CIA - The World Factbook -- Hong Kong

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The World Factbook

Hong Kong

Introduction

Hong Kong

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 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

Location: Eastern Asia, bordering the South China Sea and China Geographic 22 15 N, 114 10 E coordinates: Map references: Southeast Asia Area: total: 1,092 sq km

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land: 1,042 sq km water: 50 sq km

Area - six times the size of Washington, DC comparative: Land total: 30 km boundaries: regional border: China 30 km Coastline: 733 km Maritime territorial sea: 3 nm claims: 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 Elevation lowest point: South China Sea 0 m extremes: highest point: Tai Mo Shan 958 m Natural outstanding deepwater harbor, feldspar resources: Land use: arable land: 5.05%

permanent crops: 1.01% other: 93.94% (2001)

Irrigated land: 20 sq km (1998 est.) Natural occasional typhoons hazards: Environment - air and water pollution from rapid urbanization current issues: Environment - party to: Marine Dumping (associate member), Ship Pollution (associate international member) agreements: Geography - more than 200 islands note: People Hong Kong

Population: 7,018,636 (July 2008 est.) Age structure: 0-14 years: 12.6% (male 463,300/female 422,945)

15-64 years: 74.4% (male 2,535,246/female 2,684,495) 65 years and over: 13% (male 425,500/female 487,150) (2008 est.)
Median age: total: 41.7 years

male: 41.4 years female: 42 years (2008 est.)

Population 0.532% (2008 est.) growth rate:

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Birth rate: 7.37 births/1,000 population (2008 est.) Death rate: 6.6 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.) Net migration 4.55 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.) rate: Sex ratio: at birth: 1.08 male(s)/female

under 15 years: 1.1 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.94 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.87 male(s)/female total population: 0.95 male(s)/female (2008 est.)
Infant mortality total: 2.93 deaths/1,000 live births rate: male: 3.11 deaths/1,000 live births

female: 2.73 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Life expectancy total population: 81.77 years at birth: male: 79.07 years

female: 84.69 years (2008 est.)

Total fertility 1 children born/woman (2008 est.) rate: HIV/AIDS - adult 0.1% (2003 est.) prevalence rate: HIV/AIDS - 2,600 (2003 est.) people living with HIV/AIDS: HIV/AIDS - fewer than 200 (2003 est.) deaths: Nationality: noun: Chinese/Hong Konger

adjective: Chinese/Hong Kong

Ethnic groups: Chinese 95%, Filipino 1.6%, Indonesian 1.3%, other 2.1% (2006 census) Religions: eclectic mixture of local religions 90%, Christian 10% Languages: Chinese (Cantonese) 89.2% (official), other Chinese dialects 6.4%,

English 3.2% (official), other 1.2% (2001 census)

Literacy: definition: age 15 and over has ever attended school

total population: 93.5% male: 96.9% female: 89.6% (2002)

School life total: 14 years expectancy male: 14 years (primary to female: 13 years (2006) tertiary education): Education 3.9% of GDP (2006) expenditures:

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Government

Hong Kong

Country name: 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
Dependency special administrative region of China status: Government limited democracy type: Administrative none (special administrative region of China) divisions: Independence: none (special administrative region of China) National National Day (Anniversary of the Founding of the People's Republic of holiday: 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 Suffrage: direct election - 18 years of age for a number of non-executive positions;

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 and an 800-member election committee drawn from broad regional groupings, central government bodies, and municipal organizations
Executive chief of state: President of China HU Jintao (since 15 March 2003) branch: head of government: Chief Executive Donald TSANG (since 24 June

2005) cabinet: Executive Council consists of 15 official members and 16 nonofficial members elections: chief executive elected for five-year term by 800-member electoral committee; 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 received 15.9%
Legislative unicameral Legislative Council or LEGCO (60 seats; 30 seats indirectly branch: elected by functional constituencies, 30 elected by popular vote;

members serve four-year terms) elections: last held 7 September 2008 (next to be held in September 2012) election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by parties - proBeijing 37; pro-democracy 23
Judicial branch: Court of Final Appeal in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region

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Political parties Association for Democracy and People's Livelihood or ADPL [Frederick and leaders: FUNG Kin-kee]; Citizens Party [Alex CHAN Kai-chung]; Civic Party

[KUAN Hsin-chi]; Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong or DAB [TAM Yiu Cheng]; Democratic Party [Albert HO]; Frontier Party [Emily LAU Wai-hing]; League of Social Democrats [Raymond WONG]; Liberal Party [James TIEN Pei-chun] note: political blocs include: pro-democracy - ADPL, Democratic Party, Frontier Party, League of Social Democrats; pro-Beijing - DAB, Liberal Party, The Alliance (a group of five generally pro-government and probusiness Legco members from functional constituencies); there is no political party ordinance, so there are no registered political parties; politically active groups register as societies or companies
Political Chinese General Chamber of Commerce (pro-China); Chinese pressure Manufacturers' Association of Hong Kong; Confederation of Trade groups and Unions or CTU (pro-democracy) [LAU Chin-shek, president; LEE leaders:

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 (pro-democracy); The Alliance [Bernard CHARNWUT, exco member]

International ADB, APEC, BIS, ICC, IHO, IMF, IMO (associate), IOC, ISO organization (correspondent), ITUC, UNWTO (associate), UPU, WCL, WCO, WMO, participation: WTO Diplomatic none (special administrative region of China); Hong Kong Economic and representation Trade Office in Washington and two other cities carries out normal in the US: liaison and communication with the US Government and other US

entities
Diplomatic chief of mission: Consul General Joseph A. DONOVAN, Jr. representation consulate(s) general: 26 Garden Road, Hong Kong from the US: mailing address: PSC 461, Box 1, FPO AP 96521-0006

telephone: [852] 2523-9011 FAX: [852] 2845-1598

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

Economy - Hong Kong has a free market economy highly dependent on international overview: trade. In 2006, the total value of goods and services trade, including the

sizable share of reexports, was equivalent to 400% of GDP. The territory has become increasingly integrated with mainland China over the past few years through trade, tourism, and financial links. The mainland has long been Hong Kong's largest trading partner, accounting for 46% of Hong Kong's total trade by value in 2006. As a result of China's easing of

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travel restrictions, the number of mainland tourists to the territory has surged from 4.5 million in 2001 to 13.6 million in 2006, when they outnumbered visitors from all other countries combined. Hong Kong has also established itself as the premier stock market for Chinese firms seeking to list abroad. Bolstered by several successful initial public offerings in early 2007, by September 2007 mainland companies accounted for one-third of the firms listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, and more than half of the Exchange's market capitalization. During the past decade, as Hong Kong's manufacturing industry moved to the mainland, its service industry has grown rapidly and now accounts for 91% 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 5% from 1989 to 2007, despite the economy suffering two recessions during the Asian financial crisis in 1997-98 and the global downturn in 2001-02. Hong Kong continues to link its currency closely to the US dollar, maintaining an arrangement established in 1983.
GDP $293.3 billion (2007 est.) (purchasing power parity): GDP (official $206.7 billion (2007 est.) exchange rate): GDP - real 6.4% (2007 est.) growth rate: GDP - per capita $42,000 (2007 est.) (PPP): GDP - agriculture: 0.1% composition by industry: 8.1% sector: services: 91.7% (2007 est.) Labor force: 3.64 million (2007 est.) Labor force - by manufacturing 6.5%, construction 2.1%, wholesale and retail trade, occupation: restaurants, and hotels 43.3%, financing, insurance, and real estate

20.7%, transport and communications 7.8%, community and social services 19.5% note: above data exclude public sector (2007 est.)
Unemployment 4% (2007 est.) rate: Population NA% below poverty line: Household lowest 10%: NA% income or highest 10%: NA% consumption by percentage share: Distribution of 53.3 (2007)

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family income Gini index: Inflation rate 2% (2007 est.) (consumer prices): Investment 20.3% of GDP (2007 est.) (gross fixed): Budget: revenues: $36.9 billion

expenditures: $29.4 billion (FY07-08 est.)

Public debt: 12.5% of GDP (2007 est.) Agriculture - fresh vegetables; poultry, pork; fish products: Industries: textiles, clothing, tourism, banking, shipping, electronics, plastics, toys,

watches, clocks
Industrial -0.8% (2007 est.) production growth rate: Electricity - 38.6 billion kWh (2006) production: Electricity - fossil fuel: 100% production by hydro: 0% source: nuclear: 0%

other: 0% (2001)
Electricity - 40.3 billion kWh (2006) consumption: Electricity - 4.5 billion kWh (2006) exports: Electricity - 10.9 billion kWh (2006) imports: Oil - production: 0 bbl/day (2006 est.) Oil - 292,000 bbl/day (2006 est.) consumption: Oil - exports: 22,420 bbl/day (2006) Oil - imports: 314,700 bbl/day (2006) Oil - proved 0 bbl (1 January 2006 est.) reserves: Natural gas - 0 cu m (2006 est.) production: Natural gas - 2.944 billion cu m (2006 est.) consumption:

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Natural gas - 0 cu m (2006 est.) exports: Natural gas - 2.944 billion cu m (2006) imports: Natural gas - 0 cu m (1 January 2006 est.) proved reserves: Current account $28.04 billion (2007 est.) balance: Exports: $345.9 billion f.o.b., including reexports (2007 est.) Exports - electrical machinery and appliances, textiles, apparel, footwear, watches commodities: and clocks, toys, plastics, precious stones, printed material Exports - China 48.7%, US 13.7%, Japan 4.5% (2007) partners: Imports: $365.6 billion (2007 est.) Imports - raw materials and semi-manufactures, consumer goods, capital goods, commodities: foodstuffs, fuel (most is re-exported) Imports - China 46.3%, Japan 10%, Taiwan 7.1%, Singapore 6.8%, US 4.9%, partners: South Korea 4.2% (2007) Economic aid - $6.95 million (2004) recipient: Reserves of $152.7 billion (31 December 2007 est.) foreign exchange and gold: Debt - external: $588 billion (2007 est.) Stock of direct $1.185 trillion (2007 est.) foreign investment - at home: Stock of direct $1.027 trillion (2007 est.) foreign investment abroad: Market value of $2.97 trillion (2007 est.) publicly traded shares: Currency Hong Kong dollar (HKD) (code): Currency code: HKD Exchange rates: Hong Kong dollars per US dollar - 7.802 (2007), 7.7678 (2006), 7.7773

(2005), 7.788 (2004), 7.7868 (2003)

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Fiscal year: 1 April - 31 March Communications Hong Kong Telephones - 3.875 million (2007) main lines in use: Telephones - 10.55 million (2007) mobile cellular: Telephone general assessment: modern facilities provide excellent domestic and system: 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
Radio AM 5, FM 9, shortwave 0 (2004) broadcast stations: Radios: 4.45 million (1997) Television 55 (2 TV networks, each broadcasting on 2 channels) (2007) broadcast stations: Televisions: 1.84 million (1997) Internet country .hk code: Internet hosts: 812,137 (2007) Internet Service 17 (2000) Providers (ISPs): Internet users: 3.961 million (2007) Transportation Hong Kong Airports: 2 (2007) Airports - with total: 2 paved runways: over 3,047 m: 1

1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2007)

Heliports: 5 (2007) Roadways: total: 2,009 km

paved: 2,009 km (2007)

Merchant total: 1,074 ships (1000 GRT or over) 37,295,109 GRT/61,581,647 marine: DWT

by type: barge carrier 2, bulk carrier 512, cargo 140, carrier 3, chemical

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tanker 61, combination ore/oil 2, container 192, liquefied gas 21, passenger 6, passenger/cargo 5, petroleum tanker 110, roll on/roll off 4, specialized tanker 9, vehicle carrier 7 foreign-owned: 659 (Belgium 2, Canada 42, China 322, Denmark 21, Germany 5, Greece 27, Indonesia 7, Japan 85, Norway 40, Philippines 9, Portugal 1, Russia 1, Singapore 11, South Korea 5, Syria 1, Taiwan 11, UAE 2, UK 38, US 29) registered in other countries: 339 (Bahamas 5, Belize 4, Bermuda 4, Cambodia 14, China 10, Cyprus 2, Georgia 2, Honduras 1, India 1, Kiribati 3, Liberia 45, Malaysia 14, Malta 3, Marshall Islands 5, Mongolia 2, Nigeria 2, Norway 6, Panama 142, Philippines 1, Seychelles 1, Singapore 44, St Vincent and the Grenadines 7, Tuvalu 10, UK 2, Vietnam 1, unknown 8) (2008)
Ports and Hong Kong terminals: Military Hong Kong

Military no regular indigenous military forces; Hong Kong garrison of China's branches: 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 (2007)
Manpower males age 16-49: 1,772,820 available for females age 16-49: 1,941,448 (2008 est.) military service: Manpower fit for males age 16-49: 1,438,165 military service: females age 16-49: 1,561,252 (2008 est.) Manpower male: 42,173 reaching female: 38,753 (2008 est.) militarily significant age annually: Military NA expenditures: Military - note: defense is the responsibility of China Transnational Hong Kong Issues Disputes - none international: Illicit drugs: 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

This page was last updated on 2 October, 2008

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