Map of Hong Kong | Geography | People | Government | Economy | Energy | Communication
Military | Transportation | Transnational Issues | Year: Guide198919901991199219931994199519961997199819992000200120022003200420052006200720082009201020112012201320142015201620172018201920202021202220232024 | More stats

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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 China's socialist economic system will not be practiced in 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: Eastern Asia bordering the South China Sea and China

Geographic coordinates: 22 15 N 114 10 E

Map reference: Southeast Asia

Area
Comparative: six times the size of Washington DC

Land boundaries

Coastline: 733 km

Maritime claims

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

Irrigated land: 20 km² (1997 est.)

Major rivers

Major watersheds area km²

Total water withdrawal

Total renewable water resources

Natural hazards: occasional typhoons

Geography
Note: more than 200 islands


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Population: 7,116,302 (July 2000 est.)
Growth rate: 1.35% (2000 est.)
Below poverty line: NA%

Nationality

Ethnic groups: Chinese 95% other 5%

Languages: Chinese (Cantonese) English; both are official

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

Demographic profile

Age structure

Dependency ratios

Median age

Population growth rate: 1.35% (2000 est.)

Birth rate: 11.29 births/1000 population (2000 est.)

Death rate: 5.93 deaths/1000 population (2000 est.)

Net migration rate: 8.12 migrant(s)/1000 population (2000 est.)

Population distribution

Urbanization

Major urban areas

Environment
Current issues: air and water pollution from rapid urbanization

Air pollutants

Sex ratio

Mothers mean age at first birth

Maternal mortality ratio

Infant mortality rate: 5.93 deaths/1000 live births (2000 est.)

Life expectancy at birth

Total fertility rate: 1.27 children born/woman (2000 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

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education

Youth unemployment


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Country name

Government type: NA

Capital

Administrative divisions: none (special administrative region of China)

Dependent areas

Independence: none (special administrative region of China)

National holiday: National Day 1-2 October; 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

International law organization participation

Citizenship

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 100,000 members of functional constituencies and an 800-member election committee drawn from broad regional groupings municipal organizations and central government bodies

Executive branch

Legislative branch: unicameral Legislative Council or LEGCO (60 seats; 30 indirectly elected by functional constituencies 20 elected by popular vote and 10 elected by an 800-member election committee; members serve four-year terms)

Judicial branch: The Court of Final Appeal in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region

Political parties and leaders: Association for Democracy and People's Livelihood [Frederick FUNG Kin-kee chairman]; Citizens Party [Christine LOH Kung-wai chairwoman]; Democratic Alliance for the Betterment of Hong Kong [Jasper TSANG Yok-sing chairman]; Democratic Party [Martin LEE Chu-ming chairman]; Frontier Party [Emily LAU Wai-hing chairwoman]; Hong Kong Progressive Alliance [Ambrose LAU Hon-chuen]; Liberal Party [James TIEN Pei-chun chairman]

International organization participation: APEC AsDB BIS CCC ESCAP (associate) ICFTU IMO (associate) Interpol (subbureau) IOC ISO (correspondent) WCL WMO WTrO

Diplomatic representation
In the us: none (special administrative region of China)

Flag description: red with a stylized white five-petal bauhinia flower in the center

National symbols

National anthem

National heritage


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Economy overview: Hong Kong has a bustling free market economy highly dependent on international trade. Natural resources are limited and food and raw materials must be imported. Indeed imports and exports including reexports each exceed GDP in dollar value. Even before Hong Kong reverted to Chinese administration on 1 July 1997 it had extensive trade and investment ties with China. Per capita GDP compares with the level in the four big countries of Western Europe. GDP growth averaged a strong 5% in 1989-97. The widespread Asian economic difficulties in 1998 hit this trade-dependent economy quite hard with GDP down 5%. The economy is recovering with growth of 1.8% in 1999 to be followed by projected growth of 3.7% in 2000.

Real gdp purchasing power parity

Real gdp growth rate: 1.8% (1999 est.)

Real gdp per capita: purchasing power parity - $23,100 (1999 est.)

Gross national saving

Gdp composition by end use

Gdp composition by sector of origin

Agriculture products: fresh vegetables; poultry

Industries: textiles clothing tourism electronics plastics toys watches clocks

Industrial production growth rate: -8.7% (1998 est.)

Labor force: 3.36 million (1998 est.)
By occupation: wholesale and retail trade restaurants and hotels 31.9% social services 9.9% manufacturing 9.2% financing insurance and real estate 13.1% transport and communications 5.7% construction 2.6% other 27.6% (October 1998)

Unemployment rate: 6% (1999 est.)

Youth unemployment

Population below poverty line: NA%

Gini index

Household income or consumption by percentage share

Distribution of family income gini index

Budget

Taxes and other revenues

Public debt

Revenue

Fiscal year: 1 April - 31 March

Inflation rate consumer prices: -4% (1999 est.)

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: $169.98 billion (including reexports; f.o.b. 1999 est.)
Commodities: clothing textiles footwear electrical appliances watches and clocks toys
Partners: China 34% US 23% Japan 5% Germany 4% UK 4% Singapore 2% (1998)

Imports: $174.4 billion (c.i.f. 1999)
Commodities: foodstuffs transport equipment raw materials semimanufactures petroleum; a large share is reexported
Partners: China 41% Japan 13% US 8% Taiwan 7% South Korea 5% Singapore 4% (1998)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

Debt external: $48.1 billion (1999)

Stock of direct foreign investment at home

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad

Exchange rates: Hong Kong dollars (HK$) per US$ - 7.7780 (January 2000) 7.7575 (1999) 7.7453 (1998) 7.7427 (1997) 7.730 (1996) 7.800 (1995); note - Hong Kong became a special administrative region of China on 1 July 1997; before then linked to the US dollar at the rate of about 7.8 HK$ per 1 US$


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Electricity
Production: 29.529 billion kWh (1998)
Consumption: 34.612 billion kWh (1998)
Exports: 610 million kWh (1998)
Imports: 7.76 billion kWh (1998)

Coal

Petroleum

Crude oil

Refined petroleum

Natural gas

Carbon dioxide emissions

Energy consumption per capita


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Telephones
Main lines in use: 3.708 million (1998)
Mobile cellular: 2.4 million (July 1998)

Telephone system: modern facilities provide excellent domestic and international services

Broadcast media

Internet
Service providers isps: 49 (1999)

Broadband fixed subscriptions


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Military expenditures
Dollar figure: $N/A; note - separate budget for Hong Kong not established by China
Percent of gdp: NA%

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 (1999 est.)

Heliports: 2 (1999 est.)

Pipelines

Railways

Roadways

Waterways

Merchant marine

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 money-laundering center; increasing indigenous amphetamine abuse