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The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China, shortened as Hong
Kong (香港, pinyin: Xiānggǎng, Cantonese: heung1 gong2, meaning Fragrant Harbour), is one of
two Special Administrative Regions (SARs)
of the People's Republic of China (the other
is Macau), consisting of a small peninsula attached to China's southern coast and 236 islands in the
South China Sea, of which Hong Kong Island is the second largest and Lantau the
largest.
Under the policy of the 'One Country, Two
Systems', Hong Kong enjoys a considerable degree of autonomy from the
Mainland, continues to have its own currency, customs and immigration, legal system, and even its own rule of the road, with traffic continuing to drive on the left.
History
Main article: History of Hong Kong
Although it was occupied since at least as long ago as the Neolithic
Age, the territory of today's Hong Kong remained distant from the major events unfolding in imperial China for most of its history. It did not begin attracting worldwide attention until the 19th century.
Occupied by the United Kingdom during the First Opium War in 1841, Hong Kong Island was formally ceded by China the following year under the
Treaty of Nanking. Parts of the adjacent Kowloon Peninsula were ceded to Britain in 1860 by the Convention of Peking after the Second Opium
War. Various adjacent lands, known as the New Territories were
then leased to Britain for 99 years from July 1, 1898, the lease expiring on June 30, 1997.
Pursuant to an agreement signed by the PRC and the UK on December 19,
1984, the Sino-British Joint Declaration, the whole territory of Hong Kong under British colonial rule became the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the PRC on July 1, 1997.
In the Joint Declaration, the PRC promised that, under the "One Country, Two Systems" policy proposed by Deng Xiaoping, China's socialist economic system would not be practised in Hong Kong and that Hong Kong would
enjoy a high degree of autonomy in all matters, except foreign affairs and defence, for 50 years, until 2047.
Politics
Main article: Politics of Hong Kong
The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region is headed by Chief Executive Tung Chee Hwa as
head of government. Mr. Tung assumed office on July 1, 1997, following his election by a 400-member
committee appointed by the People's Republic of China, whose president serves as head of
state for the Hong Kong SAR. He was nominated by the majority of members of a broadly representative Election Committee in
February 2002 and was returned unopposed for a second term which began in July 2002.
Hong Kong Skyline
Legislative Council elections
were held in May 1998 and again in September 2000.
According to the Basic Law, Hong Kong's "Mini-constitution", the Legislative Council has 24 directly elected members; the other
30 members are either appointed or chosen by occupational constituencies, with six being elected by a special Election
Committee.
The 1998 and 2000 Legislative Council elections were seen as free, open, and widely contested, despite discontent among mainly
pro-democracy politicians that the functional
constituencies and Election Committee elections are essentially undemocratic because so few voters are eligible to vote. The
Civil Service maintains its quality and neutrality, operating without discernible direction from Beijing.
The Right of abode issue sparked
debates in 1999, while the controversy over Hong Kong Basic Law Article 23 was the focus of politics in Hong Kong between 2002-2003, and the focus of controversies have shifted to the
issue of universal suffrage towards the end of 2003 and in
2004.
Districts
Main article: Districts of Hong Kong
Hong Kong consists of 18 districts:
Hong Kong Skyline
Geography
Main article: Geography of Hong Kong
The name "Hong Kong" is derived from Hong Kong Island in the
South China Sea, at the mouth of the Xi Jiang or Pearl River of southern China. Other territories that were later added include the Kowloon Peninsula
and the New Territories, which include over 200 surrounding islands. The landscape is fairly hilly to mountainous with steep
slopes, with the highest point being the Tai Mo Shan at 958 m, though
lowlands exist in the north.
Of the total of 1102 kmē of Hong Kong, only 25% are developed. The remaining 75% are set aside as a countryside and
preservation area.
The local climate is that of a tropical monsoon clime. It is cool and humid in winter
(Jan-Mar), hot and rainy from spring through summer (Apr-Sep), and warm,sunny and dry in the autumn (Oct - Dec). Hong Kong is
visited by occasional typhoons. On September 18, 1906 a typhoon with tsunami killed an estimated 10,000
persons.
See also: Ecology of Hong Kong, Hong Kong Country Parks
& Special Areas
Economy
Main article: Economy of Hong Kong
Hong Kong has a bustling free market economy highly
dependent on international trade. Natural resources are
limited, and food and raw materials must be imported. Indeed, imports and exports, including re-exports, each exceed GDP in dollar value. Even before Hong Kong reverted to Chinese
administration on July 1, 1997 it had extensive
trade and investment ties with the People's Republic of China. The service industry represented 86.5% of the GDP in 2001, and the
territory, with a highly sophisticated banking sector, has housed the Asian headquarters of many multinational corporations in recent decades.
Per capita GDP compares with the level in the four big economies of Western Europe. GDP growth averaged a strong 5% in 1989-1997. The widespread Asian
economic difficulties in 1998 hit this trade-dependent economy quite hard, with GDP
down 5%. The economy, with growth of 10% in 2000, recovered rapidly from the Asian
financial crisis. The recent global downturn has badly hurt Hong Kong's exports and GDP growth was 2.3% in 2002.
The main airport, Hong Kong
International Airport (HKIA), is located on a partly artificial island connected to Lantau Island. The airport is often called Chek Lap Kok Airport, after one of the islands it was built on.
HKIA is the replacement for the older Kai Tak Airport, which was
known for its spectacular urban approach. Kai Tak was retired after Chek Lap Kok was built and now serves as an recreational
venue and has been earmarked for housing development.
In early 2003, the local economy was hit hard by the outbreak of Severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS).
On June 29, 2003, the Mainland and Hong Kong
Closer Economic
Partnership Arrangement (CEPA) was signed. CEPA allows Hong Kong service providers in 18 areas to enter the mainland market
at least one year ahead of their foreign competitors. The arrangement provides a platform for Hong Kong professionals to practice
on the mainland and also allows Hong Kong permanent residents to set up individually owned retail stores in Guangdong Province.
On July 28, 2003, the Individual Visit Scheme was started to allow travellers from
some cities in mainland China to visit Hong Kong on an individual basis. As a result, the tourism industry in Hong Kong is booming once again.
On April 6, 2004, the National People's Congress endorsed the Interpretation on Annex I and II of the Basic Law. Such
intrepretation was regarded as obstacles to the democratic development of Hong Kong by Pan-Democratics. Pan-governments, however,
praised the interpretation, insisting that it fully shows the implementation of 'One-Country, Two-Systems' policy. See also:
Hang Seng Index, List of Chinese companies
Demographics
Main article: Demographics of Hong
Kong
View of the central district of Hong Kong, from Victoria Peak
Hong Kong is by population the fourth largest metropolitan
area of the PRC (see List of cities in China).
Considered as a "dependency", Hong Kong is one of the most densely populated countries/dependencies in the world, with an overall density
of nearly 6,700 people per kmē.
Despite the population density, Hong Kong was reported to be one of the greenest cities in Asia. The majority of people live
in flats in high-rise buildings. The rest of the open spaces are often covered with parks, woods and shrubs. The vertical
placement of the population explains why densely populated, green city is not an oxymoronic phrase.
Cantonese, the Chinese dialect used in Hong Kong government matters, is spoken by most of the population. English, also an official language, is widely understood; it is spoken by more than one-third of the population. Every
major religion is practiced in Hong Kong; ancestor worship is predominant due to the strong Confucian influence, whereas Christianity is practised by a minority of 10%.
Culture
Main article: Culture of Hong Kong
Miscellaneous topics
Major landmarks include:
University
External links
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