domestic credit

Market value of publicly traded shares

Current account balance

Exports: $80.3 billion (f.o.b., 1990), including reexports of $51.2 billion
Commodities: clothing, textile yarn and fabric, footwear, electrical appliances, watches and clocks, toys
Partners: US 32%, China 19%, FRG 7%, UK 6%, Japan 6% (1989)

Imports: $79.5 billion (c.i.f., 1990)
Commodities: foodstuffs, transport equipment, raw materials, semimanufactures, petroleum
Partners: China 35%, Japan 17%, Taiwan 9%, US 8% (1989)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

Debt external: $9.5 billion (December 1990 est.)

Stock of direct foreign investment at home

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad

Exchange rates: Hong Kong dollars (HK$) per US$--7.800 (March 1989), 7.810 (1988), 7.760 (1987), 7.795 (1986), 7.811 (1985; note--linked to the US dollar at the rate of about 7.8 HK$ per 1 US$ since 1985


top of page


Electricity access

Electricity production

Electricity consumption

Electricity exports

Electricity imports

Electricity installed generating capacity

Electricity transmission distribution losses

Electricity generation sources

Petroleum

Refined petroleum

Natural gas

Carbon dioxide emissions

Energy consumption per capita


top of page


Telephones fixed lines

Telephones mobile cellular

Telephone system

Broadcast media

Internet country code

Internet users

Broadband fixed subscriptions


top of page


Military expenditures
Percent of gdp: $300 million, 0.5% of GDP (1989 est.), this represents one-fourth of the total cost of defending itself, the remainder being paid by the UK

Military and security forces

Military service age and obligation

Space program

Terrorist groups


top of page


National air transport system

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix

Airports: 2 total; 2 usable; 2 with permanent-surface runways; none with runways over 3,659 m; 1 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; none with runways 1,220-2,439 m

Airports with paved runways

Airports with unpaved runways

Heliports

Pipelines

Railways

Roadways

Waterways

Merchant marine: 134 ships (1,000 GRT or over), totaling 4,690,770 GRT/8,091,177 DWT; includes 1 passenger, 1 short-sea passenger, 16 cargo, 5 refrigerated cargo, 16 container, 1 roll-on/roll-off cargo, 9 petroleum, oils, and lubricants (POL) tanker, 2 chemical tanker, 6 combination ore/oil, 6 liquefied gas, 71 bulk; note--a flag of convenience registry; ships registered in Hong Kong fly the UK flag and an estimated 500 Hong Kong-owned ships are registered elsewhere

Ports and terminals


top of page


Disputes international

Refugees and internally displaced persons

Illicit drugs: a hub for Southeast Asian heroin trade; transshipment and major financial and money-laundering center