East & Southeast Asia :: Hong Kong
(special administrative region of China)
page last updated on May 4, 2010
Flag of Hong Kong
Location of Hong Kong
 
Map of Hong Kong
Introduction ::Hong Kong
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 the People's Republic of China on 1 July 1997. In this agreement, China promised that, under its "one country, two systems" formula, China's socialist economic system would not be imposed on Hong Kong and that Hong Kong would enjoy a high degree of autonomy in all matters except foreign and defense affairs for the next 50 years.
Geography ::Hong Kong
Eastern Asia, bordering the South China Sea and China
22 15 N, 114 10 E
total: 1,104 sq km
country comparison to the world: 183
land: 1,054 sq km
water: 50 sq km
six times the size of Washington, DC
total: 30 km
regional border: China 30 km
733 km
territorial sea: 3 nm
Current Weather
subtropical monsoon; cool and humid in winter, hot and rainy from spring through summer, warm and sunny in fall
hilly to mountainous with steep slopes; lowlands in north
lowest point: South China Sea 0 m
highest point: Tai Mo Shan 958 m
outstanding deepwater harbor, feldspar
arable land: 5.05%
permanent crops: 1.01%
other: 93.94% (2001)
20 sq km (1998 est.)
occasional typhoons
air and water pollution from rapid urbanization
party to: Marine Dumping (associate member), Ship Pollution (associate member)
more than 200 islands
People ::Hong Kong
7,089,705 (July 2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 99
0-14 years: 11.9% (male 439,603/female 402,109)
15-64 years: 74.8% (male 2,564,193/female 2,738,202)
65 years and over: 13.3% (male 443,684/female 501,914) (2010 est.)
total: 42.8 years
male: 42.4 years
female: 43.2 years (2010 est.)
0.476% (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 154
7.45 births/1,000 population (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 221
6.91 deaths/1,000 population (July 2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 137
4.22 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 20
urban population: 100% of total population (2008)
rate of urbanization: 1% annual rate of change (2005-10 est.)
at birth: 1.076 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.09 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.94 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.88 male(s)/female
total population: 0.95 male(s)/female (2010 est.)
total: 2.91 deaths/1,000 live births
country comparison to the world: 219
male: 3.09 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 2.72 deaths/1,000 live births (2010 est.)
total population: 81.96 years
country comparison to the world: 7
male: 79.24 years
female: 84.88 years (2010 est.)
1.04 children born/woman (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 222
0.1% (2003 est.)
country comparison to the world: 157
2,600 (2003 est.)
country comparison to the world: 134
fewer than 200 (2003 est.)
country comparison to the world: 113
noun: Chinese/Hong Konger
adjective: Chinese/Hong Kong
Chinese 95%, Filipino 1.6%, Indonesian 1.3%, other 2.1% (2006 census)
eclectic mixture of local religions 90%, Christian 10%
Chinese (Cantonese) 89.2% (official), other Chinese dialects 6.4%, English 3.2% (official), other 1.2% (2001 census)
definition: age 15 and over has ever attended school
total population: 93.5%
male: 96.9%
female: 89.6% (2002)
total: 14 years
male: 14 years
female: 13 years (2006)
3.9% of GDP (2006)
country comparison to the world: 112
Government ::Hong Kong
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
special administrative region of China
limited democracy
none (special administrative region of China)
none (special administrative region of China)
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
Basic Law, approved in March 1990 by China's National People's Congress, is Hong Kong's charter
based on English common law
direct election - 18 years of age for half the legislature and a majority of seats in 18 district councils; universal for permanent residents living in the territory of Hong Kong for the past seven years
indirect election - limited to about 220,000 members of functional constituencies for the other half of the legislature and an 800-member election committee for the chief executive drawn from broad sectoral groupings, central government bodies, and municipal organizations
chief of state: President of China HU Jintao (since 15 March 2003)
head of government: Chief Executive Donald TSANG Yam-kuen (since 24 June 2005)
cabinet: Executive Council or ExCo consists of 15 official members and 14 non-official members
(For more information visit the World Leaders website Opens in New Window)
elections: chief executive elected for five-year term by 800-member electoral committee; election 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 of the election committee; Alan LEONG Kah-kit received 15.9%
unicameral Legislative Council or LegCo (60 seats; 30 members indirectly elected by functional constituencies, 30 elected by popular vote; members serve four-year terms)
elections: last held on 7 September 2008 (next to be held in September 2012)
election results: percent of vote by party - pro-democracy 57%; pro-Beijing 40%, independent 3%; seats by parties - (pro-Beijing 35) DAB 13, Liberal Party 7, FTU 1, others 14; (pro-democracy 23) Democratic Party 8, Civic Party 5, CTU 3, League of Social Democrats 3, ADPL 2, The Frontier 1, NWSC 1; others 11; independents and non-voting LegCo president 2
Court of Final Appeal in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region
Association for Democracy and People's Livelihood or ADPL [LIU Sung Lee]; Civic Party [Audrey EU Yuet-mee]; Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong or DAB [TAM Yiu Cheng]; Democratic Party [Albert HO Chun-yan]; League of Social Democrats [Raymond WONG Yuk-man]; Liberal Party [Miriam LAU Kin-yee]
note: political blocs include: pro-democracy - ADPL, Civic Party; Democratic Party, League of Social Democrats; pro-Beijing - DAB, Liberal Party, The Professional Forum (an informal group of three generally pro-government and pro-business LegCo members from functional constituencies and one independent elected from a geographic constituency); there is no political party ordinance, so there are no registered political parties; politically active groups register as societies or companies
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 [LEUNG Yiu-chung, LegCo member] (pro-democracy); Civic Act-up [Cyd HO Sau-lan, LegCo member] (pro-democracy)
ADB, APEC, BIS, FATF, ICC, IHO, IMF, IMO (associate), IOC, ISO (correspondent), ITUC, UNWTO (associate), UPU, WCO, WFTU, WMO, WTO
none (special administrative region of China); Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in Washington, New York, and San Francisco carries out normal liaison and communication with the US Government and other US entities
chief of mission: Consul General Stephen M. YOUNG
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
red with a stylized, white, five-petal Bauhinia flower in the center; each petal contains a small, red, five-pointed star in its middle; the red color is the same as that on the Chinese flag and represents the motherland; the fragrant Bauhinia - developed in Hong Kong the late 19th century - has come to symbolize the region; the five stars echo those on the flag of China
Economy ::Hong Kong
Hong Kong has a free market economy highly dependent on international trade and finance - the value of goods and services trade, including the sizable share of re-exports, is about four times GDP. Hong Kong's open economy left it exposed to the global economic slowdown, but its increasing integration with China helped it recover from the downturn more quickly than many observers anticipated. Hong Kong over the past few years has become increasingly integrated with China through trade, tourism, and financial links. The Hong Kong government is promoting the Special Administrative Region (SAR) as the site for Chinese Renminbi (RMB) internationalization. Hong Kong residents are allowed to establish RMB-denominated savings accounts; RMB-denominated corporate and Chinese government bonds have been issued in Hong Kong; and RMB trade settlement is allowed. The government is pursuing efforts to introduce additional use of RMB in Hong Kong financial markets. The mainland has long been Hong Kong's largest trading partner, accounting for about half of Hong Kong's exports by value. As a result of China's easing of travel restrictions, the number of mainland tourists to the territory has surged from 4.5 million in 2001 to 17.7 million in 2009, outnumbering visitors from all other countries combined. Hong Kong has also established itself as the premier stock market for Chinese firms seeking to list abroad. About 40% of the firms listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange are now mainland Chinese companies. These firms account for 60% of the Exchange's market capitalization and over 70% of turnover. During the past decade, as Hong Kong's manufacturing industry moved to the mainland, its service industry has grown rapidly and in 2009 accounted for more than 90% of the territory's GDP. Hong Kong's natural resources are limited, and food and raw materials must be imported. GDP growth averaged a strong 4% from 1989 to 2008. Hong Kong's GDP fell in 2009 as a result of the global financial crisis, but a recovery began in third quarter 2009. Hong Kong continues to link its currency closely to the US dollar, maintaining an arrangement established in 1983.
$301.6 billion (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 39
$310.9 billion (2008 est.)
$303.6 billion (2007 est.)
note: data are in 2009 US dollars
$211.3 billion (2009 est.)
-3% (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 164
2.4% (2008 est.)
6.4% (2007 est.)
$42,700 (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 15
$44,300 (2008 est.)
$43,500 (2007 est.)
note: data are in 2009 US dollars
agriculture: 0%
industry: 7.6%
services: 92.3% (2009 est.)
3.67 million (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 92
manufacturing: 6.1%
construction: 1.9%
wholesale and retail trade, restaurants, and hotels: 42.9%
financing, insurance, and real estate: 21.4%
transport and communications: 7.9%
community and social services: 19.7%
note: above data exclude public sector (2008 est.)
5.3% (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 50
3.6% (2008 est.)
NA%
lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA%
53.3 (2007)
country comparison to the world: 16
17.6% of GDP (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 122
revenues: $37.05 billion
expenditures: $41.14 billion (2009 est.)
18.1% of GDP (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 109
13.9% of GDP (2008 est.)
-0.5% (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 14
4.3% (2008 est.)
0.5% (31 December 2009)
country comparison to the world: 136
0.5% (31 December 2008)
5% (31 December 2009)
country comparison to the world: 148
5% (31 December 2008)
$127.3 billion (31 December 2009)
country comparison to the world: 11
$63.03 billion (31 December 2008)
$757.6 billion (31 December 2009)
country comparison to the world: 7
$721 billion (31 December 2008)
$NA (31 December 2009)
country comparison to the world: 26
$323.6 billion (31 December 2008)
$2.29 trillion (31 December 2009)
country comparison to the world: 11
$1.32 trillion (31 December 2008)
$1.163 trillion (31 December 2007 est.)
fresh vegetables; poultry, pork; fish
textiles, clothing, tourism, banking, shipping, electronics, plastics, toys, watches, clocks
-0.4% (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 72
39.4 billion kWh (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 57
42.1 billion kWh (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 49
3.926 billion kWh (2009 est.)
11.7 billion kWh (2009 est.)
0 bbl/day (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 189
310,000 bbl/day (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 39
160,000 bbl/day (2009)
country comparison to the world: 54
440,000 bbl/day (2009)
country comparison to the world: 29
0 bbl (1 January 2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 169
0 cu m (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 179
2.83 billion cu m (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 75
0 cu m (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 69
2.83 billion cu m (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 41
0 cu m (1 January 2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 169
$28.34 billion (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 10
$30.7 billion (2008)
$316.6 billion (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 11
$362.1 billion (2008 est.)
electrical machinery and appliances, textiles, apparel, footwear, watches and clocks, toys, plastics, precious stones, printed material
China 51.2%, US 11.6%, Japan 4.4% (2009 est.)
$345.2 billion (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 10
$387.9 billion (2008 est.)
raw materials and semi-manufactures, consumer goods, capital goods, foodstuffs, fuel (most is re-exported)
China 46.4%, Japan 8.8%, Taiwan 6.5%, Singapore 6.5%, US 5.3% (2009 est.)
$257 billion (31 December 2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 5
$182.5 billion (31 December 2008)
$655.1 billion (30 September 2009)
country comparison to the world: 15
$659.2 billion (31 December 2008)
$873.8 billion (31 December 2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 5
$811.1 billion (31 December 2008)
$808 billion (31 December 2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 6
$757.2 billion (31 December 2008 est.)
Hong Kong dollars (HKD) per US dollar - 7.75 (2009), 7.751 (2008), 7.802 (2007), 7.7678 (2006), 7.7773 (2005)
Communications ::Hong Kong
4.108 million (2008)
country comparison to the world: 38
11.374 million (2008)
country comparison to the world: 54
general assessment: modern facilities provide excellent domestic and international services
domestic: microwave radio relay links and extensive fiber-optic network
international: country code - 852; multiple international submarine cables provide connections to Asia, US, Australia, the Middle East, and Western Europe; satellite earth stations - 3 Intelsat (1 Pacific Ocean and 2 Indian Ocean); coaxial cable to Guangzhou, China
AM 6, FM 10, shortwave 0 (2009)
2 (2 TV networks, each broadcasting on 2 channels) (2009)
.hk
813,980 (2009)
country comparison to the world: 44
4.124 million (2008)
country comparison to the world: 50
Transportation ::Hong Kong
2 (2009)
country comparison to the world: 199
total: 2
over 3,047 m: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2009)
9 (2009)
total: 2,050 km
country comparison to the world: 172
paved: 2,050 km (2009)
total: 1,114
country comparison to the world: 8
by type: barge carrier 2, bulk carrier 525, cargo 142, carrier 3, chemical tanker 68, combination ore/oil 2, container 205, liquefied gas 22, passenger 6, passenger/cargo 5, petroleum tanker 114, roll on/roll off 4, specialized tanker 9, vehicle carrier 7
foreign-owned: 703 (Belgium 3, Canada 44, China 324, Denmark 24, France 1, Germany 6, Greece 22, Indonesia 7, Iran 15, Japan 111, South Korea 3, Norway 40, Philippines 1, Portugal 1, Russia 2, Singapore 18, Syria 1, Taiwan 11, UAE 1, UK 39, US 29)
registered in other countries: 357 (Bahamas 30, Bermuda 4, Cambodia 8, China 12, Cyprus 2, Georgia 2, Honduras 1, India 1, Jamaica 1, Kiribati 4, Liberia 44, Malaysia 14, Malta 1, Marshall Islands 4, Mexico 1, Netherlands Antilles 2, Norway 20, Panama 130, Philippines 1, Portugal 2, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 6, Seychelles 1, Sierra Leone 1, Singapore 47, Tuvalu 7, UK 2, Vietnam 1, unknown 8) (2008)
Hong Kong
Military ::Hong Kong
no regular indigenous military forces; Hong Kong garrison of China's People's Liberation Army (PLA) includes elements of the PLA Ground Forces, PLA Navy, and PLA 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 (2009)
males age 16-49: 1,729,179
females age 16-49: 1,899,296 (2010 est.)
males age 16-49: 1,405,324
females age 16-49: 1,526,196 (2010 est.)
male: 41,717
female: 38,240 (2010 est.)
NA
defense is the responsibility of China
Transnational Issues ::Hong Kong
none
despite strenuous law enforcement efforts, faces difficult challenges in controlling transit of heroin and methamphetamine to regional and world markets; modern banking system provides conduit for money laundering; rising indigenous use of synthetic drugs, especially among young people