Compare Hong Kong (2007) - Jamaica (2005)

Compare Hong Kong (2007) z Jamaica (2005)

	Hong Kong (2007)	Jamaica (2005)

Administrative divisions	none (special administrative region of China)	14 parishes; Clarendon, Hanover, Kingston, Manchester, Portland, Saint Andrew, Saint Ann, Saint Catherine, Saint Elizabeth, Saint James, Saint Mary, Saint Thomas, Trelawny, Westmoreland note: for local government purposes, Kingston and Saint Andrew were amalgamated in 1923 into the present single corporate body known as the Kingston and Saint Andrew Corporation
Age structure	0-14 years: 13% (male 476,089/female 434,326) 15-64 years: 74% (male 2,515,518/female 2,652,660) 65 years and over: 12.9% (male 419,479/female 482,340) (2007 est.)	0-14 years: 27.5% (male 385,099/female 367,398) 15-64 years: 65.6% (male 897,953/female 893,509) 65 years and over: 6.9% (male 83,632/female 104,241) (2005 est.)
Agriculture - products	fresh vegetables; poultry, pork; fish	sugarcane, bananas, coffee, citrus, yams, vegetables, poultry, goats, milk, crustaceans, and mollusks
Airports	2 (2007)	35 (2004 est.)
Airports - with paved runways	total: 2 over 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2007)	total: 11 2,438 to 3,047 m: 2 914 to 1,523 m: 4 under 914 m: 5 (2004 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways	-	total: 24 914 to 1,523 m: 2 under 914 m: 22 (2004 est.)
Area	total: 1,092 sq km land: 1,042 sq km water: 50 sq km	total: 10,991 sq km land: 10,831 sq km water: 160 sq km
Area - comparative	six times the size of Washington, DC	slightly smaller than Connecticut
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.	Jamaica gained full independence within the British Commonwealth in 1962. Deteriorating economic conditions during the 1970s led to recurrent violence and a drop off in tourism. Elections in 1980 saw the democratic socialists voted out of office. Political violence marred elections during the 1990s.
Birth rate	7.34 births/1,000 population (2007 est.)	16.56 births/1,000 population (2005 est.)
Budget	revenues: $35.18 billion expenditures: $32.18 billion (2006 est.)	revenues: $2.793 billion expenditures: $3.157 billion, including capital expenditures of $236 million (2004 est.)
Capital	-	Kingston
Climate	subtropical monsoon; cool and humid in winter, hot and rainy from spring through summer, warm and sunny in fall	tropical; hot, humid; temperate interior
Coastline	733 km	1,022 km
Constitution	Basic Law, approved in March 1990 by China's National People's Congress, is Hong Kong's "mini-constitution"	6 August 1962
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: none conventional short form: Jamaica
Death rate	6.45 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.)	5.37 deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.)
Debt - external	$72.79 billion (2006 est.)	$5.964 billion (2004 est.)
Dependency status	special administrative region of China	-
Diplomatic representation from the US	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	chief of mission: Ambassador Sue McCourt COBB embassy: Jamaica Mutual Life Center, 2 Oxford Road, 3rd floor, Kingston 5 mailing address: use embassy street address telephone: [1] (876) 929-4850 through 4859 FAX: [1] (876) 935-6001
Diplomatic representation in the US	none (special administrative region of China)	chief of mission: Ambassador Gordon SHIRLEY chancery: 1520 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20036 telephone: [1] (202) 452-0660 FAX: [1] (202) 452-0081 consulate(s) general: Miami and New York
Disputes - international	none	none
Economic aid - recipient	-	$16 million (2003)
Economy - overview	Hong Kong has a free market economy highly dependent on international trade. The territory has become more closely linked to mainland China over the past few years. Even before Hong Kong reverted to Chinese administration on 1 July 1997, it had extensive trade and investment ties with China. Hong Kong's service industry over the past decade has grown rapidly as its manufacturing industry has moved to the mainland. Hong Kong also has stepped up its efforts to gain approval to offer more mainland financial services in a bid to remain competitive with China's growing financial centers. Hong Kong's natural resources are limited, and food and raw materials must be imported. Gross imports and exports (including reexports to and from third countries) each exceed GDP in dollar value. Per capita GDP exceeds that of the four big economies of Western Europe. GDP growth averaged a strong 5% from 1989 to 2006, but Hong Kong suffered two recessions in the past eight years because of the Asian financial crisis in 1997-98 and the global downturn in 2001-02. Although the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) outbreak in 2003 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 2006. Moreover, several large initial public offerings of Chinese companies on the Hong Kong stock exchange since late 2005 have helped to boost Hong Kong's status as a financial hub and have contributed to the improved performance of the market in late 2006.	The Jamaican economy is heavily dependent on services, which now account for 60% of GDP. The country continues to derive most of its foreign exchange from tourism, remittances, and bauxite/alumina. The global economic slowdown, particularly after the terrorist attacks in the US on 11 September 2001, stunted economic growth; the economy rebounded moderately in 2003-04, with brisk tourist seasons. But the economy faces serious long-term problems: high interest rates; increased foreign competition; a pressured, sometimes sliding, exchange rate; a sizable merchandise trade deficit; large-scale unemployment; and a growing internal debt, the result of government bailouts to ailing sectors of the economy. The ratio of debt to GDP is close to 150%. Inflation, previously a bright spot, is expected to remain in the double digits. Uncertain economic conditions have led to increased civil unrest, including gang violence fueled by the drug trade. In 2004, the government faced the difficult prospect of having to achieve fiscal discipline in order to maintain debt payments while simultaneously attacking a serious and growing crime problem which is hampering economic growth. Attempts at deficit control were derailed by Hurricane Ivan in September 2004, which required substantial government spending to repair the damage. Despite the hurricane, tourism looks set to enjoy solid growth for the foreseeable future.
Electricity - consumption	37.74 billion kWh (2005)	5.849 billion kWh (2002)
Electricity - exports	4.498 billion kWh (2005)	0 kWh (2002)
Electricity - imports	11 billion kWh (2005)	0 kWh (2002)
Electricity - production	36.14 billion kWh (2005)	6.289 billion kWh (2002)
Elevation extremes	lowest point: South China Sea 0 m highest point: Tai Mo Shan 958 m	lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m highest point: Blue Mountain Peak 2,256 m
Environment - current issues	air and water pollution from rapid urbanization	heavy rates of deforestation; coastal waters polluted by industrial waste, sewage, and oil spills; damage to coral reefs; air pollution in Kingston results from vehicle emissions
Environment - international agreements	party to: Marine Dumping (associate member), Ship Pollution (associate member)	party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Ethnic groups	Chinese 94.9%, Filipino 2.1%, other 3% (2001 census)	black 90.9%, East Indian 1.3%, white 0.2%, Chinese 0.2%, mixed 7.3%, other 0.1%
Exchange rates	Hong Kong dollars per US dollar - 7.7678 (2006), 7.7773 (2005), 7.788 (2004), 7.7868 (2003), 7.7989 (2002)	Jamaican dollars per US dollar - 61.197 (2004), 57.741 (2003), 48.416 (2002), 45.996 (2001), 42.986 (2000)
Executive branch	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 14 official members and 15 non-official members elections: chief executive elected for five-year term by 800-member electoral committee; last held on 25 March 2007 (next to be held in 2012) election results: Donald TSANG elected chief executive receiving 84.1% of the vote; Alan LEONG received 15.9%	chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented by Governor General Sir Howard Felix COOKE (since 1 August 1991) head of government: Prime Minister Percival James PATTERSON (since 30 March 1992) cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the governor general on the advice of the prime minister elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; governor general appointed by the monarch on the recommendation of the prime minister; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or the leader of the majority coalition in the House of Representatives is appointed prime minister by the governor general; the deputy prime minister is recommended by the prime minister
Exports	26,090 bbl/day (2004)	NA
Exports - commodities	electrical machinery and appliances, textiles, apparel, footwear, watches and clocks, toys, plastics, precious stones, printed material	alumina, bauxite, sugar, bananas, rum, coffee, yams, beverages, chemicals, wearing apparel, mineral fuels
Exports - partners	China 47%, US 15.1%, Japan 4.9% (2006)	US 17.4%, Canada 14.8%, France 13%, China 10.5%, UK 8.7%, Netherlands 7.5%, Norway 6%, Germany 5.9% (2004)
Fiscal year	1 April - 31 March	1 April - 31 March
Flag description	red with a stylized, white, five-petal bauhinia flower in the center	diagonal yellow cross divides the flag into four triangles - green (top and bottom) and black (hoist side and outer side)
GDP - composition by sector	agriculture: 0.1% industry: 8.6% services: 91.3% (2006 est.)	agriculture: 6.1% industry: 32.7% services: 61.3% (2004 est.)
GDP - per capita	-	purchasing power parity - $4,100 (2004 est.)
GDP - real growth rate	6.9% (2006 est.)	1.9% (2004 est.)
Geographic coordinates	22 15 N, 114 10 E	18 15 N, 77 30 W
Geography - note	more than 200 islands	strategic location between Cayman Trench and Jamaica Channel, the main sea lanes for the Panama Canal
Heliports	5 (2007)	-
Highways	-	total: 18,700 km paved: 13,109 km unpaved: 5,591 km (1999 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share	lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA%	lowest 10%: 2.7% highest 10%: 30.3% (2000)
Illicit drugs	despite strenuous law enforcement efforts, 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	major transshipment point for cocaine from South America to North America and Europe; illicit cultivation of cannabis; government has an active manual cannabis eradication program; corruption is a major concern; substantial money-laundering activity; Colombian narcotics traffickers favor Jamaica for illicit financial transactions
Imports	344,200 bbl/day (2004)	NA
Imports - commodities	raw materials and semi-manufactures, consumer goods, capital goods, foodstuffs, fuel (most is re-exported)	food and other consumer goods, industrial supplies, fuel, parts and accessories of capital goods, machinery and transport equipment, construction materials
Imports - partners	China 45.9%, Japan 10.3%, Taiwan 7.5%, Singapore 6.3%, US 4.8%, South Korea 4.6% (2006)	US 38.7%, Trinidad and Tobago 13.2%, France 5.6%, Japan 4.7% (2004)
Independence	none (special administrative region of China)	6 August 1962 (from UK)
Industrial production growth rate	4% (2006 est.)	-2% (2000 est.)
Industries	textiles, clothing, tourism, banking, shipping, electronics, plastics, toys, watches, clocks	tourism, bauxite/alumina, textiles, agro processing, wearing apparel, light manufactures, rum, cement, metal, paper, chemical products, telecommunications
Infant mortality rate	total: 2.94 deaths/1,000 live births male: 3.12 deaths/1,000 live births female: 2.74 deaths/1,000 live births (2007 est.)	total: 12.36 deaths/1,000 live births male: 13.35 deaths/1,000 live births female: 11.32 deaths/1,000 live births (2005 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices)	2% (2006 est.)	12.4% (2004 est.)
International organization participation	APEC, AsDB, BIS, ICC, IHO, IMF, IMO (associate), IOC, ISO (correspondent), ITUC, UNWTO (associate), UPU, WCL, WCO, WMO, WTO	ACP, C, Caricom, CDB, FAO, G-15, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt (signatory), ICFTU, ICRM, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), ISO, ITU, LAES, MIGA, NAM, OAS, OPANAL, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO
Irrigated land	20 sq km (1998 est.)	250 sq km (1998 est.)
Judicial branch	Court of Final Appeal in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region	Supreme Court (judges appointed by the governor general on the advice of the prime minister); Court of Appeal
Labor force	3.583 million (2006 est.)	1.14 million (2004 est.)
Labor force - by occupation	manufacturing 7.5%, construction 2.9%, wholesale and retail trade, restaurants, and hotels 43.9%, financing, insurance, and real estate 19.6%, transport and communications 7.1%, community and social services 18.8% note: above data exclude public sector (2005 est.)	agriculture 20.1%, industry 16.6%, services 63.4% (2003)
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: 16.07% permanent crops: 10.16% other: 73.77% (2001)
Languages	Chinese (Cantonese) 89.2% (official), other Chinese dialects 6.4%, English 3.2% (official), other 1.2% (2001 census)	English, patois English
Legal system	based on English common law	based on English common law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
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 63%, pro-Beijing 37%; seats by party - (pro-Beijing 34) DAB 12, Liberal Party 10, FTU 1, independents 11; (pro-democracy 25) Democratic Party 9, CTU 2, ADPL 1, Frontier Party 1, NWSC 1, independents 11; non-voting LEGCO president 1	bicameral Parliament consists of the Senate (a 21-member body appointed by the governor general on the recommendations of the prime minister and the leader of the opposition; ruling party is allocated 13 seats, and the opposition is allocated eight seats) and the House of Representatives (60 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms) elections: last held 16 October 2002 (next to be held in October 2007) election results: percent of vote by party - PNP 52%, JLP 47.3%; seats by party - PNP 34, JLP 26
Life expectancy at birth	total population: 81.68 years male: 78.99 years female: 84.6 years (2007 est.)	total population: 73.33 years male: 71.63 years female: 75.12 years (2005 est.)
Literacy	definition: age 15 and over has ever attended school total population: 93.5% male: 96.9% female: 89.6% (2002)	definition: age 15 and over has ever attended school total population: 87.9% male: 84.1% female: 91.6% (2003 est.)
Location	Eastern Asia, bordering the South China Sea and China	Caribbean, island in the Caribbean Sea, south of Cuba
Map references	Southeast Asia	Central America and the Caribbean
Maritime claims	territorial sea: 3 nm	measured from claimed archipelagic straight baselines territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: 200 nm or to edge of the continental margin
Merchant marine	total: 1,009 ships (1000 GRT or over) 34,556,075 GRT/57,423,309 DWT by type: barge carrier 2, bulk carrier 499, cargo 135, chemical tanker 51, combination ore/oil 3, container 173, liquefied gas 24, passenger 6, passenger/cargo 5, petroleum tanker 91, roll on/roll off 4, specialized tanker 8, vehicle carrier 8 foreign-owned: 617 (Belgium 4, Canada 39, China 309, Denmark 12, France 1, Germany 10, Greece 30, Indonesia 7, Japan 78, South Korea 6, Lebanon 1, Norway 30, Pakistan 1, Philippines 10, Portugal 1, Singapore 11, Syria 1, Taiwan 11, UAE 1, UK 32, US 22) registered in other countries: 275 (Bahamas 3, Belize 5, Bermuda 4, Cambodia 11, China 6, Cyprus 2, Honduras 1, India 1, Liberia 21, Malaysia 14, Malta 1, Marshall Islands 4, Mongolia 1, Norway 5, Panama 137, Philippines 2, Seychelles 1, Singapore 37, St Vincent and The Grenadines 7, Tuvalu 10, UK 2, unknown 7) (2007)	total: 9 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 74,881 GRT/100,682 DWT by type: bulk carrier 5, petroleum tanker 1, roll on/roll off 3 foreign-owned: 8 (Germany 2, Greece 5, UAE 1) (2005)
Military - note	defense is the responsibility of China	-
Military branches	no regular indigenous military forces; Hong Kong garrison of China's People's Liberation Army (PLA) includes elements of Ground Forces, Navy, and 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	Jamaica Defense Force: Ground Forces, Coast Guard, Air Wing
Military expenditures - dollar figure	-	$31.2 million (2003)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP	NA	0.4% (2003)
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	Independence Day, 6 August (1962)
Nationality	noun: Chinese/Hong Konger adjective: Chinese/Hong Kong	noun: Jamaican(s) adjective: Jamaican
Natural hazards	occasional typhoons	hurricanes (especially July to November)
Natural resources	outstanding deepwater harbor, feldspar	bauxite, gypsum, limestone
Net migration rate	4.72 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 est.)	-4.07 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 est.)
Political parties and leaders	Association for Democracy and People's Livelihood or ADPL [Frederick FUNG Kin-kee]; Citizens Party [Alex CHAN Kai-chung]; Civic Party [KUAN Hsin-chi]; Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong or DAB [MA Lik]; Democratic Party [Albert HO]; Frontier Party [Emily LAU Wai-hing]; Liberal Party [James TIEN Pei-chun] note: political blocs include: pro-democracy - ADPL, Democratic Party, Frontier Party; pro-Beijing - DAB, Liberal Party	Jamaica Labor Party or JLP [Bruce GOLDING]; National Democratic Movement or NDM [Hyacinth BENNETT]; People's National Party or PNP [Percival James PATTERSON]
Political pressure groups and leaders	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]	New Beginnings Movement or NBM; Rastafarians (black religious/racial cultists, pan-Africanists)
Population	6,980,412 (July 2007 est.)	2,731,832 (July 2005 est.)
Population below poverty line	NA%	19.7% (2002 est.)
Population growth rate	0.561% (2007 est.)	0.71% (2005 est.)
Ports and harbors	-	Kingston, Port Esquivel, Port Kaiser, Port Rhoades, Rocky Point
Radio broadcast stations	AM 5, FM 9, shortwave 0 (2004)	AM 10, FM 13, shortwave 0 (1998)
Railways	-	total: 272 km standard gauge: 272 km 1.435-m gauge note: 207 of these km belonging to the Jamaica Railway Corporation had been in common carrier service until 1992 but are no longer operational; 57 km of the remaining track is privately owned and used by ALCAN to transport bauxite (2003)
Religions	eclectic mixture of local religions 90%, Christian 10%	Protestant 61.3% (Church of God 21.2%, Baptist 8.8%, Anglican 5.5%, Seventh-Day Adventist 9%, Pentecostal 7.6%, Methodist 2.7%, United Church 2.7%, Brethren 1.1%, Jehovah's Witness 1.6%, Moravian 1.1%), Roman Catholic 4%, other including some spiritual cults 34.7%
Sex ratio	at birth: 1.08 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.096 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.948 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.87 male(s)/female total population: 0.956 male(s)/female (2007 est.)	at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.01 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.8 male(s)/female total population: 1 male(s)/female (2005 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	18 years of age; universal
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; multiple international submarine cables provide connections to Asia, US, Australia, the Middle East, and Western Europe; satellite earth stations - 3 Intelsat (1 Pacific Ocean and 2 Indian Ocean); coaxial cable to Guangzhou, China	general assessment: fully automatic domestic telephone network domestic: NA international: country code - 1-876; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean); 3 coaxial submarine cables
Telephones - main lines in use	3.85 million (2006)	444,400 (2002)
Telephones - mobile cellular	9.356 million (2006)	1.4 million (2002)
Television broadcast stations	55 (2 TV networks, each broadcasting on 2 channels) (2006)	7 (1997)
Terrain	hilly to mountainous with steep slopes; lowlands in north	mostly mountains, with narrow, discontinuous coastal plain
Total fertility rate	0.98 children born/woman (2007 est.)	1.95 children born/woman (2005 est.)
Unemployment rate	4.9% (2006 est.)	15% (2004 est.)

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