CIA World Fact Book, 2004/Hong Kong


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!| 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.
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!| Location: !| Geographic coordinates: !| Map references: !| Area: water: 50 sq km land: 1,042 sq km !| Area - comparative: !| Land boundaries: regional border: China 30 km !| Coastline: !| Maritime claims: !| Climate: !| Terrain: !| Elevation extremes: highest point: Tai Mo Shan 958 m !| Natural resources: !| Land use: other: 93.94% (2001) permanent crops: 1.01% !| Irrigated land: !| Natural hazards: !| Environment - current issues: !| Environment - international agreements: !| Geography - note:
 * Eastern Asia, bordering the South China Sea and China
 * 22 15 N, 114 10 E
 * Southeast Asia
 * total: 1,092 sq km
 * six times the size of Washington, DC
 * total: 30 km
 * 733 km
 * territorial sea: 3 nm
 * tropical monsoon; cool and humid in winter, hot and rainy from spring through summer, warm and sunny in fall
 * hilly to mountainous with steep slopes; lowlands in north
 * lowest point: South China Sea 0 m
 * outstanding deepwater harbor, feldspar
 * arable land: 5.05%
 * 20 sq km (1998 est.)
 * occasional typhoons
 * air and water pollution from rapid urbanization
 * party to: Marine Dumping (associate member)
 * more than 200 islands
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!| Population: !| Age structure: 15-64 years: 73.3% (male 2,461,914; female 2,560,382) 65 years and over: 12.5% (male 394,697; female 462,285) (2004 est.) !| Median age: male: 39.3 years female: 39.6 years (2004 est.) !| Population growth rate: !| Birth rate: !| Death rate: !| Net migration rate: !| Sex ratio: under 15 years: 1.1 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.96 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.85 male(s)/female total population: 0.97 male(s)/female (2004 est.) !| Infant mortality rate: female: 2.77 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.) male: 3.16 deaths/1,000 live births !| Life expectancy at birth: male: 78.72 years female: 84.3 years (2004 est.) !| Total fertility rate: !| HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: !| HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: !| HIV/AIDS - deaths: !| Nationality: adjective: Chinese/Hong Kong !| Ethnic groups: !| Religions: !| Languages: !| Literacy: total population: 93.5% male: 96.9% female: 89.6% (2002)
 * 6,855,125 (July 2004 est.)
 * 0-14 years: 14.2% (male 510,702; female 465,145)
 * total: 39.4 years
 * 0.65% (2004 est.)
 * 7.23 births/1,000 population (2004 est.)
 * 5.98 deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.)
 * 5.24 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2004 est.)
 * at birth: 1.09 male(s)/female
 * total: 2.97 deaths/1,000 live births
 * total population: 81.39 years
 * 0.91 children born/woman (2004 est.)
 * 0.1% (2003 est.)
 * 2,600 (2003 est.)
 * less than 200 (2003 est.)
 * noun: Chinese/Hong Konger
 * Chinese 95%, other 5%
 * eclectic mixture of local religions 90%, Christian 10%
 * Chinese (Cantonese), English; both are official
 * definition: age 15 and over has ever attended school
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!| Country name: conventional short form: Hong Kong local short form: Xianggang local long form: Xianggang Tebie Xingzhengqu abbreviation: HK !| Dependency status: !| Government type: !| Administrative divisions: !| Independence: !| National holiday: !| Constitution: !| Legal system: !| Suffrage: !| Executive branch: head of government: Chief Executive TUNG Chee-hwa (since 1 July 1997) cabinet: Executive Council consists of seven non-official members and 14 official members; including Chief Secretary Donald TSANG Yam-kuen (since 1 May 2001), Financial Secretary Henry TANG (since 2 August 2003), and Secretary of Justice Elsie LEUNG (since 1 July 1997) elections: TUNG Chee-hwa was elected to a second term in March 2002 by an 800-member election committee dominated by pro-Beijing forces; the next election is scheduled to be held in 2007 !| Legislative branch: elections: last held 12 September 2004 (next to be held in September 2008) election results: percent of vote by party - pro-democracy group 62%; seats by party - (pro-Beijing 34) DAB 12, Liberal Party 10, independents 11, FTU 1; (pro-democracy 25) independents 11, Democratic Party 9, CTU 2, ADPL 1, Frontier Party 1, NWSC 1 !| Judicial branch: !| Political parties and leaders: note: political blocs include: pro-democracy - Association for Democracy and People's Livelihood, 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: !| International organization participation: !| Diplomatic representation in the US: !| Diplomatic representation from the US: consulate(s) general: 26 Garden Road, Hong Kong mailing address: PSC 461, Box 1, FPO AP 96521-0006 telephone: [852] 2523-9011 FAX: [852] 2524-0860 !| Flag description:
 * conventional long form: Hong Kong Special Administrative Region
 * special administrative region of China
 * limited democracy
 * none (special administrative region of China)
 * none (special administrative region of China)
 * 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
 * Basic Law approved in March 1990 by China's National People's Congress is Hong Kong's "mini-constitution"
 * based on English common law
 * 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
 * chief of state: President of China HU Jintao (since 15 March 2003)
 * 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)
 * Court of Final Appeal in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region
 * Association for Democracy and People's Livelihood or ADPL [Frederick FUNG Kin-kee, chairman]; Citizens Party [Alex CHAN Kai-chung]; Democratic Alliance for the Betterment of Hong Kong or DAB [MA Lik, chairman]; Democratic Party [LEE Wing-tat, chairman]; Frontier Party [Emily LAU Wai-hing, chairwoman]; Liberal Party [James TIEN Pei-chun, chairman]
 * Chinese General Chamber of Commerce (pro-China); Chinese Manufacturers' Association of Hong Kong; Confederation of Trade Unions (pro-democracy) [LAU Chin-shek, president; LEE Cheuk-yan, general secretary]; Federation of Hong Kong Industries; Federation of Trade Unions (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]; The Alliance [Bernard CHAN, exco member]
 * APEC, AsDB, BIS, ICC, ICFTU, IHO, IMF, IMO (associate), Interpol (subbureau), IOC, ISO (correspondent), UPU, WCL, WCO, WMO, WToO (associate), WTO
 * none (special administrative region of China)
 * chief of mission: Consul General James KEITH
 * red with a stylized, white, five-petal bauhinia flower in the center
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!| Economy - overview: !| GDP: !| GDP - real growth rate: !| GDP - per capita: !| GDP - composition by sector: industry: 12.1% services: 87.9% (2003 est.) !| Investment (gross fixed): !| Population below poverty line: !| Household income or consumption by percentage share: highest 10%: NA !| Inflation rate (consumer prices): !| Labor force: !| Labor force - by occupation: !| Unemployment rate: !| Budget: expenditures: $32.64 billion, including capital expenditures of $5 billion (2003) !| Agriculture - products: !| Industries: !| Industrial production growth rate: !| Electricity - production: !| Electricity - consumption: !| Electricity - exports: !| Electricity - imports: !| Oil - production: !| Oil - consumption: !| Oil - exports: !| Oil - imports: !| Natural gas - production: !| Natural gas - consumption: !| Natural gas - exports: !| Natural gas - imports: !| Current account balance: !| Exports: !| Exports - commodities: !| Exports - partners: !| Imports: !| Imports - commodities: !| Imports - partners: !| Reserves of foreign exchange & gold: !| Debt - external: !| Currency: !| Currency code: !| Exchange rates: !| Fiscal year:
 * Hong Kong has a free market economy highly dependent on international trade. Natural resources are limited, and food and raw materials must be imported. 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. Hong Kong has been further integrating its economy with China because China's growing openness to the world economy has increased competitive pressure on Hong Kong's service industries, and Hong Kong's re-export business from China is a major driver of growth. Per capita GDP compares with the level in the four big economies of Western Europe. GDP growth averaged a strong 5% in 1989-1997, but Hong Kong suffered two recessions in the past 6 years because of the Asian financial crisis in 1998 and the global downturn of 2001-2002. The Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) outbreak also battered Hong Kong's economy, but a boom in tourism from the mainland because of China's easing of travel restrictions, a return of consumer confidence, and a solid rise in exports resulted in the resumption of strong growth in late 2003.
 * purchasing power parity - $213 billion (2003 est.)
 * 3.3% (2003 est.)
 * purchasing power parity - $28,800 (2003 est.)
 * agriculture: 0.1%
 * 22.3% of GDP (2003)
 * NA
 * lowest 10%: NA
 * -2.6% (2003 est.)
 * 3.5 million (2003 est.)
 * manufacturing 8.2%, construction 2.9%, wholesale and retail trade, restaurants, and hotels 43.5%, financing, insurance, and real estate 19.5%, transport and communications 7.8%, community and social services 17.8% (Note: above data exclude public sector) (2002 est.)
 * 7.9% (2003)
 * revenues: $26.17 billion
 * fresh vegetables, poultry, fish, pork
 * textiles, clothing, tourism, banking, shipping, electronics, plastics, toys, watches, clocks
 * -9.2% (2003 est.)
 * 30.48 billion kWh (2001)
 * 37.12 billion kWh (2001)
 * 1.581 billion kWh (2001)
 * 10.36 billion kWh (2001)
 * 0 bbl/day (2001 est.)
 * 257,000 bbl/day (2001 est.)
 * NA (2001)
 * NA (2001)
 * 0 cu m (2001 est.)
 * 680.9 million cu m (2001 est.)
 * 0 cu m (2001 est.)
 * 680.9 million cu m (2001 est.)
 * $17.42 billion (2003)
 * $225.9 billion f.o.b., including reexports (2003 est.)
 * electrical machinery and appliances, textiles, apparel, footwear, watches and clocks, toys, plastics, precious stones
 * China 42.6%, US 18.7%, Japan 5.4% (2003)
 * $230.3 billion (2003 est.)
 * electrical machinery and appliances, textiles, foodstuffs, transport equipment, raw materials, semimanufactures, petroleum, plastics; a large share is reexported
 * China 43.5%, Japan 11.9%, Taiwan 6.9%, US 5.5%, Singapore 5%, South Korea 4.8% (2003)
 * $118.4 billion (2003)
 * $59.21 billion (2003 est.)
 * Hong Kong dollar (HKD)
 * HKD
 * Hong Kong dollars per US dollar - 7.7868 (2003), 7.7989 (2002), 7.7988 (2001), 7.7912 (2000), 7.7575 (1999)
 * 1 April - 31 March
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!| Telephones - main lines in use: !| Telephones - mobile cellular: !| Telephone system: domestic: microwave radio relay links and extensive fiber-optic network international: country code - 852; 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 !| Radio broadcast stations: !| Radios: !| Television broadcast stations: !| Televisions: !| Internet country code: !| Internet hosts: !| Internet Service Providers (ISPs): !| Internet users:
 * 3,801,300 (2003)
 * 7,241,400 (2003)
 * general assessment: modern facilities provide excellent domestic and international services
 * AM 5, FM 9, shortwave 0 (2004)
 * 4.45 million (1997)
 * 4 (2004)
 * 1.84 million (1997)
 * .hk
 * 591,993 (2003)
 * 17 (2000)
 * 3,212,800 (2003)
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!| Highways: paved: 1,831 km unpaved: 0 km (1999 est.) !| Ports and harbors: !| Merchant marine: registered in other countries: 569 (2004 est.) foreign-owned: Australia 2, Belgium 1, British Virgin Islands 1, China 178, Cyprus 1, Denmark 3, France 2, Germany 14, Greece 4, India 9, Indonesia 2, Japan 22, South Korea 2, Malaysia 3, Monaco 9, Norway 16, Panama 4, Philippines 17, Singapore 22, Taiwan 3, Thailand 1, United Kingdom 22, United States 1 by type: barge carrier 1, bulk 364, cargo 78, chemical tanker 23, combination bulk 2, combination ore/oil 3, container 97, liquefied gas 20, multi-functional large load carrier 1, petroleum tanker 60, refrigerated cargo 3, roll on/roll off 4, short-sea/passenger 1, specialized tanker 2, vehicle carrier 4 !| Airports: !| Airports - with paved runways: over 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 under 914 m: 1 (2004 est.) 914 to 1523 m: 1 !| Heliports:
 * total: 1,831 km
 * Hong Kong
 * total: 663 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 20,478,042 GRT/34,554,455 DWT
 * 4 (2003 est.)
 * total: 4
 * 2 (2003 est.)
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!| Military branches: !| Military manpower - military age and obligation: !| Military manpower - availability: !| Military manpower - fit for military service: !| Military manpower - reaching military age annually: !| Military expenditures - dollar figure: !| Military expenditures - percent of GDP: !| Military - note:
 * no regular indigenous military forces; 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
 * 18 years of age (2004 est.)
 * males age 15-49: 1,878,574 (2004 est.)
 * males age 15-49: 1,404,705 (2004 est.)
 * males: 41,821 (2004 est.)
 * Hong Kong garrison is funded by China; figures are NA
 * NA (FY02)
 * defense is the responsibility of China
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