1993 Edition
CIA World Factbook 1993 (Project Gutenberg)
Geography
Area
total area: 1,040 km2 land area: 990 km2 comparative area: slightly less than six times the size of Washington, DC
Climate
tropical monsoon; cool and humid in winter, hot and rainy from spring through summer, warm and sunny in fall
Coastline
733 km
Environment
more than 200 islands; occasional typhoons
International disputes
none
Irrigated land
20 km2 (1989)
Land boundaries
total 30 km, China 30 km
Land use
arable land: 7% permanent crops: 1% meadows and pastures: 1% forest and woodland: 12% other: 79%
Location
East Asia, on the southeast coast of China bordering the South China Sea
Map references
Asia, Southeast Asia, Standard Time Zones of the World
Maritime claims
exclusive fishing zone: 3 nm territorial sea: 3 nm
Natural resources
outstanding deepwater harbor, feldspar
Terrain
hilly to mountainous with steep slopes; lowlands in north
People and Society
Birth rate
12.27 births/1,000 population (1993 est.)
Death rate
5.68 deaths/1,000 population (1993 est.)
Ethnic divisions
Chinese 98%, other 2%
Infant mortality rate
5.9 deaths/1,000 live births (1993 est.)
Labor force
2.8 million (1990) by occupation: manufacturing 28.5%, wholesale and retail trade, restaurants, and hotels 27.9%, services 17.7%, financing, insurance, and real estate 9.2%, transport and communications 4.5%, construction 2.5%, other 9.7% (1989)
Languages
Chinese (Cantonese), English
Life expectancy at birth
total population: 79.99 years male: 76.55 years female: 83.64 years (1993 est.)
Literacy
age 15 and over can read and write (1971) total population: 77% male: 90% female: 64%
Nationality
noun: Chinese adjective: Chinese
Net migration rate
-7.2 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1993 est.)
Population
5,552,965 (July 1993 est.)
Population growth rate
-0.06% (1993 est.)
Religions
eclectic mixture of local religions 90%, Christian 10%
Total fertility rate
1.34 children born/woman (1993 est.)
Government
Abbreviation
HK
Administrative divisions
none (dependent territory of the UK)
Capital
Victoria
Chief of State
Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952)
Constitution
unwritten; partly statutes, partly common law and practice; new Basic Law approved in March 1990 in preparation for 1997
Digraph
HK
Diplomatic representation in US
as a dependent territory of the UK, the interests of Hong Kong in the US are represented by the UK
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
Head of Government
Governor Chris PATTEN (since NA July 1992); Chief Secretary Sir David Robert FORD (since NA February 1987)
Independence
none (dependent territory 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)
Judicial branch
Supreme Court
Legal system
based on English common law
Legislative branch
unicameral Legislative Council
Legislative Council
indirect elections last held 12 September 1991 and direct elections were held for the first time 15 September 1991 (next to be held in September 1995 when the number of directly-elected seats increases to 20); results - percent of vote by party NA; seats - (60 total; 21 indirectly elected by functional constituencies, 18 directly elected, 18 appointed by governor, 3 ex officio members); indirect elections - number of seats by functional constituency NA; direct elections - UDHK 12, Meeting Point 3, ADPL 1, other 2
Member of
APEC, AsDB, CCC, ESCAP (associate), GATT, ICFTU, IMO (associate), INTERPOL (subbureau), IOC, ISO (correspondent), WCL, WMO
Names
conventional long form: none conventional short form: Hong Kong
National holiday
Liberation Day, 29 August (1945)
Other political or pressure groups
Cooperative Resources Center, Allen LEE, chairman; Meeting Point, Anthony CHEUNG, chairman; Association of Democracy and People's Livelihood, Frederick FUNG Kin Kee, chairman; Liberal Democratic Federation, HEUNG Yee Kuk; Federation of Trade Unions (pro-China); Hong Kong and Kowloon Trade Union Council (pro-Taiwan); Confederation of Trade Unions (prodemocracy); Hong Kong General Chamber of Commerce; Chinese General Chamber of Commerce (pro-China); Federation of Hong Kong Industries; Chinese Manufacturers' Association of Hong Kong; Hong Kong Professional Teachers' Union; Hong Kong Alliance in Support of the Patriotic Democratic Movement in China
Political parties and leaders
United Democrats of Hong Kong, Martin LEE, chairman; Democratic Alliance for the Betterment of Hong Kong; Hong Kong Democratic Foundation
Suffrage
direct election 21 years of age; universal as a permanent resident living in the territory of Hong Kong for the past seven years indirect election limited to about 100,000 professionals of electoral college and functional constituencies
Type
dependent territory of the UK scheduled to revert to China in 1997
US diplomatic representation
chief of mission: Consul General Richard L. WILLIAMS embassy: Consulate General at 26 Garden Road, Hong Kong mailing address: Box 30, Hong Kong, or FPO AP 96522-0002 telephone: [852] 239-011
Economy
Agriculture
minor role in the economy; rice, vegetables, dairy products; less than 20% self-sufficient; shortages of rice, wheat, water
Budget
revenues $17.4 billion; expenditures $14.7 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (FY92)
Currency
1 Hong Kong dollar (HK$) = 100 cents
Economic aid
US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-87), $152 million; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-89), $923 million
Electricity
9,566,000 kW capacity; 29,400 million kWh produced, 4,980 kWh per capita (1992)
Exchange rates
Hong Kong dollars (HK$) per US$ - 7.800 (1992), 7.771 (1991), 7.790 (1990), 7.800 (1989), 7.810 (1988), 7.760 (1987); note - linked to the US dollar at the rate of about 7.8 HK$ per 1 US$ since 1985
Exports
$118 billion, including reexports of $85.1 billion (f.o.b., 1992 est.) commodities: clothing, textiles, yarn and fabric, footwear, electrical appliances, watches and clocks, toys partners: US 29%, China 21%, Germany 8%, UK 6%, Japan 5% (1990)
External debt
$9.5 billion (December 1990 est.)
Fiscal year
1 April - 31 March
Illicit drugs
a hub for Southeast Asian heroin trade; transshipment and major financial and money-laundering center
Imports
$120 billion (c.i.f., 1992 est.) commodities: foodstuffs, transport equipment, raw materials, semimanufactures, petroleum partners: China 37%, Japan 16%, Taiwan 9%, US 8% (1990)
Industrial production
growth rate NA%
Industries
textiles, clothing, tourism, electronics, plastics, toys, watches, clocks
Inflation rate (consumer prices)
9.4% (1992)
National product
GDP - exchange rate conversion - $86 billion (1992 est.)
National product per capita
$14,600 (1992 est.)
National product real growth rate
5.9% (1992)
Overview
Hong Kong has a bustling free market economy with few tariffs or nontariff barriers. Natural resources are limited, and food and raw materials must be imported. Manufacturing accounts for about 18% of GDP, employs 28% of the labor force, and exports about 90% of its output. Real GDP growth averaged a remarkable 8% in 1987-88, slowed to 3.0% in 1989-90, and picked up to 4.2% in 1991 and 5.9% in 1992. Unemployment, which has been declining since the mid-1980s, is now about 2%. A shortage of labor continues to put upward pressure on prices and the cost of living. Short-term prospects remain bright so long as major trading partners continue to be reasonably prosperous.
Unemployment rate
2% (1992 est.)
Communications
Airports
total: 2 useable: 2 with permanent-surface runways: 2 with runways over 3,659 m: with runways 2,440-3,659 m: 1 with runways 1,220-2,439 m:
Highways
1,100 km total; 794 km paved, 306 km gravel, crushed stone, or earth
Merchant marine
176 ships (1,000 GRT or over), totaling 5,870,007 GRT/10,006,390 DWT; includes 1 passenger, 1 short-sea passenger, 20 cargo, 6 refrigerated cargo, 29 container, 15 oil tanker, 3 chemical tanker, 6 combination ore/oil, 5 liquefied gas, 88 bulk, 2 combination 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; 3,000,000 telephones; microwave transmission links and extensive optical fiber transmission network; broadcast stations - 6 AM, 6 FM, 4 TV; 1 British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) repeater station and 1 British Forces Broadcasting Service repeater 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, Royal Navy, Royal Air Force, Royal Hong Kong Auxiliary Air Force, Royal Hong Kong Police Force
Defense expenditures
exchange rate conversion - $300 million, 0.5% of GDP (1989 est.); this represents one-fourth of the total cost of defending itself, the remainder being paid by the UK
Manpower availability
males age 15-49 1,635,516; fit for military service 1,256,057; reach military age (18) annually 43,128 (1993 est.)
Note
defense is the responsibility of the UK