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

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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.


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Location: Eastern Asia, bordering the South China Sea and China

Geographic coordinates

Map reference: Southeast Asia

Area
Total area total: 1,040 km²
Land: 990 km²
Comparative: slightly less than six times the size of Washington, DC

Land boundaries: total 30 km, China 30 km

Coastline: 733 km

Maritime claims: 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%

Irrigated land: 20 km² (1989)

Major rivers

Major watersheds area km²

Total water withdrawal

Total renewable water resources

Natural hazards

Geography
Note: defense is the responsibility of the UK


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Population: 5,542,869 (July 1995 est.)
Growth rate: -0.12% (1995 est.)

Nationality
Noun: Chinese
Adjective: Chinese

Ethnic groups: Chinese 95%, other 5%

Languages: Chinese (Cantonese), English

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

Demographic profile

Age structure
0-14 years: 19% (female 499,460; male 549,734)
15-64 years: 70% (female 1,866,540; male 2,016,684)
65 years and over: 11% (female 331,391; male 279,060) (July 1995 est.)

Dependency ratios

Median age

Population growth rate: -0.12% (1995 est.)

Birth rate: 12.02 births/1000 population (1995 est.)

Death rate: 6.02 deaths/1000 population (1995 est.)

Net migration rate: -7.22 migrant(s)/1000 population (1995 est.)

Population distribution

Urbanization

Major urban areas

Environment
Current issues: air and water pollution from rapid urbanization
Current issues natural hazards: occasional typhoons
Current issues international agreements: NA

Air pollutants

Sex ratio

Mothers mean age at first birth

Maternal mortality ratio

Infant mortality rate: 5.8 deaths/1000 live births (1995 est.)

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 80.18 years
Male: 76.78 years
Female: 83.78 years (1995 est.)

Total fertility rate: 1.39 children born/woman (1995 est.)

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: age 15 and over has ever attended school (1971)
Total population: 77%
Male: 90%
Female: 64%

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education

Youth unemployment


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Country name
Conventional long form: none
Conventional short form: Hong Kong

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)

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 21 years of age; universal for permanent residents 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 Chris PATTEN (since 9 July 1992); Chief Secretary Anson CHAN Fang On-Sang (since 29 November 1993)
Cabinet: Executive Council; appointed by the governor

Legislative branch: unicameral
Legislative Council: indirect elections last held 12 September 1991 and direct elections were held for the first time 15 September 1991 (next to be held 17 September 1995 when the number of directly-elected seats increases to 50); results - percent of vote by party NA; seats - (60 total; 21 indirectly elected by functional constituencies, 18 directly elected, 18 appointed by governor, 3 ex officio members); indirect elections - number of seats by functional constituency NA; direct elections - UDHK 12, Meeting Point 3, ADPL 1, other 2

Judicial branch: Supreme Court

Political parties and leaders

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

Diplomatic representation
In the us: none (dependent territory of the UK)
From the us chief of mission: Consul General Richard W. MUELLER
From the us consulates general: 26 Garden Road, Hong Kong
From the us mailing address: PSC 464, Box 30, Hong Kong, or FPO AP 96,522-0002
From the us telephone: [852] 523-9,011
From the us FAX: [852] 845-4,845

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

National symbols

National anthem

National heritage


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Economy overview: Hong Kong has a bustling 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 17% of GDP. Goods and services exports account for about 50% of GDP. Real GDP growth averaged a remarkable 8% in 1987-88, slowed to 3.0% in 1989-90, and picked up to 4.2% in 1991, 5.0% in 1992, 5.2% in 1993, and 5.5% in 1994. Unemployment, which has been declining since the mid-1980s, is now about 2%. A shortage of labor continues to put upward pressure on prices and the cost of living. Prospects for 1995-96 remain bright so long as major trading partners continue to be reasonably prosperous and so long as investors feel China will support free market practices after the takeover in 1997.

Real gdp purchasing power parity

Real gdp growth rate: 5.5% (1994 est.)

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; local farmers produce 26% fresh vegetables, 27% live poultry; 8% of land area suitable for farming

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

Industrial production growth rate: 2% (1993 est.)

Labor force: 2.8 million (1990)
By occupation manufacturing: 28.5%
By occupation wholesaleandretailtrade restaurants and hotels: 27.9%
By occupation services: 17.7%
By occupation financing insurance andrealestate: 9.2%
By occupation transport and communications: 4.5%
By occupation construction: 2.5%
By occupation other: 9.7% (1989)

Unemployment rate: 1.9% (1994 est.)

Youth unemployment

Population below poverty line

Gini index

Household income or consumption by percentage share

Distribution of family income gini index

Budget
Revenues: $19.2 billion
Expenditures: $19.7 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (FY93/94)

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: $168.7 billion (including re-exports of $121.0 billion )(f.o.b., 1994 est.)
Commodoties: clothing, textiles, yarn and fabric, footwear, electrical appliances, watches and clocks, toys
Partners: China 32%, US 23%, Germany 5%, Japan 5%, UK 3% (1993 est.)

Imports: $160 billion (c.i.f., 1994 est.)
Commodoties: foodstuffs, transport equipment, raw materials, semimanufactures, petroleum; a large share is re-exported
Partners: China 36%, Japan 19%, Taiwan 9%, US 7% (1993 est.)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

Debt external: none (1993)

Stock of direct foreign investment at home

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad

Exchange rates: Hong Kong dollars (HK$) per US$ - 7.800 (1994), 7.800 (1993), 7.741 (1992), 7.771 (1991), 7.790 (1990; note - linked to the US dollar at the rate of about 7.8 HK$ per 1 US$ since 1985


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Electricity access

Electricity production: 33 billion kWh
Consumption per capita: 4,628 kWh (1993)

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


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Telephones fixed lines

Telephones mobile cellular

Telephone system: 3,000,000 telephones; modern facilities provide excellent domestic and international services
Local: NA
Intercity: microwave transmission links and extensive optical fiber transmission network
International: 3 INTELSAT (1 Pacific Ocean and 2 Indian Ocean) earth stations; coaxial cable to Guangzhou, China; links to 5 international submarine cables providing access to ASEAN member nations, Japan, Taiwan, Australia, Middle East, and Western Europe

Broadcast media

Internet country code

Internet users

Broadband fixed subscriptions


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Military expenditures
Dollar figure: $207 million, 0.2% of GDP (FY92/93; this represents 65% of the total cost of defending the colony, the remainder being paid by the UK

Military and security forces

Military service age and obligation

Space program

Terrorist groups


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National air transport system

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix

Airports: 3
With paved runways over 3047 m: 1
With paved runways under 914 m: 2

Airports with paved runways
Over 3047 m: 1
Under 914 m: 2

Airports with unpaved runways

Heliports

Pipelines

Railways

Roadways

Waterways

Merchant marine
Total: 217 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 7,657,749 GRT/13,181,496 DWT
Ships by type: bulk 116, cargo 29, chemical tanker 2, combination bulk 2, combination ore/oil 6, container 28, liquefied gas tanker 5, oil tanker 18, refrigerated cargo 7, short-sea passenger 1, vehicle carrier 3
Note: a flag of convenience registry; includes 15 countries among which are UK with 53 ships, China 15, Bermuda 7, Japan 6, Belgium 3, Germany 3, Greece 3, Canada 2, Netherlands 2, Singapore 2

Ports and terminals


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Disputes international: none

Refugees and internally displaced persons

Illicit drugs: a hub for Southeast Asian heroin trade; transshipment and major financial and money-laundering center; increasing indigenous amphetamine and cocaine abuse