Hong Kong

agricultural land:

5%;

• arable land 3.2%;
• permanent crops 0.9%;
• permanent pasture 0.9%

forest:

0%

other:

95% (2011 est.)

noun:

Chinese/Hong Konger

adjective:

Chinese/Hong Kong

at birth:

1.12 male(s)/female

0-14 years:

1.13 male(s)/female

15-24 years:

1.07 male(s)/female

25-54 years:

0.75 male(s)/female

55-64 years:

0.95 male(s)/female

65 years and over:

0.89 male(s)/female

total population:

0.87 male(s)/female (2015 est.)

conventional long form:

Hong Kong Special Administrative Region

conventional short form:

Hong Kong

local long form:

Heung Kong Takpit Hangching Ku (Eitel/Dyer-Ball); Xianggang Tebie Xingzhengqu (Hanyu Pinyin)

local short form:

Heung Kong (Eitel/Dyer-Ball); Xianggang (Hanyu Pinyin)

abbreviation:

HK

• 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

• several previous (governance documents while under British authority);
• latest drafted April 1988 to February 1989, approved March 1990, promulgated 4 April 1990 (Basic Law of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China serves as the constitution);
• note - since 1990, China's National People's Congress has interpreted specific articles of the Basic Law (2013)

• 18 years of age in direct elections for half the legislature and a majority of seats in 18 district councils;
• universal for permanent residents living in the territory of Hong Kong for the past seven years;
• note - in indirect elections, suffrage is limited to about 220,000 members of functional constituencies for the other half of the legislature and a 1,200-member election committee for the chief executive drawn from broad sectoral groupings, central government bodies, municipal organizations, and elected Hong Kong officials

chief of state:

President of China XI Jinping (since 14 March 2013)

head of government:

Chief Executive LEUNG Chun-ying [C.Y. LEUNG] (since 1 July 2012)

cabinet:

Executive Council or ExCo appointed by the chief executive

elections/appointments:

• president indirectly elected by National People's Congress for a 5-year term (eligible for a second term);
• election last held on 5-17 March 2013 (next to be held in March 2018);
• chief executive indirectly elected by the Election Committee and appointed by the Central People's Government for a 5-year term (eligible for a second term) ;
• LEUNG Chun-ying [C.Y.LEUNG] elected chief executive on 25 March 2012 and took office on 1 July 2012 (next to be held in March 2017)

election results:

LEUNG Chun-ying elected chief executive; Election Committee vote - LEUNG Chun-ying 689, Henry TANG 285, Albert HO 76

note: the Legislative Council voted in June 2010 to expand the electoral committee to 1,200 seats for the 2012 election

description:

unicameral Legislative Council or LegCo (70 seats; members directly elected in single- and multi-seat constituencies by several majority vote methods based on the rules of the individual constituencies; members serve 4-year terms)

elections:

last held on 9 September 2012 (next to be held in September 2016)

election results:

• percent of vote by block - pro-democracy 56%;
• pro-Beijing 41%, independent 3%;
• seats by block/party - pro-Beijing 43 (DAB 13, BPA 7, FTU 6, Liberal Party 5, NPP 2, other 10);
• pro-democracy 27 (Democratic Party 6, Civic Party 6, Labor Party 4, People Power 3, Professional Commons 2, League of Social Democrats 1, ADPL 1, PTU 1, Neo Democrats 1, NWSC 1);
• independent 2

highest court(s):

• Court of Final Appeal (consists of the chief justice, 3 permanent judges and 20 non-permanent judges);
• note - a sitting bench consists of the chief justice and 3 permanent and 1 non-permanent judges

judge selection and term of office:

• all judges appointed by the Hong Kong Chief Executive upon the recommendation of the Judicial Officers Recommendation Commission, an independent body consisting of the Secretary for Justice and other judges, judicial and legal professionals;
• permanent judges appointed until normal retirement at age 65, but can be extended;
• non-permanent judges appointed for renewable 3-year terms without age limit

subordinate courts:

• High Court (consists of the Court of Appeal and Court of First Instance);
• District Courts (includes Family and Land Courts);
• magistrates' courts;
• specialized tribunals

• Association for Democracy and People's Livelihood or ADPL [Bruce LIU Sing-lee]
• Business and Professional Alliance or BPA [Andrew LEUNG]
• Civic Party [EU Audrey]
• Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong or DAB [TAM Yiu-chung]
• Democratic Party [Emily LAU]
• Labor Party [LEE Cheuk-yan]
• League of Social Democrats or LSD [LEUNG Kwok-hung]
• Liberal Party [Felix CHUNG Kwok-pan]
• Neo Democrats [joint leaders]
• New People's Party [Regina IP Lau Su-yee]
• People Power [Erica YUEN Mi-ming]
• Confederation of Trade Unions or CTU
• Federation of Trade Unions or FTU
• Neighborhood and Workers Service Center or NWSC
• Professional Commons (think tank) [Charles Peter MOK]
• Professional Teachers Union or PTU

note: political blocs include: pro-democracy - ADPL, Civic Party, Democratic Party, Labor Party, LSD, People Power, Professional Commons; pro-Beijing - DAB, FTU, Liberal Party, New People's Party, BPA;

there is no political party ordinance, so there are no registered political parties; politically active groups register as societies or companies

• Chinese General Chamber of Commerce (pro-China)
• Chinese Manufacturers' Association of Hong Kong
• Civic Act-up [Cyd HO Sau-lan, Legislative Council of Hong Kong member] (pro-democracy)
• Confederation of Trade Unions or CTU [LEE Cheuk-yan, general secretary] (pro-democracy)
• Federation of Hong Kong Industries
• Federation of Trade Unions or FTU [LAM Shuk-yee, President] (pro-China)
• Hong Kong Alliance in Support of the Patriotic Democratic Movement in China [LEE Cheuk-yan, chairman]
• Hong Kong and Kowloon Trade Union Council (pro-Taiwan)
• Hong Kong General Chamber of Commerce
• Hong Kong Professional Teachers' Union [FUNG Wai-wah, president]
• Neighborhood and Workers' Service Center or NWSC [LEUNG Yui-chung, Legislative Council of Hong Kong member] (pro-democracy)

• none (Special Administrative Region of China);
• Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office (HKETO) carries out normal liaison and communication with the US Government and other US entities

commissioner:

Clement C.M. LEUNG

office:

1520 18th Street NW, Washington, DC 20036

telephone:

[1] 202 331-8947

FAX:

[1] 202 331-8958

HKETO offices:

New York, San Francisco

chief of mission:

Consul General Clifford A. HART Jr. (since 30 July 2013); note - also accredited to Macau

consulate(s) general:

26 Garden Road, Hong Kong

mailing address:

Unit 8000, Box 1, DPO AP 96521-0006

telephone:

[852] 2523-9011

FAX:

[852] 2845-1598

• red with a stylized, white, five-petal Bauhinia flower in the center;
• each petal contains a small, red, five-pointed star in its middle;
• the red color is the same as that on the Chinese flag and represents the motherland;
• the fragrant Bauhinia - developed in Hong Kong the late 19th century - has come to symbolize the region;
• the five stars echo those on the flag of China

• fresh vegetables and fruit;
• poultry, pork;
• fish

manufacturing:

3.8%

construction:

2.8%

wholesale and retail trade, restaurants, and hotels:

53.3%

financing, insurance, and real estate:

12.5%

transport and communications:

10.1%

community and social services:

17.1%

note: above data exclude public sector (2013 est.)

lowest 10%:

NA%

highest 10%:

NA%

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 (2012)

• 2 commercial terrestrial TV networks each with multiple stations;
• multi-channel satellite and cable TV systems available;
• 3 radio networks, one of which is government funded, operate about 15 radio stations (2012)

total:

2,099 km

paved:

2,099 km (2014)

country comparison to the world: 175

• no regular indigenous military forces;
• Hong Kong garrison of China's People's Liberation Army (PLA) includes 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 (2012)

males age 16-49:

1,704,090

females age 16-49:

1,873,175 (2010 est.)

males age 16-49:

1,387,213

females age 16-49:

1,505,875 (2010 est.)

male:

39,579

female:

36,554 (2010 est.)

• Hong Kong plans to reduce its 2,800-hectare Frontier Closed Area (FCA) to 400 hectares by 2015;
• the FCA was established in 1951 as a buffer zone between Hong Kong and mainland China to prevent illegal migration from and the smuggling of goods

• 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