1982 Edition
CIA World Factbook 1982 (Wikisource)
Geography
Area
1,036 km2; 14% arable, 10% forested, 76% other (mainly grass, shrub, steep hill country)
Coastline
733 km
Land boundaries
24 km WATER
Limits of territorial waters (claimed)
3 nm
People and Society
Ethnic divisions
98% Chinese, 2% other
Language
Chinese, English
Literacy
75% Labor force (1976 Census): 1.87 million; 45.3% manufacturing, 18.6% services, 6.0% construction, mining, quarrying and utilities, 19.4% commerce, 2.6% agriculture, forestry, fisheries, and hunting, 7.3% communications, 0.8% other; est. unemployment 3.0%, underemployment is a serious problem
Nationality
adjective—Hong Kong
Organized labor
21% of 1976 labor force
Population
5,272,000 (July 1982), average annual growth rate 2.3%
Religion
10% Christian, 90% eclectic mixture of local religions
Government
Branches
Governor assisted by advisory Executive Council; he legislates with advice and consent of Legislative Council; Urban Council which alone includes elected representatives, responsible for health, recreation, and resettlement; independent judiciary
Capital
None
Elections
every two years to select one-half of elected membership of Urban Council; other Urban Council members appointed by the Governor
Government leader
Governor and Commander in Chief Sir Edward YOUDE
Legal system
English common law
Member of
ADB
Official name
Hong Kong
Other political or pressure groups
Federation of Trade Unions (Communist controlled), Hong Kong and Kowloon Trade Union Council (Nationalist Chinese dominated), Hong Kong General Chamber of Commerce, Chinese General Chamber of Commerce (Communist controlled), Federation of Hong Kong Industries, Chinese Manufacturers' Association of Hong Kong
Political parties
Civic Association; Reform Club; Socialist Democratic Party; Hong Kong Labor Party
Political subdivisions
Hong Kong, Kowloon, and New Territories
Suffrage
limited to 200,000 to 300,000 professional or skilled persons
Type
British colony
Voting strength
(elected Urban Council members) Civic Association 4, Reform Club 3, and 1 independent Communists: an estimated 2,000 cadres affiliated with Communist Party of China
Economy
Agriculture
agriculture occupies a minor position in the economy; main products—rice, vegetables, dairy products; less than 20% self-sufficient; food shortages—rice, wheat
Budget
(1979/80) $2.8 billion
Electric power
3,491,000 kW capacity (1980); 11.320 billion kWh produced (1980), 2,195 kWh per capita
Exports
$15.2 billion (f.o.b., 1979), including $4.0 billion reexports; principal products—clothing, plastic articles, textiles, electrical goods, wigs, footwear, light metal manufactures
Fiscal year
1 April-31 March
GDP
$17.4 billion (1979, in 1979 prices), $3,600 per capita; average real growth 1979, 11.5%
Imports
$17.26 billion (c.i.f., 1979)
Major industries
textiles and clothing, tourism, plastics, electronics, light metal products, food processing
Major trade partners
(1979) exports—33.6% US, 11.4% West Germany, 10.7% UK; imports—22.5% Japan, 17.6% China, 12.0% US
Monetary conversion rate
4.9 Hong Kong dollars=US$1 (December 1979)
Shortages
industrial raw materials, water, food
Communications
Airfields
2 total; 2 usable; 2 permanent-surface runways; 1 with runways 2,440-3,659 m
Civil air
16 major transport aircraft
Highways
966 km total; 660 km paved, 306 km gravel and crushed stone, or earth
Ports
1 major
Railroads
35 km standard gauge (1.435 m); government owned
Telecommunications
modern facilities provide excellent domestic and international services; 62 telephone exchanges, 1.5 million telephones; 5 AM and 2 FM radiobroadcast stations with 11 transmitters; 5 TV stations; 2.5 million radio and 1.1 million TV receivers; 10,100 Telex subscriber lines with direct connections to 47 countries; 2 INTELSAT ground stations with access to Pacific and Indian Ocean satellites; coaxial cable to Guangzhou (Canton), China; 3 international submarine cables; troposcatter to Taiwan available but inactive
Military and Security
Military manpower
males 15-49, 1,550,000; 1,220,000 fit for military service; about 52,000 reach military age (18) annually Defense is the responsibility of UK