2000 Edition

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 has promised that, under its "one country, two systems" formula, China's socialist economic system will not be practiced in Hong Kong and that Hong Kong will enjoy a high degree of autonomy in all matters except foreign and defense affairs for the next 50 years.

Area

land

1,042 sq km

total

1,092 sq km

water

50 sq km

Area - comparative

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

Elevation extremes

highest point

Tai Mo Shan 958 m

lowest point

South China Sea 0 m

Environment - current issues

air and water pollution from rapid urbanization

Geographic coordinates

22 15 N, 114 10 E

Geography - note

more than 200 islands

Irrigated land

20 sq km (1997 est.)

Land boundaries

border countries

China 30 km

total

30 km

Land use

arable land

6%

forests and woodland

20%

other

72% (1997 est.)

permanent crops

1%

permanent pastures

1%

Location

Eastern Asia, bordering the South China Sea and China

Map references

Southeast Asia

Maritime claims

territorial sea

3 nm

Natural hazards

occasional typhoons

Natural resources

outstanding deepwater harbor, feldspar

Terrain

hilly to mountainous with steep slopes; lowlands in north

Age structure

0-14 years: 18% (male 676,756; female 602,434) 15-64 years: 71% (male 2,520,473; female 2,563,355) 65 years and over: 11% (male 342,942; female 410,342) (2000 est.)

Birth rate

11.29 births/1,000 population (2000 est.)

Death rate

5.93 deaths/1,000 population (2000 est.)

Ethnic groups

Chinese 95%, other 5%

Infant mortality rate

5.93 deaths/1,000 live births (2000 est.)

Languages

Chinese (Cantonese), English; both are official

Life expectancy at birth

female

82.41 years (2000 est.)

male

76.85 years

total population

79.54 years

Literacy

definition

age 15 and over has ever attended school

female

88.2% (1996 est.)

male

96%

total population

92.2%

Nationality

adjective

Chinese

noun

Chinese

Net migration rate

8.12 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2000 est.)

Population

7,116,302 (July 2000 est.)

Population growth rate

1.35% (2000 est.)

Religions

eclectic mixture of local religions 90%, Christian 10%

Sex ratio

at birth

1.07 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.12 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.98 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.84 male(s)/female

total population

0.99 male(s)/female (2000 est.)

Total fertility rate

1.27 children born/woman (2000 est.)

Administrative divisions

none (special administrative region of China)

Constitution

Basic Law approved in March 1990 by China's National People's Congress is Hong Kong's "mini-constitution"

Country name

abbreviation

HK

conventional long form

Hong Kong Special Administrative Region

conventional short form

Hong Kong

local long form

Xianggang Tebie Xingzhengqu

local short form

Xianggang

Data code

HK

Dependency status

special administrative region of China

Diplomatic representation from the US

chief of mission

Consul General Richard A. BOUCHER

consulate(s) general

26 Garden Road, Hong Kong

mailing address

PSC 464, Box 30, FPO AP 96522-0002

telephone

2523-9011

Diplomatic representation in the US

none (special administrative region of China)

Executive branch

cabinet

Executive Council consists of three ex-officio members and 10 appointed members; ex-officio members are: Chief Secretary Anson CHAN (since 29 November 1993), Financial Secretary Donald TSANG (since 7 March 1995), and Secretary of Justice Elsie LEUNG (since 1 July 1997)

chief of state

President of China JIANG Zemin (since 27 March 1993)

elections

NA

head of government

Chief Executive TUNG Chee-hwa (since 1 July 1997)

FAX

2845-1598

Flag description

red with a stylized, white, five-petal bauhinia flower in the center

Government type

NA

Independence

none (special administrative region of China)

International organization participation

APEC, AsDB, BIS, CCC, ESCAP (associate), ICFTU, IMO (associate), Interpol (subbureau), IOC, ISO (correspondent), WCL, WMO, WTrO

Judicial branch

The Court of Final Appeal in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region

Legal system

based on English common law

Legislative branch

unicameral Legislative Council or LEGCO (60 seats; 30 indirectly elected by functional constituencies, 20 elected by popular vote, and 10 elected by an 800-member election committee; members serve four-year terms)

election results

percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - Democratic Party 13, Liberal Party 9, Democratic Alliance for the Betterment of Hong Kong 9, Hong Kong Progressive Alliance 5, Frontier Party 3, Citizens Party 1, independents 20

elections

last held 25 May 1998 (early elections scheduled to be held in September 2000)

National holiday

National Day, 1-2 October; note - 1 July 1997 is celebrated as Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Establishment Day

Political parties and leaders

Association for Democracy and People's Livelihood ; Citizens Party ; Democratic Alliance for the Betterment of Hong Kong ; Democratic Party ; Frontier Party [Emily LAU Wai-hing, chairwoman]; Hong Kong Progressive Alliance [Ambrose LAU Hon-chuen]; Liberal Party

note

political blocs include: pro-democracy - Association for Democracy and People's Livelihood, Citizens Party, Democratic Party, Frontier Party; pro-Beijing - Democratic Alliance for the Betterment of Hong Kong, Hong Kong Progressive Alliance, Liberal Party

Political pressure groups and leaders

Chinese General Chamber of Commerce (pro-China); Chinese Manufacturers' Association of Hong Kong; Confederation of Trade Unions (pro-democracy) [LEE Cheuk-yan, chairman]; Federation of Hong Kong Industries; Federation of Trade Unions (pro-China) ; 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 ; Liberal Democratic Federation

Suffrage

direct election 18 years of age; universal for permanent residents living in the territory of Hong Kong for the past seven years; indirect election limited to about 100,000 members of functional constituencies and an 800-member election committee drawn from broad regional groupings, municipal organizations, and central government bodies

Agriculture - products

fresh vegetables; poultry

Budget

expenditures

$25.1 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (FY98/99)

revenues

$23.1 billion

Currency

1 Hong Kong dollar (HK$) = 100 cents

Debt - external

$48.1 billion (1999)

Economic aid - recipient

none

Economy - overview

Hong Kong has a bustling free market economy highly dependent on international trade. Natural resources are limited, and food and raw materials must be imported. Indeed, imports and exports, including reexports, each exceed GDP in dollar value. Even before Hong Kong reverted to Chinese administration on 1 July 1997 it had extensive trade and investment ties with China. Per capita GDP compares with the level in the four big countries of Western Europe. GDP growth averaged a strong 5% in 1989-97. The widespread Asian economic difficulties in 1998 hit this trade-dependent economy quite hard, with GDP down 5%. The economy is recovering, with growth of 1.8% in 1999 to be followed by projected growth of 3.7% in 2000.

Electricity - consumption

34.612 billion kWh (1998)

Electricity - exports

610 million kWh (1998)

Electricity - imports

7.76 billion kWh (1998)

Electricity - production

29.529 billion kWh (1998)

Electricity - production by source

fossil fuel

100%

hydro

0%

nuclear

0%

other

0% (1998)

Exchange rates

Hong Kong dollars (HK$) per US$ - 7.7780 (January 2000), 7.7575 (1999), 7.7453 (1998), 7.7427 (1997), 7.730 (1996), 7.800 (1995); note - Hong Kong became a special administrative region of China on 1 July 1997; before then, linked to the US dollar at the rate of about 7.8 HK$ per 1 US$

Exports

$169.98 billion (including reexports; f.o.b., 1999 est.)

Exports - commodities

clothing, textiles, footwear, electrical appliances, watches and clocks, toys

Exports - partners

China 34%, US 23%, Japan 5%, Germany 4%, UK 4%, Singapore 2% (1998)

Fiscal year

1 April - 31 March

GDP

purchasing power parity - $158.2 billion (1999 est.)

GDP - composition by sector

agriculture

0.1%

industry

14.7%

services

85.2% (1997 est.)

GDP - per capita

purchasing power parity - $23,100 (1999 est.)

GDP - real growth rate

1.8% (1999 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share

lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA%

Imports

$174.4 billion (c.i.f., 1999)

Imports - commodities

foodstuffs, transport equipment, raw materials, semimanufactures, petroleum; a large share is reexported

Imports - partners

China 41%, Japan 13%, US 8%, Taiwan 7%, South Korea 5%, Singapore 4% (1998)

Industrial production growth rate

-8.7% (1998 est.)

Industries

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

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

-4% (1999 est.)

Labor force

3.36 million (1998 est.)

Labor force - by occupation

wholesale and retail trade, restaurants, and hotels 31.9%, social services 9.9%, manufacturing 9.2%, financing, insurance, and real estate 13.1%, transport and communications 5.7%, construction 2.6%, other 27.6% (October 1998)

Population below poverty line

NA%

Unemployment rate

6% (1999 est.)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs)

49 (1999)

Radio broadcast stations

AM 7, FM 13, shortwave 0 (1998)

Radios

4.45 million (1997)

Telephone system

modern facilities provide excellent domestic and international services

domestic

microwave radio relay links and extensive fiber-optic network

international

satellite earth stations - 3 Intelsat (1 Pacific Ocean and 2 Indian Ocean); coaxial cable to Guangzhou, China; access to 5 international submarine cables providing connections to ASEAN member nations, Japan, Taiwan, Australia, Middle East, and Western Europe

Telephones - main lines in use

3.708 million (1998)

Telephones - mobile cellular

2.4 million (July 1998)

Television broadcast stations

4 (plus two repeaters) (1997)

Televisions

1.84 million (1997)

Airports

3 (1999 est.)

Airports - with paved runways

total

3 over 3,047 m: 2 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (1999 est.)

Heliports

2 (1999 est.)

Highways

paved

1,831 km

total

1,831 km

unpaved

0 km (1997)

Merchant marine

note

a flag of convenience registry; includes ships from 13 countries among which are UK 16, South Africa 3, China 9, Japan 6, Bermuda 2, Germany 3, Canada 2, Cyprus 1, Belgium 1, and Norway 1 (1998 est.)

ships by type

barge carrier 1, bulk 157, cargo 28, chemical tanker 5, combination bulk 2, container 53, liquified gas 5, multi-functional large load carrier 2, petroleum tanker 14, short-sea passenger 1, vehicle carrier 3 (1999 est.)

total

271 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 7,942,646 GRT/13,101,275 DWT

Ports and harbors

Hong Kong

Railways

standard gauge

34 km 1.435-m gauge (all electrified) (1996 est.)

total

34 km

Military - note

defense is the responsibility of China

Military branches

Hong Kong garrison of China's People's Liberation Army (PLA) including 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

Military expenditures - dollar figure

$NA; note - separate budget for Hong Kong not established by China

Military expenditures - percent of GDP

NA%

Military manpower - availability

males age 15-49: 2,012,203 (2000 est.)

Military manpower - fit for military service

males age 15-49: 1,516,533 (2000 est.)

Military manpower - military age

18 years of age

Military manpower - reaching military age annually

males

46,485 (2000 est.)

Disputes - international

none

Illicit drugs

a hub for Southeast Asian heroin trade; transshipment and money-laundering center; increasing indigenous amphetamine abuse

HOWLAND ISLAND