| OVERVIEW |
| 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.
|
| Natural
resources |
outstanding deepwater
harbor, feldspar |
| Land
use |
arable land: 5.05%
other: 93.94% (1998 est.)
permanent crops: 1.01% |
| Population |
7,394,170 (July 2003 est.)
|
| Ethnic
groups |
Chinese 95%, other 5%
|
| Religions |
eclectic mixture of local
religions 90%, Christian 10% |
| Languages |
Chinese (Cantonese), English;
both are official |
| Literacy |
definition: age 15 and
over has ever attended school
total population: 94%
male: 97.1%
female: 90.5% (2003 est.) |
| Capital |
Hong Kong |
| Government
type |
limited democracy |
| Independence |
none (special administrative
region of China) |
| National
holiday |
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 |
