Turks and Caicos Islands (2002) | Hong Kong (2001) | |
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Administrative divisions | none (overseas territory of the UK) | none (special administrative region of China) |
Age structure | 0-14 years: 32.6% (male 3,101; female 3,004)
15-64 years: 63.6% (male 6,266; female 5,651) 65 years and over: 3.8% (male 319; female 397) (2002 est.) |
0-14 years:
17.73% (male 677,785; female 600,781) 15-64 years: 71.52% (male 2,554,329; female 2,602,662) 65 years and over: 10.75% (male 354,199; female 420,749) (2001 est.) |
Agriculture - products | corn, beans, cassava (tapioca), citrus fruits; fish | fresh vegetables; poultry |
Airports | 8 (2001) | 3 (2000 est.) |
Airports - with paved runways | total: 5
1,524 to 2,437 m: 3 914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2002) |
total:
3 over 3,047 m: 2 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2000 est.) |
Airports - with unpaved runways | total: 3
914 to 1,523 m: 1 under 914 m: 2 (2002) |
- |
Area | total: 430 sq km
land: 430 sq km water: 0 sq km |
total:
1,092 sq km land: 1,042 sq km water: 50 sq km |
Area - comparative | 2.5 times the size of Washington, DC | six times the size of Washington, DC |
Background | The islands were part of the UK's Jamaican colony until 1962, when they assumed the status of a separate crown colony upon Jamaica's independence. The governor of The Bahamas oversaw affairs from 1965 to 1973. With Bahamian independence, the islands received a separate governor in 1973. Although independence was agreed upon for 1982, the policy was reversed and the islands are presently a British overseas territory. | 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 practiced in 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. |
Birth rate | 24.18 births/1,000 population (2002 est.) | 11.13 births/1,000 population (2001 est.) |
Budget | revenues: $47 million
expenditures: $33.6 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (1997-98 est.) |
revenues:
$20.8 billion expenditures: $24.5 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (FY99/00) |
Capital | Grand Turk (Cockburn Town) | - |
Climate | tropical; marine; moderated by trade winds; sunny and relatively dry | tropical monsoon; cool and humid in winter, hot and rainy from spring through summer, warm and sunny in fall |
Coastline | 389 km | 733 km |
Constitution | introduced 30 August 1976; suspended in 1986; restored and revised 5 March 1988 | Basic Law approved in March 1990 by China's National People's Congress is Hong Kong's "mini-constitution" |
Country name | conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Turks and Caicos Islands |
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 |
Currency | US dollar (USD) | Hong Kong dollar (HKD) |
Death rate | 4.38 deaths/1,000 population (2002 est.) | 6.02 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.) |
Debt - external | $NA | $48.1 billion (1999) |
Dependency status | overseas territory of the UK | special administrative region of China |
Diplomatic representation from the US | none (overseas territory of the UK) | chief of mission:
Consul General Michael KLOSSON consulate(s) general: 26 Garden Road, Hong Kong mailing address: PSC 464, Box 30, FPO AP 96522-0002 telephone: [852] 2523-9011 FAX: [852] 2845-1598 |
Diplomatic representation in the US | none (overseas territory of the UK) | none (special administrative region of China) |
Disputes - international | none | none |
Economic aid - recipient | $4.1 million (1997) (1997) | - |
Economy - overview | The Turks and Caicos economy is based on tourism, fishing, and offshore financial services. Most capital goods and food for domestic consumption are imported. The US is the leading source of tourists, accounting for more than half of the 93,000 visitors in 1998. Major sources of government revenue include fees from offshore financial activities and customs receipts. | 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 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. Per capita GDP compares with the level in the four big countries of Western Europe. GDP growth averaged a strong 5% in 1989-97. The widespread Asian economic difficulties in 1998 hit this trade-dependent economy quite hard, with GDP down 5%. The economy is undergoing a rapid recovery, with growth of 10% in 2000 to be followed by projected growth of 5% in 2001. |
Electricity - consumption | 4.65 million kWh (2000) | 32.202 billion kWh (1999) |
Electricity - exports | 0 kWh (2000) | 633 million kWh (1999) |
Electricity - imports | 0 kWh (2000) | 7.05 billion kWh (1999) |
Electricity - production | 5 million kWh (2000) | 27.726 billion kWh (1999) |
Electricity - production by source | fossil fuel: 100%
hydro: 0% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2000) |
fossil fuel:
100% hydro: 0% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (1999) |
Elevation extremes | lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m
highest point: Blue Hills 49 m |
lowest point:
South China Sea 0 m highest point: Tai Mo Shan 958 m |
Environment - current issues | limited natural fresh water resources, private cisterns collect rainwater | air and water pollution from rapid urbanization |
Environment - international agreements | - | party to:
Marine Dumping (associate member), Ship Pollution (associate member) |
Ethnic groups | black | Chinese 95%, other 5% |
Exchange rates | the US dollar is used | Hong Kong dollars per US dollar - 7.7990 (January 2001), 7.7912 (2000), 7.7575 (1999), 7.7453 (1998), 7.7421 (1997), 7.7343 (1996); note - Hong Kong became a special administrative region of China on 1 July 1997; before then, the Hong Kong dollar was linked to the US dollar at the rate of about 7.8 Hong Kong dollars per US dollar |
Executive branch | chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1953), represented by Governor Jim POSTON (since 16 December 2002)
head of government: Chief Minister Derek H. TAYLOR (since 31 January 1995) cabinet: Executive Council consists of three ex officio members and five appointed by the governor from among the members of the Legislative Council elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; governor appointed by the monarch; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party is appointed chief minister by the governor |
chief of state:
President of China JIANG Zemin (since 27 March 1993) head of government: Chief Executive TUNG Chee-hwa (since 1 July 1997) cabinet: Executive Council consists of three ex-officio members and 10 appointed members; ex-officio members are: Chief Secretary Anson CHAN (since 29 November 1993), Financial Secretary Donald TSANG (since 7 March 1995), and Secretary of Justice Elsie LEUNG (since 1 July 1997) elections: NA |
Exports | $13.7 million (1999) | $204 billion (including reexports; f.o.b., 2000 est.) |
Exports - commodities | lobster, dried and fresh conch, conch shells | clothing, textiles, footwear, electrical appliances, watches and clocks, toys |
Exports - partners | US, UK | China 33%, US 24%, Japan 5%, UK 4%, Germany, Singapore (1999) |
Fiscal year | calendar year | 1 April - 31 March |
Flag description | blue, with the flag of the UK in the upper hoist-side quadrant and the colonial shield centered on the outer half of the flag; the shield is yellow and contains a conch shell, lobster, and cactus | red with a stylized, white, five-petal bauhinia flower in the center |
GDP | purchasing power parity - $128 million (1999 est.) | purchasing power parity - $181 billion (2000 est.) |
GDP - composition by sector | agriculture: NA%
industry: NA% services: NA% |
agriculture:
0.1% industry: 14.3% services: 85.6% (1999 est.) |
GDP - per capita | purchasing power parity - $7,300 (1999 est.) | purchasing power parity - $25,400 (2000 est.) |
GDP - real growth rate | 8.7% (1999 est.) | 10% (2000 est.) |
Geographic coordinates | 21 45 N, 71 35 W | 22 15 N, 114 10 E |
Geography - note | about 40 islands (eight inhabited) | more than 200 islands |
Heliports | - | 2 (2000 est.) |
Highways | total: 121 km
paved: 24 km unpaved: 97 km (2000) |
total:
1,831 km paved: 1,831 km unpaved: 0 km (1997) |
Household income or consumption by percentage share | lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA% |
lowest 10%:
NA% highest 10%: NA% |
Illicit drugs | transshipment point for South American narcotics destined for the US and Europe | a hub for Southeast Asian heroin and regional stimulants trade; transshipment and money-laundering center; increasing indigenous amphetamine abuse |
Imports | $175.6 million (1999) | $215 billion (f.o.b., 2000) |
Imports - commodities | food and beverages, tobacco, clothing, manufactures, construction materials | foodstuffs, transport equipment, raw materials, semimanufactures, petroleum; a large share is reexported |
Imports - partners | US, UK | China 44%, Japan 12%, US 7%, Taiwan 7%, South Korea, Singapore (1999) |
Independence | none (overseas territory of the UK) | none (special administrative region of China) |
Industrial production growth rate | NA% | 2.1% (2000) |
Industries | tourism, offshore financial services | textiles, clothing, tourism, electronics, plastics, toys, watches, clocks |
Infant mortality rate | 17.46 deaths/1,000 live births (2002 est.) | 5.83 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.) |
Inflation rate (consumer prices) | 4% (1995) (1995) | 3.7% (2000 est.) |
International organization participation | Caricom (associate), CDB, Interpol (subbureau) | APEC, AsDB, BIS, CCC, ESCAP (associate), ICC, ICFTU, IMO (associate), Interpol (subbureau), IOC, ISO (correspondent), WCL, WMO, WToO (associate), WTrO |
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) | 14 (2000) | 17 (2000) |
Irrigated land | NA sq km | 20 sq km (1997 est.) |
Judicial branch | Supreme Court | The Court of Final Appeal in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region |
Labor force | 4,848 (1990 est.) | 3.39 million (2000 est.) |
Labor force - by occupation | about 33% in government and 20% in agriculture and fishing; significant numbers in tourism, financial, and other services (1997 est.) | wholesale and retail trade, restaurants, and hotels 31.5%, community and social services 24%, financing, insurance, and real estate 14.5%, transport and communications 11.6%, manufacturing 7.7%, construction 2.6% (October 1999) |
Land boundaries | 0 km | total:
30 km border countries: China 30 km |
Land use | arable land: 2.33%
permanent crops: 0% other: 97.67% (1998 est.) |
arable land:
6% permanent crops: 1% permanent pastures: 1% forests and woodland: 20% other: 72% (1997 est.) |
Languages | English (official) | Chinese (Cantonese), English; both are official |
Legal system | based on laws of England and Wales, with a few adopted from Jamaica and The Bahamas | based on English common law |
Legislative branch | unicameral Legislative Council (19 seats, of which 13 are popularly elected; members serve four-year terms)
elections: last held 4 March 1999 (next to be held NA 2003) election results: percent of vote by party - PDM 52.2%, PNP 40.9%, independent 6.9%; seats by party - PDM 9, PNP 4 |
unicameral Legislative Council or LEGCO (60 seats; 30 indirectly elected by functional constituencies, 24 elected by popular vote, and 6 elected by an 800-member election committee; members serve four-year terms)
elections: last held 10 September 2000 (next to be held NA 2004) election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - Democratic Party 12, Democratic Alliance for the Betterment of Hong Kong 10, Liberal Party 7, Frontier Party 5, Hong Kong Progressive Alliance 4, New Century Forum 2, Hong Kong Association for Democracy and People's Livelihood 1, independents 19 |
Life expectancy at birth | total population: 73.76 years
male: 71.59 years female: 76.03 years (2002 est.) |
total population:
79.67 years male: 76.97 years female: 82.55 years (2001 est.) |
Literacy | definition: age 15 and over has ever attended school
total population: 98% male: 99% female: 98% (1970 est.) |
definition:
age 15 and over has ever attended school total population: 92.2% male: 96% female: 88.2% (1996 est.) |
Location | Caribbean, two island groups in the North Atlantic Ocean, southeast of The Bahamas | Eastern Asia, bordering the South China Sea and China |
Map references | Central America and the Caribbean | Southeast Asia |
Maritime claims | exclusive fishing zone: 200 NM
territorial sea: 12 NM |
territorial sea:
3 NM |
Merchant marine | none (2002 est.) | total:
354 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 10,330,662 GRT/17,227,315 DWT ships by type: barge carrier 1, bulk 208, cargo 36, chemical tanker 7, combination bulk 2, container 59, liquefied gas 6, multi-functional large-load carrier 2, petroleum tanker 26, refrigerated cargo 3, short-sea passenger 1, vehicle carrier 3 note: includes some foreign-owned ships registered here as a flag of convenience: Bermuda 2, Belgium 1, Canada 2, China 9, Japan 3, Mongolia 1, Norway 1, South Africa 1, UK 7 (2000 est.) |
Military - note | defense is the responsibility of the UK | defense is the responsibility of China |
Military branches | - | 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 | - | $NA; note - separate budget for Hong Kong not established by China |
Military expenditures - percent of GDP | - | NA% |
Military manpower - availability | - | males age 15-49:
2,020,937 (2001 est.) |
Military manpower - fit for military service | - | males age 15-49:
1,520,531 (2001 est.) |
Military manpower - military age | - | 18 years of age |
Military manpower - reaching military age annually | - | males:
47,139 (2001 est.) |
National holiday | Constitution Day, 30 August (1976) | 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 |
Nationality | noun: none
adjective: none |
noun:
Chinese adjective: Chinese |
Natural hazards | frequent hurricanes | occasional typhoons |
Natural resources | spiny lobster, conch | outstanding deepwater harbor, feldspar |
Net migration rate | 12.97 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2002 est.) | 7.9 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.) |
People - note | destination and transit point for illegal Haitian immigrants bound for the Turks and Caicos Islands, Bahamas, and US | - |
Political parties and leaders | People's Democratic Movement or PDM [Derek H. TAYLOR]; Progressive National Party or PNP [Washington MISICK]; United Democratic Party or UDP [Wendal SWANN] | Association for Democracy and People's Livelihood [Frederick FUNG Kin-kee, chairman]; Citizens Party [leader NA]; Democratic Alliance for the Betterment of Hong Kong [Jasper TSANG Yok-sing, chairman]; Democratic Party [Martin LEE Chu-ming, chairman]; Frontier Party [Emily LAU Wai-hing, chairwoman]; Hong Kong Association for Democracy and People's Livelihood [leader NA]; Hong Kong Progressive Alliance [Ambrose LAU Hon-chuen]; Liberal Party [James TIEN Pei-chun, chairman]; New Century Forum [NQ Ching-fai, chairman]
note: political blocs include: pro-democracy - Association for Democracy and People's Livelihood, Citizens Party, Democratic Party, Frontier Party; pro-Beijing - Democratic Alliance for the Betterment of Hong Kong, Hong Kong Progressive Alliance, Liberal Party, New Century Forum |
Political pressure groups and leaders | NA | 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) [LEE Chark-tim, president]; 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]; Liberal Democratic Federation [HU Fa-kuang, chairman] |
Population | 18,738 (July 2002 est.) | 7,210,505 (July 2001 est.) |
Population below poverty line | NA% | NA% |
Population growth rate | 3.28% (2002 est.) | 1.3% (2001 est.) |
Ports and harbors | Grand Turk, Providenciales | Hong Kong |
Radio broadcast stations | AM 3 (one inactive), FM 6, shortwave 0 (1998) | AM 7, FM 13, shortwave 0 (1998) |
Radios | 8,000 (1997) | 4.45 million (1997) |
Railways | 0 km | total:
34 km standard gauge: 34 km 1.435-m gauge (all electrified) (1996 est.) |
Religions | Baptist 40%, Methodist 16%, Anglican 18%, Church of God 12%, other 14% (1990) | eclectic mixture of local religions 90%, Christian 10% |
Sex ratio | at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.03 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.11 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.8 male(s)/female total population: 1.07 male(s)/female (2002 est.) |
at birth:
1.07 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.13 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.98 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.84 male(s)/female total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2001 est.) |
Suffrage | 18 years of age; universal | 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 100,000 members of functional constituencies and an 800-member election committee drawn from broad regional groupings, municipal organizations, and central government bodies |
Telephone system | general assessment: fair cable and radiotelephone services
domestic: NA international: 2 submarine cables; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) |
general assessment:
modern facilities provide excellent domestic and international services domestic: microwave radio relay links and extensive fiber-optic network international: 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 |
Telephones - main lines in use | 3,000 (1994) | 3.839 million (1999) |
Telephones - mobile cellular | 0 (1994) | 3.7 million (December 1999) |
Television broadcast stations | 0 (broadcasts from The Bahamas are received; cable television is established) (1997) | 4 (plus two repeaters) (1997) |
Terrain | low, flat limestone; extensive marshes and mangrove swamps | hilly to mountainous with steep slopes; lowlands in north |
Total fertility rate | 3.18 children born/woman (2002 est.) | 1.29 children born/woman (2001 est.) |
Unemployment rate | 10% (1997 est.) | 4.5% (2000 est.) |
Waterways | none | none |