Hong Kong

Hong Kong Special Administrative RegionXianggang Tebie Xingzhengqu

limited democracyIndependence none (special administrative region of China)

Hong Kong as the 2007 edition of the CIA World Factbook published it: 126 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.

Position22 15 N, 114 10 E
Area1,092 sq km
LocationEastern Asia, bordering the South China Sea and China
Populationas each edition published it
6.98 million July 2007 est. · 5.76m in 1990
Population growth% a year
0.561% 2007 est. · -0.06% in 1993
Median ageyears
41.2 years 2007 est. · 37.5 yrs in 2003
Life expectancyyears at birth
81.68 years 2007 est. · 79.99 yrs in 1993
Fertility ratechildren per woman
0.98 children per woman 2007 est. · 1.4 in 1990
Infant mortalitydeaths per 1,000 live births
2.94 deaths per 1,000 live births 2007 est. · 6 in 1990
GDP per capitaeach edition's own dollars
$37,300 2006 est. · $14,600 in 1993
GDP real growth% a year
6.9% 2006 est. · 5.9% in 1993

Introduction

1 field

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 imposed on 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.

Geography

Eastern Asia, bordering the South China Sea and China

18 fields

Land useshare of 1,092 sq km

arable land 5.05%permanent crops 1.01%other 93.94% (2001)irrigated 20 sq km (1998 est.)
Area
1,092sq km
land: 1,042 sq kmwater: 50 sq kmsix times the size of Washington, DC
Coastline
733km
territorial sea: 3 nm
Highest point
958m
Tai Mo Shanlowest point: South China Sea 0 m
Land boundaries
30km
regional border: China 30 km

Location

Eastern Asia, bordering the South China Sea and China

Geographic coordinates

22 15 N, 114 10 E

Map references

Southeast Asia

Climate

subtropical 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

Natural resources

outstanding deepwater harbor, feldspar

Natural hazards

occasional typhoons

Environment - current issues

air and water pollution from rapid urbanization

Environment - international agreements

party to: Marine Dumping (associate member), Ship Pollution (associate member)

Geography - note

more than 200 islands

People

19 fields

Age structuremale left, female right · (2007 est.)

419,479
65 and over12.9%
482,340
2,515,518
15-6474%
2,652,660
476,089
0-1413%
434,326
MaleFemale
Population
6,980,412
(July 2007 est.)growth rate: 0.561% (2007 est.)

Per 1,000 population(2007 est.)

Birth
7.34Death
6.45Net migration
4.72

Male · female

TotalMale · femaleLife expectancy years (2007 est.)81.68
78.99 · 84.6Infant mortality deaths/1,000 live births (2007 est.)2.94
3.12 · 2.74
TotalMale · femaleLiteracy (2002)93.5%
96.9% · 89.6%Median age years (2007 est.)41.2
40.9 · 41.4
MaleFemaleLiteracy definition: age 15 and over has ever attended school

Ethnic groups(2001 census)

Chinese 94.9%Filipino 2.1%other 3% (2001 census)

Sex ratio

at birth:
1.08 male(s)/female
under 15 years:
1.096 male(s)/female
15-64 years:
0.948 male(s)/female
65 years and over:
0.87 male(s)/female
total population:
0.956 male(s)/female (2007 est.)

Total fertility rate

0.98 children born/woman (2007 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths

less than 200 (2003 est.)

Nationality

noun:
Chinese/Hong Konger
adjective:
Chinese/Hong Kong

Religions

eclectic mixture of local religions 90%, Christian 10%

Languages

Chinese (Cantonese) 89.2% (official), other Chinese dialects 6.4%, English 3.2% (official), other 1.2% (2001 census)

Government

Limited democracy; President of China HU Jintao (since 15 March 2003); Chief Executive Donald TSANG (since 24 June 2005)

18 fields

Presidential electionpercent of vote

63%
pro-democracy 63%pro-Beijing 37%last held 12 September 2004 (next to be held in September 2008)

Legislative Council or LEGCO, 60 seats, elected 12 September 2004one dot, one seat

(pro-Beijing 34) DAB 12Liberal Party 10FTU 1independents 11(pro-democracy 25) Democratic Party 9CTU 2ADPL 1Frontier Party 1NWSC 1independents 11non-voting LEGCO president 1

Percent of vote

pro-democracy 63%pro-Beijing 37%

Country name

conventional long form:
Hong Kong Special Administrative Region
conventional short form:
Hong Kong
local long form:
Xianggang Tebie Xingzhengqu
local short form:
Xianggang
abbreviation:
HK

Dependency status

special administrative region of China

Government type

limited democracy

Administrative divisions

none (special administrative region of China)

Independence

none (special administrative region of China)

National holiday

  • National Day (Anniversary of the Founding of the People's Republic of China), 1 October (1949);
  • note - 1 July 1997 is celebrated as Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Establishment Day

Constitution

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

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 200,000 members of functional constituencies and an 800-member election committee drawn from broad regional groupings, municipal organizations, and central government bodies

Executive branch

chief of state:
President of China HU Jintao (since 15 March 2003)
head of government:
Chief Executive Donald TSANG (since 24 June 2005)
cabinet:
Executive Council consists of 14 official members and 15 non-official members
elections:
chief executive elected for five-year term by 800-member electoral committee; last held on 25 March 2007 (next to be held in 2012)
election results:
Donald TSANG elected chief executive receiving 84.1% of the vote; Alan LEONG received 15.9%

Legislative branch

unicameral Legislative Council or LEGCO (60 seats; in 2004 30 seats indirectly elected by functional constituencies, 30 elected by popular vote; members serve four-year terms)

elections:
last held 12 September 2004 (next to be held in September 2008)
election results:
  • percent of vote by party - pro-democracy 63%, pro-Beijing 37%;
  • seats by party - (pro-Beijing 34) DAB 12, Liberal Party 10, FTU 1, independents 11;
  • (pro-democracy 25) Democratic Party 9, CTU 2, ADPL 1, Frontier Party 1, NWSC 1, independents 11;
  • non-voting LEGCO president 1

Judicial branch

Court of Final Appeal in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region

Political parties and leaders

  • Association for Democracy and People's Livelihood or ADPL [Frederick FUNG Kin-kee];
  • Citizens Party [Alex CHAN Kai-chung];
  • Civic Party [KUAN Hsin-chi];
  • Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong or DAB [MA Lik];
  • Democratic Party [Albert HO];
  • Frontier Party [Emily LAU Wai-hing];
  • Liberal Party [James TIEN Pei-chun]

note: political blocs include: pro-democracy - ADPL, Democratic Party, Frontier Party; pro-Beijing - DAB, Liberal Party

Political pressure groups and leaders

  • Chinese General Chamber of Commerce (pro-China);
  • Chinese Manufacturers' Association of Hong Kong;
  • Confederation of Trade Unions or CTU (pro-democracy) [LAU Chin-shek, president; LEE Cheuk-yan, general secretary];
  • Federation of Hong Kong Industries;
  • Federation of Trade Unions or FTU (pro-China) [CHENG Yiu-tong, executive councilor];
  • 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 [CHEUNG Man-kwong, president];
  • Neighborhood and Workers' Service Center or NWSC (pro-democracy);
  • The Alliance [Bernard CHAN, exco member]

International organization participation

APEC, AsDB, BIS, ICC, IHO, IMF, IMO (associate), IOC, ISO (correspondent), ITUC, UNWTO (associate), UPU, WCL, WCO, WMO, WTO

Diplomatic representation in the US

none (special administrative region of China)

Diplomatic representation from the US

chief of mission:
Consul General James B. CUNNINGHAM
consulate(s) general:
26 Garden Road, Hong Kong
mailing address:
PSC 461, Box 1, FPO AP 96521-0006
telephone:
[852] 2523-9011
FAX:
[852] 2845-1598

Flag description

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

Economy

Hong Kong has a free market economy highly dependent on international trade.

47 fields
GDP, purchasing power parity
$259.1billion
(2006 est.)official exchange rate: $188.8 billion (2006 est.)
GDP per capita, PPP
$37,300
(2006 est.)
Real growth rate
6.9%
(2006 est.)industrial production growth: 4% (2006 est.)

GDP - composition by sector(2006 est.)

agriculture 0.1%industry 8.6%services 91.3% (2006 est.)

Trading partnersexports left, imports right

47%
China
45.9%
15.1%
US
4.8%
4.9%
Japan
10.3%
Taiwan
7.5%
Singapore
6.3%
South Korea
4.6%
Exports $317.6 billion f.o.b. , including reexports (2006 est.)Imports $331.7 billion (2006 est.)(2006)

Budget

Revenues
$35.18 billionExpenditures
$32.18 billion (2006 est.)

Electricity

Electricity production
36.14 billion (2005)Electricity consumption
37.74 billion (2005)Electricity exports
4.498 billion (2005)Electricity imports
11 billion (2005)

Economy - overview

Hong Kong has a free market economy highly dependent on international trade. The territory has become more closely linked to mainland China over the past few years. Even before Hong Kong reverted to Chinese administration on 1 July 1997, it had extensive trade and investment ties with China.

Hong Kong's service industry over the past decade has grown rapidly as its manufacturing industry has moved to the mainland. Hong Kong also has stepped up its efforts to gain approval to offer more mainland financial services in a bid to remain competitive with China's growing financial centers.

Hong Kong's natural resources are limited, and food and raw materials must be imported. Gross imports and exports (including reexports to and from third countries) each exceed GDP in dollar value. Per capita GDP exceeds that of the four big economies of Western Europe. GDP growth averaged a strong 5% from 1989 to 2006, but Hong Kong suffered two recessions in the past eight years because of the Asian financial crisis in 1997-98 and the global downturn in 2001-02.

Although the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) outbreak in 2003 also battered Hong Kong's economy, a solid rise in exports, a boom in tourism from the mainland because of China's easing of travel restrictions, and a return of consumer confidence resulted in the resumption of strong growth from late 2003 through 2006.

Moreover, several large initial public offerings of Chinese companies on the Hong Kong stock exchange since late 2005 have helped to boost Hong Kong's status as a financial hub and have contributed to the improved performance of the market in late 2006.

Labor force

3.583 million (2006 est.)

Labor force - by occupation

manufacturing 7.5%, construction 2.9%, wholesale and retail trade, restaurants, and hotels 43.9%, financing, insurance, and real estate 19.6%, transport and communications 7.1%, community and social services 18.8% note: above data exclude public sector (2005 est.)

Unemployment rate

4.9% (2006 est.)

Investment (gross fixed)

21.8% of GDP (2006 est.)

Public debt

13.3% of GDP (2006 est.)

Agriculture - products

  • fresh vegetables;
  • poultry, pork;
  • fish

Industries

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

Oil - production

0 bbl/day (2005 est.)

Oil - consumption

285,000 bbl/day (2005 est.)

Oil - exports

26,090 bbl/day (2004)

Oil - imports

344,200 bbl/day (2004)

Oil - proved reserves

0 bbl (1 January 2006)

Natural gas - production

0 cu m (2005 est.)

Natural gas - consumption

2.944 billion cu m (2005 est.)

Natural gas - exports

0 cu m (2005 est.)

Natural gas - imports

2.944 billion cu m (2005)

Current account balance

$20.59 billion (2006 est.)

Exports

$317.6 billion f.o.b., including reexports (2006 est.)

Exports - commodities

electrical machinery and appliances, textiles, apparel, footwear, watches and clocks, toys, plastics, precious stones, printed material

Imports

$331.7 billion (2006 est.)

Imports - commodities

raw materials and semi-manufactures, consumer goods, capital goods, foodstuffs, fuel (most is re-exported)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

$133.2 billion (2006 est.)

Debt - external

$72.79 billion (2006 est.)

Currency (code)

Hong Kong dollar (HKD)

Exchange rates

Hong Kong dollars per US dollar - 7.7678 (2006), 7.7773 (2005), 7.788 (2004), 7.7868 (2003), 7.7989 (2002)

Fiscal year

1 April - 31 March

Communications

8 fields
Mobile cellular
9.356 million
(2006)
Internet users
812,137
(2007)
Fixed lines
3.85 million
(2006) · country code .hk

Telephone system

general assessment:
modern facilities provide excellent domestic and international services
domestic:
microwave radio relay links and extensive fiber-optic network
international:
  • country code - 852;
  • multiple international submarine cables provide connections to Asia, US, Australia, the Middle East, and Western Europe;
  • satellite earth stations - 3 Intelsat (1 Pacific Ocean and 2 Indian Ocean);
  • coaxial cable to Guangzhou, China

Radio broadcast stations

AM 5, FM 9, shortwave 0 (2004)

Television broadcast stations

55 (2 TV networks, each broadcasting on 2 channels) (2006)

Internet users

3.77 million (2006)

Transportation

6 fields

Merchant marine, 1,009 ships by typeships (1000 GRT or over) 34,556,075 GRT/57,423,309 DWT

barge carrier 2bulk carrier 499cargo 135chemical tanker 51combination ore/oil 3container 173liquefied gas 24passenger 6passenger/cargo 5petroleum tanker 91roll on/roll off 4specialized tanker 8vehicle carrier 8foreign-owned: 617 (Belgium 4, Canada 39, China 309, Denmark 12, France 1, Germany 10, Greece 30, Indonesia 7, Japan 78, South Korea 6, Lebanon 1, Norway 30, Pakistan 1, Philippines 10, Portugal 1, Singapore 11, Syria 1, Taiwan 11, UAE 1, UK 32, US 22) · registered in other countries: 275 (Bahamas 3, Belize 5, Bermuda 4, Cambodia 11, China 6, Cyprus 2, Honduras 1, India 1, Liberia 21, Malaysia 14, Malta 1, Marshall Islands 4, Mongolia 1, Norway 5, Panama 137, Philippines 2, Seychelles 1, Singapore 37, St Vincent and The Grenadines 7, Tuvalu 10, UK 2, unknown 7) (2007)

Airports by runway lengthpaved only

over 3,047 m
11,524 to 2,437 m
1

Airports

2 (2007)

Heliports

5 (2007)

Roadways

total:
1,955 km
paved:
1,955 km (2005)

Military

7 fields

Military branches

  • no regular indigenous military forces;
  • Hong Kong garrison of China's People's Liberation Army (PLA) includes elements of Ground Forces, Navy, and 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

Manpower available for military service

males age 18-49:
1,743,972
females age 18-49:
1,904,967 (2005 est.)

Manpower fit for military service

males age 18-49:
1,403,088
females age 18-49:
1,527,278 (2005 est.)

Manpower reaching military service age annually

males age 18-49:
40,343
females age 18-49:
38,234 (2005 est.)

Military - note

defense is the responsibility of China

Transnational Issues

2 fields

Illicit drugs

  • despite strenuous law enforcement efforts, faces difficult challenges in controlling transit of heroin and methamphetamine to regional and world markets;
  • modern banking system provides conduit for money laundering;
  • rising indigenous use of synthetic drugs, especially among young people

Cite this entry

Central Intelligence Agency. “Hong Kong.” The World Factbook 2007. Archived by The Factbook, thefactbook.org/hong-kong/2007.