Hong Kong (2004) | Jersey (2001) | |
Administrative divisions | none (special administrative region of China) | none (British crown dependency) |
Age structure | 0-14 years: 14.2% (male 510,702; female 465,145)
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.) |
0-14 years:
17.77% (male 8,214; female 7,667) 15-64 years: 67.59% (male 30,065; female 30,331) 65 years and over: 14.64% (male 5,603; female 7,481) (2001 est.) |
Agriculture - products | fresh vegetables, poultry, fish, pork | potatoes, cauliflower, tomatoes; beef, dairy products |
Airports | 4 (2003 est.) | 1 (2000 est.) |
Airports - with paved runways | total: 4
over 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1523 m: 1 under 914 m: 1 (2004 est.) |
total:
1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2000 est.) |
Area | total: 1,092 sq km
land: 1,042 sq km water: 50 sq km |
total:
116 sq km land: 116 sq km water: 0 sq km |
Area - comparative | six times the size of Washington, DC | about 0.7 times the size of Washington, DC |
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. | The island of Jersey and the other Channel Islands represent the last remnants of the medieval Dukedom of Normandy that held sway in both France and England. These islands were the only British soil occupied by German troops in World War II. |
Birth rate | 7.23 births/1,000 population (2004 est.) | 11.28 births/1,000 population (2001 est.) |
Budget | revenues: $26.17 billion
expenditures: $32.64 billion, including capital expenditures of $5 billion (2003) |
revenues:
$601 million expenditures: $588 million, including capital expenditures of $98 million (2000 est.) |
Capital | - | Saint Helier |
Climate | tropical monsoon; cool and humid in winter, hot and rainy from spring through summer, warm and sunny in fall | temperate; mild winters and cool summers |
Coastline | 733 km | 70 km |
Constitution | Basic Law approved in March 1990 by China's National People's Congress is Hong Kong's "mini-constitution" | unwritten; partly statutes, partly common law and practice |
Country name | 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 |
conventional long form:
Bailiwick of Jersey conventional short form: Jersey |
Currency | Hong Kong dollar (HKD) | British pound (GBP); note - there is also a Jersey pound |
Death rate | 5.98 deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.) | 9.27 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.) |
Debt - external | $59.21 billion (2003 est.) | none |
Dependency status | special administrative region of China | British crown dependency |
Diplomatic representation from the US | chief of mission: Consul General James KEITH
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 |
none (British crown dependency) |
Diplomatic representation in the US | none (special administrative region of China) | none (British crown dependency) |
Disputes - international | none | none |
Economic aid - recipient | - | none |
Economy - overview | 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. | The economy is based largely on international financial services, agriculture, and tourism. Potatoes, cauliflower, tomatoes, and especially flowers are important export crops, shipped mostly to the UK. The Jersey breed of dairy cattle is known worldwide and represents an important export income earner. Milk products go to the UK and other EU countries. In 1996 the finance sector accounted for about 60% of the island's output. Tourism, another mainstay of the economy, accounts for 24% of GDP. In recent years, the government has encouraged light industry to locate in Jersey, with the result that an electronics industry has developed alongside the traditional manufacturing of knitwear. All raw material and energy requirements are imported, as well as a large share of Jersey's food needs. Light taxes and death duties make the island a popular tax haven. |
Electricity - consumption | 37.12 billion kWh (2001) | - |
Electricity - exports | 1.581 billion kWh (2001) | - |
Electricity - imports | 10.36 billion kWh (2001) | NA kWh
note: electricity supplied by France |
Electricity - production | 30.48 billion kWh (2001) | - |
Elevation extremes | lowest point: South China Sea 0 m
highest point: Tai Mo Shan 958 m |
lowest point:
Atlantic Ocean 0 m highest point: unnamed location 143 m |
Environment - current issues | air and water pollution from rapid urbanization | NA |
Environment - international agreements | party to: Marine Dumping (associate member) | - |
Ethnic groups | Chinese 95%, other 5% | UK and Norman-French descent |
Exchange rates | Hong Kong dollars per US dollar - 7.7868 (2003), 7.7989 (2002), 7.7988 (2001), 7.7912 (2000), 7.7575 (1999) | Jersey pounds per US dollar - 0.6764 (January 2001), 0.6596 (2000), 0.6180 (1999), 0.6037 (1998), 0.6106 (1997), 0.6403 (1996); the Jersey pound is at par with the British pound |
Executive branch | chief of state: President of China HU Jintao (since 15 March 2003)
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 |
chief of state:
Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952) head of government: Lieutenant Governor and Commander in Chief Air Chief Marshall Sir John CHESHIRE (since 24 January 2001) and Bailiff Philip Martin BAILHACHE (since NA February 1995) cabinet: committees appointed by the Assembly of the States elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; lieutenant governor and bailiff appointed by the monarch |
Exports | NA (2001) | $NA |
Exports - commodities | electrical machinery and appliances, textiles, apparel, footwear, watches and clocks, toys, plastics, precious stones | light industrial and electrical goods, foodstuffs, textiles |
Exports - partners | China 42.6%, US 18.7%, Japan 5.4% (2003) | UK |
Fiscal year | 1 April - 31 March | 1 April - 31 March |
Flag description | red with a stylized, white, five-petal bauhinia flower in the center | white with a diagonal red cross extending to the corners of the flag and in the upper quadrant, surmounted by a yellow crown, a red shield holding the three lions of England in yellow |
GDP | purchasing power parity - $213 billion (2003 est.) | purchasing power parity - $2.2 billion (1999 est.) |
GDP - composition by sector | agriculture: 0.1%
industry: 12.1% services: 87.9% (2003 est.) |
agriculture:
5% industry: 2% services: 93% (1996) |
GDP - per capita | purchasing power parity - $28,800 (2003 est.) | purchasing power parity - $24,800 (1999 est.) |
GDP - real growth rate | 3.3% (2003 est.) | NA% |
Geographic coordinates | 22 15 N, 114 10 E | 49 15 N, 2 10 W |
Geography - note | more than 200 islands | largest and southernmost of Channel Islands; about 30% of population concentrated in Saint Helier |
Heliports | 2 (2003 est.) | - |
Highways | total: 1,831 km
paved: 1,831 km unpaved: 0 km (1999 est.) |
total:
577 km (1995) paved: NA km unpaved: NA km |
Household income or consumption by percentage share | lowest 10%: NA
highest 10%: NA |
lowest 10%:
NA% highest 10%: NA% |
Illicit drugs | 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 a conduit for money laundering; rising indigenous use of synthetic drugs, especially among young people | - |
Imports | NA (2001) | $NA |
Imports - commodities | electrical machinery and appliances, textiles, foodstuffs, transport equipment, raw materials, semimanufactures, petroleum, plastics; a large share is reexported | machinery and transport equipment, manufactured goods, foodstuffs, mineral fuels, chemicals |
Imports - partners | China 43.5%, Japan 11.9%, Taiwan 6.9%, US 5.5%, Singapore 5%, South Korea 4.8% (2003) | UK |
Independence | none (special administrative region of China) | none (British crown dependency) |
Industrial production growth rate | -9.2% (2003 est.) | NA% |
Industries | textiles, clothing, tourism, banking, shipping, electronics, plastics, toys, watches, clocks | tourism, banking and finance, dairy |
Infant mortality rate | total: 2.97 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 3.16 deaths/1,000 live births female: 2.77 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.) |
5.62 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.) |
Inflation rate (consumer prices) | -2.6% (2003 est.) | 4.7% (1998) |
International organization participation | APEC, AsDB, BIS, ICC, ICFTU, IHO, IMF, IMO (associate), Interpol (subbureau), IOC, ISO (correspondent), UPU, WCL, WCO, WMO, WToO (associate), WTO | - |
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) | - | NA |
Irrigated land | 20 sq km (1998 est.) | NA sq km |
Judicial branch | Court of Final Appeal in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region | Royal Court (judges elected by an electoral college and the bailiff) |
Labor force | 3.5 million (2003 est.) | 57,050 (1996) |
Labor force - by occupation | 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.) | - |
Land boundaries | total: 30 km
regional border: China 30 km |
0 km |
Land use | arable land: 5.05%
permanent crops: 1.01% other: 93.94% (2001) |
arable land:
66% permanent crops: 0% permanent pastures: 0% forests and woodland: 0% other: 34% |
Languages | Chinese (Cantonese), English; both are official | English (official), French (official), Norman-French dialect spoken in country districts |
Legal system | based on English common law | English law and local statute |
Legislative branch | 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 |
unicameral Assembly of the States (55 voting members - 12 senators, 12 constables or heads of parishes, 29 deputies; all elected for six-year terms, half elected every third year; the bailiff and the deputy bailiff; and 3 non-voting members - the Dean of Jersey, the Attorney General and the Solicitor General all appointed by the monarch
elections: last held NA (next to be held NA) election results: percent of vote - NA%; seats - independents 52 |
Life expectancy at birth | total population: 81.39 years
male: 78.72 years female: 84.3 years (2004 est.) |
total population:
78.63 years male: 76.21 years female: 81.23 years (2001 est.) |
Literacy | definition: age 15 and over has ever attended school
total population: 93.5% male: 96.9% female: 89.6% (2002) |
definition:
NA total population: NA male: NA female: NA |
Location | Eastern Asia, bordering the South China Sea and China | Western Europe, island in the English Channel, northwest of France |
Map references | Southeast Asia | Europe |
Maritime claims | territorial sea: 3 nm | exclusive fishing zone:
12 NM territorial sea: 3 NM |
Merchant marine | total: 663 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 20,478,042 GRT/34,554,455 DWT
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 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 registered in other countries: 569 (2004 est.) |
none (2000 est.) |
Military - note | defense is the responsibility of China | defense is the responsibility of the UK |
Military branches | 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 | - |
Military expenditures - dollar figure | Hong Kong garrison is funded by China; figures are NA | - |
Military expenditures - percent of GDP | NA (FY02) | - |
Military manpower - availability | males age 15-49: 1,878,574 (2004 est.) | - |
Military manpower - fit for military service | males age 15-49: 1,404,705 (2004 est.) | - |
Military manpower - reaching military age annually | males: 41,821 (2004 est.) | - |
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 | Liberation Day, 9 May (1945) |
Nationality | noun: Chinese/Hong Konger
adjective: Chinese/Hong Kong |
noun:
Channel Islander(s) adjective: Channel Islander |
Natural hazards | occasional typhoons | NA |
Natural resources | outstanding deepwater harbor, feldspar | arable land |
Net migration rate | 5.24 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2004 est.) | 2.8 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.) |
Political parties and leaders | 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]
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 |
none; all independents |
Political pressure groups and leaders | 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] | none |
Population | 6,855,125 (July 2004 est.) | 89,361 (July 2001 est.) |
Population below poverty line | NA | NA% |
Population growth rate | 0.65% (2004 est.) | 0.48% (2001 est.) |
Ports and harbors | Hong Kong | Gorey, Saint Aubin, Saint Helier |
Radio broadcast stations | AM 5, FM 9, shortwave 0 (2004) | AM NA, FM 1, shortwave 0 (1998) |
Radios | - | NA |
Railways | - | 0 km |
Religions | eclectic mixture of local religions 90%, Christian 10% | Anglican, Roman Catholic, Baptist, Congregational New Church, Methodist, Presbyterian |
Sex ratio | at birth: 1.09 male(s)/female
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.) |
at birth:
1.08 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.07 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.99 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.75 male(s)/female total population: 0.96 male(s)/female (2001 est.) |
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 | NA years of age; universal adult |
Telephone system | 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 |
general assessment:
NA domestic: NA international: 3 submarine cables |
Telephones - main lines in use | 3,801,300 (2003) | 65,500 (1997) |
Telephones - mobile cellular | 7,241,400 (2003) | 4,400 (1997) |
Television broadcast stations | 4 (2004) | 1 (1997) |
Terrain | hilly to mountainous with steep slopes; lowlands in north | gently rolling plain with low, rugged hills along north coast |
Total fertility rate | 0.91 children born/woman (2004 est.) | 1.56 children born/woman (2001 est.) |
Unemployment rate | 7.9% (2003) | 0.7% (1998 est.) |
Waterways | - | none |