Hong Kong
dependent territory of the UK scheduled toIndependence none (dependent territory of the UK
Hong Kong as the 1996 edition of the CIA World Factbook published it: 88 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.
No fields match. Try a shorter word.
Geography
Eastern Asia, bordering the South China Sea and China
15 fieldsLand useshare of 1,040 sq km
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
- lowest point:
- South China Sea 0 m
- highest point:
- Tai Mo Shan 958 m
Environment
- current issues:
- air and water pollution from rapid urbanization
- natural hazards:
- occasional typhoons
- international agreements:
- NA
People
15 fieldsPer 1,000 population(1996 est.)
Male · female(1996 est.)
Age structure
- 0-14 years:
- 19% (male 609,493; female 593,687)
- 15-64 years:
- 70% (male 2,312,141; female 2,094,156)
- 65 years and over:
- 11% (male 307,186; female 388,750) (July 1996 est.)
Sex ratio
- at birth:
- 1.06 male(s)/female
- under 15 years:
- 1.03 male(s)/female
- 15-64 years:
- 1.1 male(s)/female
- 65 years and over:
- 0.79 male(s)/female
- all ages:
- 1.05 male(s)/female (1996 est.)
Government
Dependent territory of the UK scheduled to; Queen ELIZABETH II (of the United Kingdom since 6 February 1952) is a hereditary monarch; Governor and President of the Executive Council Christopher Francis PATTEN (since 9 July 1992) was appointed by the Queen
21 fieldsLegislature, 60 seatsone dot, one seat
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)
Constitution
- unwritten;
- partly statutes, partly common law and practice;
- new Basic Law approved in March 1990 in preparation for 1997
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 professionals of electoral college and functional constituencies
Executive branch
- chief of state:
- Queen ELIZABETH II (of the United Kingdom since 6 February 1952) is a hereditary monarch
- head of government:
- Governor and President of the Executive Council Christopher Francis PATTEN (since 9 July 1992) was appointed by the Queen;
- Chief Secretary Anson CHAN Fang On-Sang (since 29 November 1993)
- cabinet:
- Executive Council was appointed by the Governor
Legislative Council
- indirect and direct elections last held 17 September 1995 (next to be held NA 1999);
- results - percent of vote by party NA;
- seats - (60 total, 30 indirectly elected by functional constituencies, 20 directly elected, 10 elected by election committee) Democratic Party 21, Liberal Party 10, Democratic Alliance for the Betterment of Hong Kong 6, other parties and independents 23
Political parties and leaders
- Democratic Party, Martin LEE, chairman;
- Liberal Party, Allen LEE, chairman;
- Democratic Alliance for the Betterment of Hong Kong, TSANG Yuk-shing, chairman;
- Hong Kong Democratic Foundation, Dr. Patrick SHIU Kin-ying, chairman
Other political or pressure groups
- Association for Democracy and People's Livelihood (ADPL), Frederick FUNG Kin Kee, chairman;
- Liberal Democratic Federation, HU Fa-kuang, chairman;
- Federation of Trade Unions (pro-China), LEE Chark-tim, president;
- Hong Kong and Kowloon Trade Union Council (pro-Taiwan);
- Confederation of Trade Unions (pro-democracy), LEE Cheuk-yan, chairman;
- 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, CHEUNG Man-kwong, president;
- Hong Kong Alliance in Support of the Patriotic Democratic Movement in China, Szeto WAH, chairman
International organization participation
APEC, AsDB, CCC, ESCAP (associate), ICFTU, IMO (associate), Interpol (subbureau), IOC, ISO (correspondent), WCL, WMO, WTrO
US diplomatic representation
- chief of mission:
- Consul General Richard W. MUELLER
- consulate general(s):
- 26 Garden Road, Hong Kong
- mailing address:
- PSC 464, Box 30, FPO AP 96522-0002
- telephone:
- [852] 2523-9011
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 bustling free market economy | with few tariffs or nontariff barriers.
21 fieldsGDP composition by sector(1995 est.)
Installed generating capacity, 8,930,000 kW
Economic 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 and construction account for about 18% of GDP. Goods and services exports account for about 50% of GDP. 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, 5.0% in 1992, 5.2% in 1993, 5.5% in 1994, and 5.0% in 1995.
Unemployment, which has been declining since the mid-1980s, edged up from 2% to 3.5% in 1995. Notwithstanding, a shortage of labor continues to put upward pressure on prices and the cost of living. Prospects for 1996 remain bright so long as major trading partners continue to be reasonably prosperous and so long as investors feel China will support free market practices after the takeover in 1997.
Labor force
2,915,400 (1994); 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)
Illicit drugs
- a hub for Southeast Asian heroin trade;
- transshipment and money-laundering center;
- increasing indigenous amphetamine abuse
Exports
$177.1 billion (including re-exports)(f.o.b., 1995 est.)
- commodities:
- clothing, textiles, yarn and fabric, footwear, electrical appliances, watches and clocks, toys
- partners:
- China 33%, US 22%, Germany 5%, Japan 5%, UK 3% (1993)
Imports
$195.4 billion (c.i.f., 1995)
- commodities:
- foodstuffs, transport equipment, raw materials, semimanufactures, petroleum; a large share is re-exported
- partners:
- China 38%, Japan 17%, Taiwan 9%, US 7% (1993)
Exchange rates
- Hong Kong dollars (HK$) per US$ - 7.800 (1995), 7.800 (1994), 7.800 (1993), 7.741 (1992), 7.771 (1991);
- note - linked to the US dollar at the rate of about 7.8 HK$ per 1 US$ since 1985
Transportation
6 fieldsAirports by runway lengthpaved left, unpaved right · 2 in all
Networkskm
Merchant marine
- total:
- 238 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 8,632,224 GRT/14,820,657 DWT
- ships by type:
- bulk 129, cargo 32, chemical tanker 1, combination bulk 4, combination ore/oil 3, container 39, liquefied gas tanker 3, multifunction large load carrier 1, oil tanker 17, refrigerated cargo 5, short-sea passenger 1, vehicle carrier 3
note: a flag of convenience registry; includes ships from 17 countries among which are UK 51, China 11, Belgium 8, South Africa 8, US 8, Japan 7, Bermuda 6, Switzerland 6, Germany 3, and Israel 3 (1995 est.)
Communications
Headquarters of British Forces, Army, Royal Navy, Royal | Air Force, Royal Hong Kong Auxiliary Air Force, Royal Hong Kong | Police Force
10 fieldsTelephone 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
Television broadcast stations
4 (British Broadcasting Corporation repeater 1; British Forces Broadcasting Service repeater 1)
Branches
Headquarters of British Forces, Army, Royal Navy, Royal Air Force, Royal Hong Kong Auxiliary Air Force, Royal Hong Kong Police Force
Manpower availability
- males age 15-49:
- 1,895,535
- males fit for military service:
- 1,442,072
- males reach military age (18) annually:
- 46,248 (1996 est.)
Defense expenditures
- exchange rate conversion - $207 million, 0.2% of GDP (FY92/93);
- this represents 65% of the total cost of defending the colony, the remainder being paid by the UK
Defense note
defense is the responsibility of the UK until 1 July 1997, when China will assume command
Cite this entry
Central Intelligence Agency. “Hong Kong.” The World Factbook 1996. Archived by The Factbook, thefactbook.org/hong-kong/1996.