Map of Hong Kong | Geography | People | Government | Economy | Energy | Communication
Military | Transportation | Transnational Issues | Year: Guide1989199019911992199319941995199619971998199920002001200220032004200520062007200820092010201120122013201420152016201720182019202020212022202320242025 | 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 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: Eastern Asia bordering the South China Sea and China

Geographic coordinates: 22 15 N 114 10 E

Map reference: Southeast Asia

Area
Total: 1,092 km²
Water: 50 km²
Land: 1,042 km²
Comparative: six times the size of Washington DC

Land boundaries
Total: 30 km
Border countries: (1) 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
Extremes lowest point: South China Sea 0 m
Extremes highest point: Tai Mo Shan 958 m

Natural resources: outstanding deepwater harbor feldspar

Land use
Arable land: 5.05%
Other: 93.94% (1998 est.)
Permanent crops: 1.01%

Irrigated land: 20 km² (1998 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: 7,394,170 (July 2003 est.)
Growth rate: 1.22% (2003 est.)
Below poverty line: NA%

Nationality
Noun: Chinese
Adjective: Chinese

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
0-14 years: 17.3% (male 680,973; female 599,309)
15-64 years: 71.7% (male 2,619,929; female 2,679,430)
65 years and over: 11% (male 375,058; female 439,471) (2003 est.)

Dependency ratios

Median age
Total: 37.5 years
Male: 37.1 years
Female: 37.7 years (2002)

Population growth rate: 1.22% (2003 est.)

Birth rate: 10.71 births/1000 population (2003 est.)

Death rate: 6.19 deaths/1000 population (2003 est.)

Net migration rate: 7.64 migrant(s)/1000 population (2003 est.)

Population distribution

Urbanization

Major urban areas

Environment
Current issues: air and water pollution from rapid urbanization
International agreements party to: Marine Dumping (associate member), Ship Pollution (associate member)

Air pollutants

Sex ratio
At birth: 1.07 male/female
Under 15 years: 1.14 male/female
15-64 years: 0.98 male/female
65 years and over: 0.85 male/female
Total population: 0.99 male/female (2003 est.)

Mothers mean age at first birth

Maternal mortality ratio

Infant mortality rate
Total: 5.63 deaths/1000 live births
Female: 5.84 deaths/1000 live births (2003 est.)
Male: 5.44 deaths/1000 live births

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 79.93 years
Male: 77.23 years
Female: 82.83 years (2003 est.)

Total fertility rate: 1.32 children born/woman (2003 est.)

Contraceptive prevalence rate

Drinking water source

Current health expenditure

Physicians density

Hospital bed density

Sanitation facility access

Hiv/Aids
Adult prevalence rate: 0.1% (2001 est.)
People living with hivaids: 2,600 (2001 est.)
Deaths: less than 100 (2001 est.)

Major infectious diseases

Obesity adult prevalence rate

Alcohol consumption

Tobacco use

Children under the age of 5 years underweight

Education expenditures

Literacy
Definition: age 15 and over has ever attended school
Total population: 94%
Male: 97.1%
Female: 90.5% (2003 est.)

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education

Youth unemployment


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Country name
Conventional long form: Hong Kong Special Administrative Region
Conventional short form: Hong Kong
Local short form: Xianggang
Local long form: Xianggang Tebie Xingzhengqu
Abbreviation: HK

Government type: limited democracy

Capital

Administrative divisions: none (special administrative region of China)

Dependent areas

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

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
Chief of state: President of China HU Jintao (since 15 March 2003)
Head of government: Chief Executive TUNG Chee-hwa (since 1 July 1997)
Cabinet: Executive Council consists of three ex-officio members and 10 appointed members; ex-officio members are: Chief Secretary Donald TSANG Yam-kuen (since 1 May 2001), Financial Secretary Antony LEUNG (since 1 May 2001), and Secretary of Justice Elsie LEUNG (since 1 July 1997)
Elections: TUNG Chee-Hwa was elected to a second term in March 2002 by an 800-member election committee dominated by pro-Beijing forces; the next election is scheduled to be held in 2007

Legislative branch
Elections: last held 10 September 2000 (next to be held in September 2004)
Election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - Democratic Party 12, Democratic Alliance for the Betterment of Hong Kong 10, Liberal Party 7, Frontier Party 5, Hong Kong Progressive Alliance 4, New Century Forum 2, Hong Kong Association for Democracy and People's Livelihood 1, independents 19

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

Political parties and leaders
Note: political blocs include: pro-democracy - Association for Democracy and People's Livelihood, Citizens Party, Democratic Party, Frontier Party; pro-Beijing - Democratic Alliance for the Betterment of Hong Kong, Hong Kong Progressive Alliance, Liberal Party, New Century Forum

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

Diplomatic representation
In the us: none (special administrative region of China)
From the us chief of mission: Consul General James KEITH
From the us consulates general: 26 Garden Road, Hong Kong
From the us mailing address: PSC 461, Box 1, FPO AP 96,521-0006
From the us telephone: [852] 2,523-9,011
From the us fax: [852] 2,524-0860

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 free market economy highly dependent on international trade. Natural resources are limited and food and raw materials must be imported. 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. Hong Kong has been further integrating its economy with China because China's growing openness to the world economy has increased competitive pressure on Hong Kong's service industries and Hong Kong's re-export business from China is a major driver of growth. Per capita GDP compares with the level in the four big economies of Western Europe. GDP growth averaged a strong 5% in 1989-1997 but Hong Kong suffered two recessions in the past 6 years because of the Asian financial crisis in 1998 and the global downturn of 2001-2002. The Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) outbreak has also battered Hong Kong's economy but the resumption of strong growth began in 2003.

Real gdp purchasing power parity

Real gdp growth rate: 2.3% (2002 est.)

Real gdp per capita: purchasing power parity - $27,200 (2002 est.)

Gross national saving

Gdp composition by end use

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: 0.1%
Industry: 13.4%
Services: 86.5% (2001 est.)

Agriculture products: fresh vegetables; poultry fish pork

Industries: textiles clothing tourism banking shipping electronics plastics toys watches clocks

Industrial production growth rate: -9.7% (2002 est.)

Labor force: 3.52 million (2001 est.)
By occupation: wholesale and retail trade restaurants and hotels 31% financing insurance and real estate 13% community and social services 12% manufacturing 6% transport and communications 6% construction 5% other 25% (2002 est.)

Unemployment rate: 7.5% (2002 est.)

Youth unemployment

Population below poverty line: NA%

Gini index

Household income or consumption by percentage share
Lowest 10: NA%
Highest 10: NA%

Distribution of family income gini index

Budget
Revenues: $22.8 billion
Expenditures: $30.7 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (FY02/03)

Taxes and other revenues

Public debt

Revenue

Fiscal year: 1 April - 31 March

Inflation rate consumer prices: 3% (2002 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: $200.3 billion f.o.b. including reexports (2002 est.)
Commodities: electrical machinery and appliances textiles apparel footwear watches and clocks toys plastics precious stones
Partners: China 34% US 19.5% UK 5.5% Japan 4.8% (2002)

Imports: $208.1 billion (2002 est.)
Commodities: foodstuffs transport equipment raw materials semimanufactures petroleum plastics machinery electrical equipment; a large share is reexported
Partners: China 37.5% Japan 12.2% Taiwan 7.3% US 6.2% Singapore 5.3% South Korea 5% (2002)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

Debt external: $49.5 billion (2002 est.)

Stock of direct foreign investment at home

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad

Exchange rates: Hong Kong dollars per US dollar - 7.8 (2002) 7.8 (2001) 7.79 (2000) 7.76 (1999) 7.75 (1998)


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Electricity
Production: 30.48 billion kWh (2001)
Production by source fossil fuel: 100%
Production by source hydro: 0%
Production by source other: 0% (2001)
Production by source nuclear: 0%
Consumption: 37.12 billion kWh (2001)
Exports: 1.581 billion kWh (2001)
Imports: 10.36 billion kWh (2001)

Coal

Petroleum

Crude oil

Refined petroleum

Natural gas
Production: 0 m³ (2001 est.)
Consumption: 680.9 million m³ (2001 est.)
Exports: 0 m³ (2001 est.)
Imports: 680.9 million m³ (2001 est.)

Carbon dioxide emissions

Energy consumption per capita


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Telephones
Main lines in use: 3.839 million (1999)
Mobile cellular: 3.7 million (December 1999)

Telephone system
General assessment: modern facilities provide excellent domestic and international services
Domestic: microwave radio relay links and extensive fiber-optic network
International: 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

Broadcast media

Internet
Country code: .hk
Service providers isps: 17 (2000)
Users: 4.35 million (2002)

Broadband fixed subscriptions


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Military expenditures
Percent of gdp: NA% (FY02)

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 (2002)
With paved runways total: 3
With paved runways over 3047 m: 1
With paved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 1
With paved runways 914 to 1523 m: 1 (2002)

Heliports: 2 (2002)

Pipelines

Railways
Total: 34 km
Standard gauge: 34 km 1.435-m gauge (electrified and double-tracked)
Note: connects to China railway system at Hong Kong-China border (2001)

Roadways

Waterways: none

Merchant marine
Total: 549 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 16,176,728 GRT/27,119,764 DWT
Ships by type: barge carrier 1, bulk 315, cargo 66, chemical tanker 15, combination bulk 2, container 86, liquefied gas 16, multi-functional large-load carrier 1, petroleum tanker 40, refrigerated cargo 2, roll on/roll off 2, short-sea passenger 1, vehicle carrier 2, includes some foreign-owned ships registered here as a flag of convenience: Belgium 5, Belize 1, British Virgin Islands 1, China 115, Denmark 2, Germany 19, Greece 2, India 8, Japan 8, Liberia 1, Malaysia 7, Norway 1, Panama 2, Philippines 5, Singapore 7, South Korea 2, Taiwan 1, UK 27, Virgin Islands (UK) 1
Note: (2002 est.)

Ports and terminals


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Disputes international: none

Refugees and internally displaced persons

Illicit drugs: Makes strenuous law enforcement efforts but faces serious challenges in controlling transit of heroin and methamphetamine to regional and world markets; modern banking system provides a conduit for money laundering; rising indigenous use of synthetic drugs especially among young people