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LOCATION INFORMATION

 

HONG KONG

Once home to fishermen and farmers, modern Hong Kong is a teeming, commercially-vibrant metropolis where Chinese and Western influences fuse. The former British colony became a special administrative region of China in 1997, when Britain's 99-year lease of the New Territories, north of Hong Kong Island, expired. Hong Kong is governed under the principle of "one country, two systems", under which China has agreed to give the region a high degree of autonomy and to preserve its economic and social systems for 50 years from the date of the handover.
Hong Kong's constitution, the Basic Law, provides for the development of democratic processes. However, Beijing can veto changes to the political system and pro-democracy forces have been frustrated by what they see as the slow pace of political reform.
China controls Hong Kong's foreign and defense policies, but the territory has its own currency and customs status.
Hong Kong's economy has moved away from manufacturing and is now services-based. The region is a major corporate and banking centre as well as a conduit for China's burgeoning exports. Its deepwater port is one of the worlds busiest. Companies based in Hong Kong employ millions of workers in the neighboring Chinese province of Guangdong.

China ceded Hong Kong Island to Britain in 1842 after the First Opium War. Britain later added parts of the Kowloon peninsula and the many smaller islands surrounding Hong Kong to its holdings.


In the 19th and 20th centuries Hong Kong's population was boosted by the arrival of hundreds of thousands of migrants from China, many of whom were fleeing domestic upheavals. Industrialization gathered pace, and by the 1970s Hong Kong had become an "Asian tiger"; one of the region's economic powerhouses.
With little room for expansion across its hilly terrain, high-rise Hong Kong has the highest population density in the world; some 6,300 people per square kilometer. Skyscrapers and temples, shopping malls and traditional markets sit cheek-by-jowl. But amid the urban hustle there are quiet parks and green spaces, beaches and mountain-top views.

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 (22 15 N, 114 10 E)

Climate
Subtropical 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

Environmental Issues
Air and water pollution from rapid urbanization

Population
6,940,432 (July 2006 est.)

Ethnic Groups
Chinese 95%, other 5%

Religions
Eclectic mixture of local religions 90%, Christian 10%

Languages
Chinese (Cantonese), English; both are official

Economic Overview
Hong Kong has a free market, entrepot economy, highly dependent on international trade. Natural resources are limited, and food and raw materials must be imported. Gross imports and exports (i.e., including re-exports to and from third countries) 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 made manufacturing in China much more cost effective. Hong Kong's re-export business to and from China is a major driver of growth. Per capita GDP is comparable to that of the four big economies of Western Europe. GDP growth averaged a strong 5% from 1989 to 2005, but Hong Kong suffered two recessions in the past eight years because of the Asian financial crisis in 1997-1998 and the global downturn in 2001-2002. Although the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) outbreak in 2003 also battered Hong Kong's economy, a solid rise in exports, a boom in tourism from the mainland because of China's easing of travel restrictions, and a return of consumer confidence resulted in the resumption of strong growth from late 2003 through 2005.

GDP per Capita
$37,400 (2005 est.)

  • Population: 7.2 million (UN, 2005)

  • Area: 1,098 sq km (424 sq miles)

  • Major languages: Chinese (mainly Cantonese), English (both official)

  • Major religions: Buddhism, Taoism

  • Life expectancy: 79 (men), 85 (women)

  • Monetary unit: Hong Kong dollar

  • Main exports: Electrical and electronic goods, clothing

  • GNI per capita: $25,860 (World Bank, 2005)

  • Internet domain: .hk

International dialling code: +852