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Background:
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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:
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Eastern
Asia, bordering the South China Sea and China |
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Geographic coordinates:
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22 15 N,
114 10 E |
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Map references:
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Southeast
Asia |
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Area:
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total:
1,092 sq km
land: 1,042 sq km
water: 50 sq km |
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Area - comparative:
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six times
the size of Washington, DC |
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Land boundaries:
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total:
30 km
regional border: China 30 km |
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Coastline:
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733 km
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Maritime claims:
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territorial sea: 3 nm |
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Climate:
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subtropical monsoon; cool and humid in winter, hot and
rainy from spring through summer, warm and sunny in fall
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Terrain:
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hilly to
mountainous with steep slopes; lowlands in north |
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Elevation extremes:
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lowest
point: South China Sea 0 m
highest point: Tai Mo Shan 958 m |
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Natural resources:
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outstanding deepwater harbor, feldspar |
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Land use:
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arable
land: 5.05%
permanent crops: 1.01%
other: 93.94% (2001) |
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Irrigated land:
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20 sq km
(1998 est.) |
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Natural hazards:
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occasional typhoons |
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Environment - current issues:
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air and
water pollution from rapid urbanization |
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Environment - international agreements:
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party
to: Marine Dumping (associate member) |
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Geography - note:
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more than
200 islands |
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Population:
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6,898,686
(July 2005 est.) |
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Age structure:
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0-14
years: 13.8% (male 498,771/female 454,252)
15-64 years: 73.5% (male 2,479,656/female
2,591,170)
65 years and over: 12.7% (male 404,308/female
470,529) (2005 est.) |
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Median age:
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total:
39.4 years
male: 39.3 years
female: 39.6 years (2005 est.) |
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Population growth rate:
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0.65%
(2005 est.) |
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Birth rate:
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7.23
births/1,000 population (2005 est.) |
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Death rate:
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5.98
deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.) |
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Net migration rate:
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5.24
migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 est.) |
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Sex ratio:
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at
birth: 1.1 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.1 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.96 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.86 male(s)/female
total population: 0.96 male(s)/female (2005 est.)
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Infant mortality rate:
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total:
2.97 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 3.16 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 2.77 deaths/1,000 live births (2005 est.)
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Life expectancy at birth:
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total
population: 81.5 years
male: 78.81 years
female: 84.41 years (2005 est.) |
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Total fertility rate:
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0.91
children born/woman (2005 est.) |
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HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
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0.1%
(2003 est.) |
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HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
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2,600
(2003 est.) |
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HIV/AIDS - deaths:
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less than
200 (2003 est.) |
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Nationality:
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noun:
Chinese/Hong Konger
adjective: Chinese/Hong Kong |
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Ethnic groups:
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Chinese
95%, other 5% |
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Religions:
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eclectic
mixture of local religions 90%, Christian 10% |
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Languages:
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Chinese
(Cantonese), English; both are official |
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Literacy:
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definition: age 15 and over has ever attended school
total population: 93.5%
male: 96.9%
female: 89.6% (2002) |
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Country name:
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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 |
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Dependency status:
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special
administrative region of China |
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Government type:
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limited
democracy |
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Administrative divisions:
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none
(special administrative region of China) |
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Independence:
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none
(special administrative region of China) |
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National holiday:
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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 |
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Constitution:
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Basic
Law, approved in March 1990 by China's National People's
Congress, is Hong Kong's "mini-constitution" |
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Legal system:
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based on
English common law |
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Suffrage:
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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 |
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Executive branch:
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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 four
official members and 15 non-official members
elections: previous chief executive TUNG Chee-hwa
was elected to second five-year term in March 2002 by
800-member election committee dominated by pro-Beijing
forces, resignation accepted 12 March 2005; Donald TSANG
acted as chief executive between 12 March 2005 and 25
May 2005; Henry TANG acted as chief executive between 25
May 2005 and 24 June 2005; TSANG was elected on 16 June
2005 to fill final two years of TUNG's term (next
election to be held in March 2007) |
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Legislative branch:
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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 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; other 1 |
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Judicial branch:
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Court of
Final Appeal in the Hong Kong Special Administrative
Region |
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Political parties and leaders:
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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 and Progress 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]
note: political blocs include: pro-democracy -
ADPL, Democratic Party, Frontier Party; pro-Beijing -
DAB, Liberal Party |
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Political pressure groups and leaders:
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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] |
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International organization participation:
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APEC,
AsDB, BIS, ICC, ICFTU, IHO, IMF, IMO (associate), IOC,
ISO (correspondent), UPU, WCL, WCO, WMO, WToO
(associate), WTO |
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Diplomatic representation in the US:
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none
(special administrative region of China) |
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Diplomatic representation from the US:
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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 |
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Flag description:
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red with
a stylized, white, five-petal bauhinia flower in the
center |
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Economy - overview:
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Hong Kong has a free market, entrepot economy, highly
dependent on international trade. Natural resources are
limited, and food and raw materials must be imported.
Gross imports and exports (i.e., including reexports to
and from third countries) 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 made
manufacturing in China much more cost effective. Hong
Kong's reexport business to and from China is a major
driver of growth. Per capita GDP is comparable to that
of the four big economies of Western Europe. GDP growth
averaged a strong 5% from 1989 to 2005, but Hong Kong
suffered two recessions in the past eight years because
of the Asian financial crisis in 1997-1998 and the
global downturn in 2001-2002. Although the Severe Acute
Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) outbreak 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 2005. |
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GDP (purchasing power parity):
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$254.2 billion (2005 est.) |
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GDP (official exchange rate):
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$181.6 billion (2005 est.) |
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GDP - real growth rate:
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7% (2005 est.) |
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GDP - per capita:
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purchasing power parity - $36,800 (2005 est.) |
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GDP - composition by sector:
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agriculture: 0.1%
industry: 10%
services: 89.9% (2005 est.) |
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Labor force:
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3.58 million (October 2005) |
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Labor force - by occupation:
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manufacturing 7.5%, construction 2.9%, wholesale and
retail trade, restaurants, and hotels 43.7%, financing,
insurance, and real estate 19.2%, transport and
communications 7.9%, community and social services 18.5%
note: above data exclude public sector (2004
est.) |
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Unemployment rate:
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5.8% (October 2005) |
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Population below poverty line:
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NA |
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Household income or consumption by percentage share:
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lowest 10%: NA
highest 10%: NA |
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Inflation rate (consumer prices):
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0.9% (2005 est.) |
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Investment (gross fixed):
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21.2% of GDP (2005 est.) |
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Budget:
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revenues: $31.31 billion
expenditures: $32.3 billion, including capital
expenditures of $5.9 billion (2005 est.) |
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Public debt:
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1.8% of GDP (2005 est.) |
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Agriculture - products:
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fresh vegetables, poultry, fish, pork |
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Industries:
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textiles, clothing, tourism, banking, shipping,
electronics, plastics, toys, watches, clocks |
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Industrial production growth rate:
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1% (2005 est.) |
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Electricity - production:
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33.38 billion kWh (2003) |
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Electricity - consumption:
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38.43 billion kWh (2003) |
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Electricity - exports:
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3.008 billion kWh (2003) |
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Electricity - imports:
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10.4 billion kWh (2003) |
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Oil - production:
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0 bbl/day (2003 est.) |
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Oil - consumption:
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260,000 bbl/day (2003 est.) |
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Oil - exports:
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NA |
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Oil - imports:
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NA |
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Natural gas - production:
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NA (2001 est.) |
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Natural gas - consumption:
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680.9 million cu m (2001 est.) |
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Natural gas - exports:
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0 cu m (2001 est.) |
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Natural gas - imports:
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680.9 million cu m (2001 est.) |
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Current account balance:
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$23.85 billion (2005 est.) |
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Exports:
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$286.3 billion f.o.b., including reexports (2005 est.)
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Exports - partners:
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China 44%, US 17%, Japan 5.3% (2004) |
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Imports:
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$291.6 billion (2005 est.) |
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Imports - partners:
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China 43.5%, Japan 12.1%, Taiwan 7.3%, US 5.3%,
Singapore 5.3%, South Korea 4.8% (2004) |
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Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
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$122.3 billion (2005 est.) |
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Debt - external:
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$416.5 billion (30 June 2005 est.) |
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Currency (code):
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Hong Kong dollar (HKD) |
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Exchange rates:
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Hong Kong dollars per US dollar - 7.79 (2005), 7.788
(2004), 7.7868 (2003), 7.7989 (2002), 7.7988 (2001) |
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Fiscal year:
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1 April - 31 March |
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Telephones - main lines in use:
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3,801,300
(2003) |
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Telephones - mobile cellular:
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7,241,400
(2003) |
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Telephone system:
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general assessment: modern facilities provide
excellent domestic and international services
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 |
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Radio broadcast stations:
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AM 5, FM
9, shortwave 0 (2004) |
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Television broadcast stations:
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4 (2004)
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Internet country code:
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.hk |
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Internet hosts:
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591,993
(2003) |
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Internet users:
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3,212,800
(2003) |
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Airports:
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4 (2004
est.) |
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Airports - with paved runways:
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total:
3
over 3,047 m: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
under 914 m: 1 (2005 est.) |
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Heliports:
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3 (2005
est.) |
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Roadways:
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total:
1,831 km
paved: 1,831 km (1999) |
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Merchant marine:
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total:
837 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 20,478,042 GRT/34,554,455
DWT
by type: barge carrier 1, bulk carrier 446, cargo
119, chemical tanker 44, combination ore/oil 2,
container 105, liquefied gas 20, passenger 6,
passenger/cargo 6, petroleum tanker 75, roll on/roll off
5, vehicle carrier 8
foreign-owned: 453 (Australia 1, Bahamas 1,
Belgium 3, Canada 9, China 246, Denmark 3, France 5,
Germany 13, Greece 19, India 1, Indonesia 1, Israel 1,
Japan 51, Norway 16, Philippines 13, Singapore 17, South
Korea 8, Taiwan 5, Thailand 4, UAE 1, United Kingdom 32,
United States 3)
registered in other countries: 373 (2005) |
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Ports and terminals:
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Hong Kong
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Military branches:
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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 |
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Military service age and obligation:
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18 years
of age (2004) |
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Manpower available for military service:
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males
age 18-49: 1,743,972 (2005 est.) |
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Manpower fit for military service:
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males
age 18-49: 1,403,088 (2005 est.) |
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Manpower reaching military service age annually:
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males:
40,343 (2005 est.) |
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Military expenditures - dollar figure:
|
Hong Kong
garrison is funded by China; figures are NA |
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Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
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NA |
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Military - note:
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defense
is the responsibility of China |
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Disputes - international:
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none |
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Illicit drugs:
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makes
strenuous law enforcement efforts, but 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 |
This page was last updated on 10
January, 2006
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