1987 Edition

Boundary disputes

none; will become a Special Administrative Region of China in

Climate

tropical monsoon; cool and humid in winter, hot and rainy from spring through summer, warm and sunny in fall

Coastline

733 km

Comparative area

about one-third the size of Rhode Island

Continental shelf

200 meters or to depth of exploitation

Environment

more than 200 islands; occasional typhoons

Land boundary

24 km with China

Land use

7% arable land; 1% permanent crops; 1% meadows and pastures; 12% forest and woodland; 79% other; includes 3% irrigated

Special notes

outstanding natural harbor

Terrain

hilly to mountainous with steep slopes; lowlands in north

Territorial sea

8 nm

Total area

15 km oe

1,040 km?; land area: 990 km?

Ethnic divisions

98% Chinese, 2% other

Infant mortality rate

9.2/1,000 (1986)

Labor force

(June 1985) 2.64 million, 86.8% manufacturing; 22.1% commerce; 18.4% services; 7.6% construction; 7.6% transport and communications; 6.8% financing, insurance, and real estate; 1.2% agriculture, fishing, mining, and quarrying; unemployment (seasonally adjusted) 3.0%

Language

Chinese (Cantonese), English

Life expectancy

75 (1986)

Literacy

75%

Nationality

adjective—Hong Kong

Organized labor

15.2% of 1984 labor force

Population

5,608,610 (July 1987), average annual growth rate 1.32%

Religion

90% eclectic mixture of local religions, 10% Christian

Administrative divisions

Hong Kong, Kowloon, and New Territories

Branches

Governor assisted by advisory Executive Council, legislates with advice and consent of Legislative Council: Executive Council composed of governor, four ex-officio senior officials, and 11 nominated members; Legislative Council composed of governor, three ex-officio members, 10 official members, 22 appointed unofficial members and 24 unofficial members elected indirectly by functional constituencies and by an electoral college; Urban Council, consisting of 15 elected members and 15 appointed by Governor, responsible for health, recreation, and resettlement in urban areas; Regional Council (established 1 April 1986), comprising 12 directly elected members, 9 indirectly elected, 12 appointed, and 8 ex officio, has similar responsibilities in nonurban areas; independent judiciary

Capital

Victoria

Communists

an estimated 4,000 cadres affiliated with Communist Party of China

Elections

on three-year cycle for Urban and Regional Councils; last held March 1986; indirect elections for Legislative Council held for first time in September 1985 and planned for three-year intervals

Government leaders

David Clive WILSON, Governor since April 1987; Sir David AKERS-JONES, Chief Secretary since December 1985

Legal system

English common law

Member of

ADB, ESCAP (associate member), GATT, IMO, INTERPOL, Multifiber Arrangement, WMO

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, Hong Kong Professional Teachers’ Union

Political parties

insignificant

Suffrage

limited to 450,000 to 550,000 professional or skilled persons

Type

British colony; scheduled to revert to China in 1997

Agriculture

agriculture occupies a minor position in the economy; rice, vegetables, dairy products; less than 20% selfsufficient; shortages of rice, wheat, water

Budget

$5.1 billion (1985/86)

Electric power

6,383,000 kW capacity; 18,000 million kWh produced, 3,270 kWh per capita (1986)

Exports

$30.2 billion (f.0.b., 1985), including $13.5 billion reexports; clothing, plastic articles, textiles, electrical goods, wigs, footwear, light metal manufactures

Fiscal year

1 April-31 March

GDP

$34.2 billion, $6,180 per capita; real growth, 1.0% (1985 est.)

Imports

$29.7 billion (c.i.f., 1985)

Major industries

textiles and clothing, tourism, electronics, plastics, toys, watches, and clocks

Major trade partners

exports—31% US, 26% China, 4% Japan, 4% UK, 4% FRG; imports—25% China, 23% Japan, 9% US (1985)

Monetary conversion rate

7.81 Hong Kong dollars=US$1 (July 1986)

Shortages

industrial raw materials

Airfields

2 total; 2 usable; 2 with permanent-surface runways; ] with runways 2,440-3,659 m

Civil air

16 major transport aircraft

Highways

1,160 km total; 794 km paved, 806 km gravel, crushed stone, or earth

Ports

1 major (Hong Kong)

Railroads

35 km 1.435-meter standard gauge, government owned

Telecommunications

modern facilities provide excellent domestic and international services; 62 telephone exchanges, 1.5 million telephones; 5 AM and 9 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

Branches

Headquarters of British Forces, Gurkha Field Forces, Royal Navy, Royal Air Force, Royal Hong Kong Auxiliary Air Force, Royal Hong Kong Police Force

Military budget

est. for fiscal year ending 80 June 1986, $205.5 million; about 4.3% of central government budget and 1% of GDP

Military manpower

males 15-49, 1,720,000; 1,340,000 fit for military service; 45,000 reach military age (18) annually