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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 |
Geographic coordinates:
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22 15 N, 114 10 E
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Map references:
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Southeast Asia |
Area:
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total: 1,092 sq km
land: 1,042 sq km
water: 50 sq km |
Area - comparative:
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six times the size of Washington, DC |
Land boundaries:
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total: 30 km
regional border: China 30 km |
Coastline:
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733 km |
Maritime claims:
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territorial sea: 3 nm |
Climate:
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tropical monsoon; cool and humid in winter, hot and
rainy from spring through summer, warm and sunny in
fall |
Terrain:
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hilly to mountainous with steep slopes; lowlands in
north |
Elevation extremes:
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lowest point: South China Sea 0 m
highest point: Tai Mo Shan 958 m |
Natural resources:
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outstanding deepwater harbor, feldspar |
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.) |
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.) |
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.) |
Death rate:
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5.98 deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.) |
Net migration rate:
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5.24 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 est.) |
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.) |
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.) |
Life expectancy at birth:
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total population: 81.39 years
male: 78.72 years
female: 84.3 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.) |
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
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2,600 (2003 est.) |
HIV/AIDS - deaths:
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less than 200 (2003 est.) |
Nationality:
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noun: Chinese/Hong Konger
adjective: Chinese/Hong Kong |
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% |
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) |
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 |
Dependency status:
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special administrative region of China |
Government type:
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limited democracy
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Administrative divisions:
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none (special administrative region of China) |
Independence:
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none (special administrative region of China) |
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 |
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 |
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 |
Executive branch:
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chief of state: President of China HU Jintao
(since 15 March 2003)
head of government: Acting Chief Executive
Donald TSANG Yam-kuen (since 12 March 2005)
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: previous chief executive TUNG
Chee-hwa was elected to second term in March 2002 by
800-member election committee dominated by
pro-Beijing forces, resignation accepted 12 March
2005; next election scheduled to be held 10 July
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 |
Judicial branch:
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Court of Final Appeal in the Hong Kong Special
Administrative Region |
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 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 |
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] |
International organization participation:
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APEC, AsDB, BIS, ICC, ICFTU, IHO, IMF, IMO
(associate), Interpol (subbureau), IOC, ISO
(correspondent), UPU, WCL, WCO, WMO, WToO
(associate), WTO |
Diplomatic representation in the US:
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none (special administrative region of China) |
Diplomatic representation from the US:
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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
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Flag description:
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red with a stylized, white, five-petal bauhinia
flower in the center |
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 1997,
but Hong Kong suffered two recessions in the past
six years because of the Asian financial crisis in
1998 and the global downturn in 2001 and 2002.
Although the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome
(SARS) outbreak also battered Hong Kong's economy, 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 and in
2004. |
GDP:
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purchasing power parity - $234.5 billion (2004 est.)
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GDP - real growth rate:
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7.9% (2004 est.) |
GDP - per capita:
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purchasing power parity - $34,200 (2004 est.) |
GDP - composition by sector:
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agriculture: 0.1%
industry: 11.3%
services: 88.6% (2004 est.)
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Investment (gross fixed):
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22.7% of GDP (2004 est.) |
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Household income or consumption by percentage
share:
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lowest 10%: NA
highest 10%: NA |
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
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-0.3% (2004 est.) |
Labor force:
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3.54 million (October 2004 est.)
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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.) |
Unemployment rate:
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6.7% (2004 est.) |
Budget:
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revenues: $26.6 billion
expenditures: $31.7 billion, including
capital expenditures of $5.9 billion (2004 est.)
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Public debt:
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2.1% of GDP (2004 est.) |
Agriculture - products:
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fresh vegetables, poultry, fish, pork |
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% (2004 est.) |
Electricity - production:
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35.51 billion kWh (2003) |
Electricity - consumption:
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38.45 billion kWh (2003) |
Electricity - exports:
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3 billion kWh (2003)
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Electricity - imports:
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10.4 billion kWh (2003) |
Oil - consumption:
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257,000 bbl/day (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 - imports:
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680.9 million cu m (2001 est.)
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Current account balance:
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$14.85 billion (2004 est.) |
Exports:
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$268.1 billion f.o.b., including reexports (2004
est.) |
Exports - commodities:
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electrical machinery and appliances, textiles,
apparel, footwear, watches and clocks, toys,
plastics, precious stones, printed material |
Exports - partners:
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China 42.6%, US 18.7%, Japan 5.4% (2003) |
Imports:
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$275.9 billion (2004 est.) |
Imports - commodities:
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raw materials and semi-manufactures, consumer goods,
capital goods, foodstuffs, fuel (most is
re-exported) |
Imports - partners:
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China 43.5%, Japan 11.9%, Taiwan 6.9%, US 5.5%,
Singapore 5%, South Korea 4.8% (2003) |
Reserves of foreign exchange & gold:
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$123.6 billion (31 December 2004 est.)
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Debt - external:
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$417.6 billion (June 30, 2003 est.)
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Currency:
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Hong Kong dollar (HKD) |
Currency code:
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HKD |
Exchange rates:
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Hong Kong dollars per US dollar - 7.779 (2004),
7.7868 (2003), 7.7989 (2002), 7.7988 (2001), 7.7912
(2000) |
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) |
Telephones - mobile cellular:
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7,241,400 (2003) |
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 |
Radio broadcast stations:
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AM 5, FM 9, shortwave 0 (2004) |
Television broadcast stations:
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4 (2004) |
Internet country code:
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.hk |
Internet hosts:
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591,993 (2003) |
Internet users:
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3,212,800 (2003) |
Highways:
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total: 1,831 km
paved: 1,831 km
unpaved: 0 km (1999 est.) |
Ports and harbors:
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Hong Kong |
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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Airports:
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4 (2004 est.)
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Airports - with paved runways:
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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.) |
Heliports:
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2 (2004 est.)
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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)
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 manpower - military age:
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18 years of age (2004) |
Military manpower - availability:
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males age 18-49: 1,743,972 (2005 est.) |
Military manpower - fit for military service:
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males age 18-49: 1,403,088 (2005 est.) |
Military manpower - reaching military age
annually:
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males: 40,343 (2005 est.) |
Military expenditures - dollar figure:
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Hong Kong garrison is funded by China; figures are
NA |
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Military - note:
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defense is the responsibility of China |
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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 |
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