Physical. Hong Kong is located in Eastern Asia bordering the South China Sea. It covers an area roughly six times the size of Washington, DC. The climate is cool and humid in the winter, hot and rainy during spring and summer, and warm and sunny in the fall. Many of the land formations in Hong Kong are hilly and mountainous with steep slopes, while some lowlands exist in the north. The country's two major natural resources are a large deepwater harbor and feldspar.

People. Hong Kong is home to more than 6.8 million people. Cantonese is the primary language of Hong Kong although English is an official language as well. Ethnically, the people of Hong Kong are overwhelmingly descended from Chinese ancestors (95%). Hong Kong' s religious practices are largely a majority of assorted local religions (90%) and Christianity (10%).

Government. Following 160 years of British control (except for four years under Japan during WWII) China recovered control on July 1, 1997 and agreed to rule Hong Kong as a Special Administrative Region within China. For the next 50 years, this allows the local Chinese and British to serve in administrative positions. Further concessions call for the maintenance of the capitalistic structure, private property ownership and respect for basic human rights. Pro-democracy politicians swept the 1998 elections indicating the desire of the people for more democracy.

Although China did not impose massive changes to the structure of democracy in Hong Kong, it appears that new restrictions are being felt, little by little. Right now, an anti-subversion law which will give the government more power to define ordinary journalists, labor activists and academics as subversives is the subject of huge demonstrations on both sides of the question. Other examples include a newspaper bureau chief fired after criticizing restrictions on freedom of the press and pressure on Hong Kong to clamp down on the Falun Gong religious movement.

Economy. Hong Kong is one of the central financial and trading centers of the world. It exports billions of dollars worth of products in the world each year. It is home to the world’s eighth largest stock market, the fifth largest banking sector and its economy is the sixth richest in the world. Its fine harbor, new$21 billion dollar airport and information technology “cyberport” will continue to fuel the economy despite concerns over its political future. Close to 9,000 multinational corporations have offices in Hong Kong. 

Areas of Concern. Balancing the needs of the environment with rapid urbanization is of concern. The restriction of freedoms that may be imposed by the Chinese mainland government is also a concern.

Geography
Area: 671 square miles
Capital: Victoria (pop NA)
Environmental concerns: air and water pollution from rapid urbanization
Geographical features: hilly to mountainous with steep slopes; lowlands in north
Climate: tropical monsoon; cool and humid in winter, hot and rainy from spring through summer, warm and sunny in fall

People
6,855,125 people; Chinese (95%)
Annual growth rate: 0.65%
Major languages: Cantonese; English
Religions: local religions (90%); Christian (10%)

Health and social issues
Life expectancy: Men, 78.7 years; women, 84 years
Infant mortality: 2.97 deaths per 1000 live births
1 physician per 1,000 people
HIV/AIDS rate in adults: less than 0.1%
93.5% of adults are literate
Compulsory education (ages): NA

Communication and transportation
3,801,300 main telephone lines
3,212,800 Internet users (2003)
1,135 miles of highway
22 miles of railroad
4 airfields

Government
Hong Kong is a Special Administrative Region of China, a limited democracy that was established July 1, 1997
President Hu Jintao is head of state and chief executive Tung Chee-hwa is head of government
7 major political parties
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

Military
Military expenditures are the responsibility of China
Current disputes: none

Economy
Currency: Hong Kong dollar
Per capita GDP: $28,800
GDP: $ 213 billion
GDP growth rate: 3.3%
Inflation rate: -2.6%
Labor force: 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.)

Resources and industry
Natural resources: deep-water harbor; feldspar
Agriculture: fresh vegetables, poultry, pork, fish
Industry: textiles, clothing, tourism, banking, shipping, electronics, plastics, toys, watches, clocks
Exports: $225.9 billion
Imports: $230.3 billion

Suggested web sites
www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook