 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 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.Location Eastern Asia, bordering the South China Sea and China Area total: 1,092 sq km
water: 50 sq km
land: 1,042 sq km Area - comparative six times the size of Washington, DC Coastline 733 km 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
highest point: Tai Mo Shan 958 m Natural hazards occasional typhoons Environment - current issues air and water pollution from rapid urbanization Geography - note more than 200 islands Population 7,394,170 (July 2003 est.) 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.) Median age total: 37.5 years
male: 37.1 years
female: 37.7 years (2002) Sex ratio at birth: 1.07 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.14 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.98 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.85 male(s)/female
total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2003 est.) Nationality noun: Chinese
adjective: Chinese Ethnic groups Chinese 95%, other 5% Religions eclectic mixture of local religions 90%, Christian 10% Languages Chinese (Cantonese), English; both are official Internet country code .hk Literacy definition: age 15 and over has ever attended school
total population: 94%
male: 97.1%
female: 90.5% (2003 est.) Government type limited democracy 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 Legal system based on English common law International organization participation APEC, AsDB, BIS, ESCAP (associate), ICC, ICFTU, IHO, IMO (associate), Interpol (subbureau), IOC, ISO (correspondent), WCL, WCO, WMO, WToO (associate), WTrO 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. Exports - partners China 34%, US 19.5%, UK 5.5%, Japan 4.8% (2002) Currency Hong Kong dollar (HKD) Currency code HKD Exchange rates Hong Kong dollars per US dollar - 7.8 (2002), 7.8 (2001), 7.79 (2000), 7.76 (1999), 7.75 (1998) Airports 3 (2002) Airports - with paved runways total: 3
over 3,047 m: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
914 to 1523 m: 1 (2002) Airports - with unpaved runways Disputes - international none |
