Hong Kong

colony of the UKIndependence none (colony of the UK)

Hong Kong as the 1990 edition of the CIA World Factbook published it: 72 fields, one of 36 editions from 1990 to 2025.

field in that editiontext changed from the edition beforenot in that editionthe open editionEach field below ends in its editions, 1990 to 2025. Point at a year above to follow it down.

CapitalVictoria

Area1,040 km2

Populationas each edition published it

5.76 million July 1990 · 7.31m in 2025

Population growth% a year

Not in this edition -0.06% in 1993

Median ageyears

Not in this edition 37.5 yrs in 2003

Life expectancyyears at birth

Not in this edition 79.99 yrs in 1993

Fertility ratechildren per woman

1.4 children per woman 1990 · 1.24 in 2025

Infant mortalitydeaths per 1,000 live births

6 deaths per 1,000 live births 1990 · 2.4 in 2025

GDP per capitaeach edition's own dollars

Not in this edition $14,600 in 1993

GDP real growth% a year

Not in this edition 5.9% in 1993

Geography

13 fields

Land useshare of 1,040 km2

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

Total area

1,040km2

land area: 990 km2Comparative area: slightly less than six times the size of Washington, DC

Coastline

733km

Territorial sea: 3 nm

Land boundary

30km with China

Disputes

scheduled to become a Special Administrative Region of China in 1997

Climate

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

Terrain

hilly to mountainous with steep slopes; lowlands in north

Environment

more than 200 islands; occasional typhoons

People

14 fields

Population

5,759,990

(July 1990), growth rate 1.0% (1990)

Per 1,000 population(1990)

Birth

13Death

5Net migration

Ethnic divisions

Chinese 98%other 2%

Religion

eclectic mixture of local religions 90%Christian 10%

Literacy

75%

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)

Government

Colony of the UK

18 fields

Type

colony of the UK; scheduled to revert to China in 1997

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

Constitution

unwritten; partly statutes, partly common law and practice

Executive branch

British monarch, governor, chief secretary of the Executive Council

Judicial branch

Supreme Court 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)

limited to about 71,000 professionals of electoral college and functional constituencies Legislative Council--indirect elections last held 26 September 1985 (next to be held in September 1991) seats--(58 total; 26 elected, 32 appointed)

Communists

5,000 (est.) cadres affiliated with Communist Party of China

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.

Member of

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

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

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

Economy

Hong Kong has a free-market economy and is autonomous in financial affairs.

16 fields

GDP, purchasing power parity

$57billion

per capita $10,000; real growth rate 3% (1989)

Inflation, consumer prices

9.5%

(1989)

Unemployment rate

1.6%

(1988)

External debt

$9.6billion

(December 1988)

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.

Budget

$6.9 billion (FY89)

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%

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)

Electricity

7,800,000 kW capacity; 23,000 million kWh produced, 4,030 kWh per capita (1989)

Industries

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

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

Currency

Hong Kong dollar (plural--dollars); 1 Hong Kong dollar (HK$) = 100 cents

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

Fiscal year

1 April-31 March

Communications

7 fields

Merchant marine, 134 ships by type

passenger 1short-sea passenger 1cargo 11refrigerated cargo 10container 13roll-on/roll-off cargo 2petroleum, oils, and lubricants (POL) tanker 10chemical tanker 1combination ore/oil 9liquefied gas 7bulk; 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 69134 ships (1,000 GRT or over), totaling 4,391,102 GRT/7,430,337 DWT

Networkskm

Highways

1,100Railroads

Highways: ; 794 km paved, 306 km gravel, crushed stone, or earth · Railroads: , government owned

Railroads

35 km 1.435-meter standard gauge, government owned

Highways

1,100 km total; 794 km paved, 306 km gravel, crushed stone, or earth

Ports

Hong Kong

Civil air

16 major transport aircraft

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

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