1990 Edition
CIA World Factbook 1990 (Project Gutenberg)
Geography
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
slightly less than six times the size of Washington, DC
Continental shelf
200 meters or to depth of exploitation;
Disputes
scheduled to become a Special Administrative Region of China in 1997
Environment
more than 200 islands; occasional typhoons
Exclusive fishing zone
3 nm;
Land boundary
30 km with China
Land use
7% arable land; 1% permanent crops; 1% meadows and pastures; 12% forest and woodland; 79% other; includes 3% irrigated
Natural resources
outstanding deepwater harbor, feldspar
Terrain
hilly to mountainous with steep slopes; lowlands in north
Territorial sea
3 nm
Total area
1,040 km2; land area: 990 km2
People and Society
Birth rate
13 births/1,000 population (1990)
Death rate
5 deaths/1,000 population (1990)
Ethnic divisions
98% Chinese, 2% other
Infant mortality rate
6 deaths/1,000 live births (1990)
Labor force
2,640,000; 35.8% manufacturing; 22.7% wholesale and retail trade, restaurants and hotel, 17.1% services, 7.5% construction, 8.4% transport and communications, 6.1% financing, insurance, and real estate (1986)
Language
Chinese (Cantonese), English
Life expectancy at birth
76 years male, 82 years female (1990)
Literacy
75%
Nationality
adjective--Hong Kong
Net migration rate
2 migrants/1,000 population (1990)
Organized labor
15% of labor force (1986)
Population
5,759,990 (July 1990), growth rate 1.0% (1990)
Religion
90% eclectic mixture of local religions, 10% Christian
Total fertility rate
1.4 children born/woman (1990)
Government
Administrative divisions
none (colony of the UK)
Capital
Victoria
Communists
5,000 (est.) cadres affiliated with Communist Party of China
Constitution
unwritten; partly statutes, partly common law and practice
Diplomatic representation
as a British colony, the interests of Hong Kong in the US are represented by the UK; US--Consul General Donald M. ANDERSON; Consulate General at 26 Garden Road, Hong Kong (mailing address is Box 30, Hong Kong, or FPO San Francisco 96659-0002); telephone [852] (5) 239011
Elections
Legislative Council--indirect elections last held 26 September 1985 seats--(58 total; 26 elected, 32 appointed)
Executive branch
British monarch, governor, chief secretary of the Executive Council
Flag
blue with the flag of the UK in the upper hoist-side quadrant with the Hong Kong coat of arms on a white disk centered on the outer half of the flag; the coat of arms contains a shield (bearing two junks below a crown) held by a lion (representing the UK) and a dragon (representing China) with another lion above the shield and a banner bearing the words HONG KONG below the shield
Independence
none (colony of the UK); the UK signed an agreement with China on 19 December 1984 to return Hong Kong to China on 1 July 1997; in the joint declaration, China promises to respect Hong Kong's existing social and economic systems and lifestyle for 50 years after transition
Judicial branch
Supreme Court
Leaders
Chief of State--Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952); Head of Government--Governor Sir David Clive WILSON (since 9 April 1987); Chief Secretary Sir David Robert FORD (since NA February 1987)
Legal system
based on English common law
Legislative branch
Legislative Council
Long-form name
none; abbreviated HK
Member of
ADB, ESCAP (associate member), GATT, IMO, INTERPOL, Multifiber Arrangement, WMO
National holiday
Liberation Day, 29 August (1945)
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, and several small pro-democracy groups.
Political parties
none
Suffrage
limited to about 71,000 professionals of electoral college and functional constituencies
Type
colony of the UK; scheduled to revert to China in 1997
Economy
Agriculture
minor role in the economy; rice, vegetables, dairy products; less than 20% self-sufficient; shortages of rice, wheat, water
Aid
US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-87), $141.2 million; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-87), $899.8 million
Budget
$6.9 billion (FY89)
Currency
Hong Kong dollar (plural--dollars); 1 Hong Kong dollar (HK$) = 100 cents
Electricity
7,800,000 kW capacity; 23,000 million kWh produced, 4,030 kWh per capita (1989)
Exchange rates
Hong Kong dollars (HK$) per US$--7.800 (March 1989), 7.810 (1988), 7.760 (1987), 7.795 (1986), 7.811 (1985); note--linked to the US dollar at the rate of about 7.8 HK$ per 1 US$ since 1985
Exports
$63.2 billion (f.o.b., 1988), including reexports of $22.9 billion; commodities--clothing, textile yarn and fabric, footwear, electrical appliances, watches and clocks, toys; partners--US 31%, China 14%, FRG 8%, UK 6%, Japan 5%
External debt
$9.6 billion (December 1988)
Fiscal year
1 April-31 March
GDP
$57 billion, per capita $10,000; real growth rate 3% (1989)
Imports
$63.9 billion (c.i.f., 1988); commodities--foodstuffs, transport equipment, raw materials, semimanufactures, petroleum; partners--China 31%, Japan 20%, Taiwan 9%, US 8%
Industrial production
growth rate 7.0% (1988)
Industries
textiles, clothing, tourism, electronics, plastics, toys, watches, clocks
Inflation rate (consumer prices)
9.5% (1989)
Overview
Hong Kong has a free-market economy and is autonomous in financial affairs. Natural resources are limited and food and raw materials must be imported. Manufacturing is the backbone of the economy, accounting for more than 20% of GDP, employing 36% of the labor force, and exporting about 90% of output. Real GDP growth averaged a remakable 8% in 1987-88, then slowed to a respectable 3% in 1989. Unemployment, which has been declining since the mid-1980s, is now less than 2%. A shortage of labor continues to put upward pressure on prices and the cost of living. Short-term prospects remain solid so long as major trading partners continue to be prosperous. The crackdown in China in 1989 casts a long shadow over the longer term economic outlook.
Unemployment rate
1.6% (1988)
Communications
Airports
2 total; 2 usable; 2 with permanent-surface runways; none with runways over 3,659 m; 1 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; none with runways 1,220-2,439 m
Civil air
16 major transport aircraft
Highways
1,100 km total; 794 km paved, 306 km gravel, crushed stone, or earth
Merchant marine
134 ships (1,000 GRT or over), totaling 4,391,102 GRT/7,430,337 DWT; includes 1 passenger, 1 short-sea passenger, 11 cargo, 10 refrigerated cargo, 13 container, 2 roll-on/roll-off cargo, 10 petroleum, oils, and lubricants (POL) tanker, 1 chemical tanker, 9 combination ore/oil, 7 liquefied gas, 69 bulk; note--a flag of convenience registry; ships registered in Hong Kong fly the UK flag and an estimated 500 Hong Kong-owned ships are registered elsewhere
Ports
Hong Kong
Railroads
35 km 1.435-meter standard gauge, government owned
Telecommunications
modern facilities provide excellent domestic and international services; 2,300,000 telephones; microwave transmission links and extensive optical fiber transmission network; stations--6 AM, 6 FM, 4 TV; 1 British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) relay station and 1 British Forces Broadcasting Service relay station; 2,500,000 radio receivers; 1,312,000 TV sets (1,224,000 color TV sets); satellite earth stations--1 Pacific Ocean INTELSAT and 2 Indian Ocean INTELSAT; coaxial cable to Guangzhou, China; links to 5 international submarine cables providing access to ASEAN member nations, Japan, Taiwan, Australia, Middle East, and Western Europe
Military and Security
Branches
Headquarters of British Forces, Gurkha Brigade, Royal Navy, Royal Air Force, Royal Hong Kong Auxiliary Air Force, Royal Hong Kong Police Force
Defense expenditures
0.5% of GDP, or $300 million (1989 est.); this represents one-fourth of the total cost of defending the colony, the remainder being paid by the UK
Military manpower
males 15-49, 1,703,890; 1,320,914 fit for military service; 46,440 reach military age (18) annually
Note
defense is the responsibility of the UK