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Hong Kong Country Guide
Explore Hong Kong in Asia
The topography includes hilly to mountainous with steep slopes with lowlands in north. The average density of population is approximately 6,317 per km². The notable climate conditions in Hong Kong can be described as subtropical monsoon with cool and humid in winter, hot and rainy from spring through summer, warm and sunny in fall. Possible natural disasters include occasional typhoons.
To reach someone in Hong Kong dial +852 prior to a number. There are 4,188,000 installed telephones. And there are 12,207,000 registered mobile phones. The cellular networks commonly support frequencies of 900/1800/3G MHz. Websites registered in this country end with the top level domain ".hk". If you want to bring electric equipment on your trip (e.g. laptop power supply), note the local power outlet of 220V - 50Hz.
About the flag and history of Hong Kong
Red with a stylized, white, five-petal Bauhinia flower in the center; each petal contains a small, red, five-pointed star in its middle; the red color is the same as that on the Chinese flag and represents the motherland; the fragrant Bauhinia - developed in Hong Kong the late 19th century - has come to symbolize the region; the five stars echo those on the flag of China.
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 the People's Republic of China on 1 July 1997. In this agreement, China promised that, under its "one country, two systems" formula, China''s socialist economic system would not be imposed on Hong Kong and that Hong Kong would enjoy a high degree of autonomy in all matters except foreign and defense affairs for the next 50 years.
Geography Quick-Facts
| Summary | Continent: Asia Neighbours: Capital: Hong Kong |
| Size | 1,092 square kilometers (km² or sqkm) or 421 square miles (mi² or sqmi) six times the size of Washington, DC |
| Population | 6,898,686 |
| Currency | Name Dollar, Currency Code:HKD |
| Country Top Level Domain (cTLD) | .hk |
| Telephone Country Prefix | +852 |
| Mobile Phone Connections | 12,207,000 |
| Landline Phone Connections | 4,188,000 |
Country Position in World Rankings
Information about single country attributes and how these compare against the rest of the world. The information below is compiled with data from 2013. As such, it may differ a bit to the Information above in the text (which is from 2010).
Geography
| Value name | Value | World Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Area | 1,104 (sq km) | 184 |
People and Society
| Value name | Value | World Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 7,182,724 | 99 |
| Population growth rate | 0.39 (%) | 156 |
| Birth rate | 7.58 (births/1,000 population) | 222 |
| Death rate | 7.39 (deaths/1,000 population) | 116 |
| Net migration rate | 3.75 (migrant(s)/1,000 population) | 27 |
| Infant mortality rate | 2.89 (deaths/1,000 live births) | 219 |
| Life expectancy at birth | 82.20 (years) | 9 |
| Total fertility rate | 1.11 (children born/woman) | 221 |
| HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate | 0.10 (%) | 132 |
| HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS | 2,600 | 130 |
| HIV/AIDS - deaths | 200 | 112 |
| Education expenditures | 3.40 (% of GDP) | 129 |
| Unemployment, youth ages 15-24 | 9.40 (%) | 110 |
Economy
| Value name | Value | World Rank |
|---|---|---|
| GDP (purchasing power parity) | 375,500,000,000 | 36 |
| GDP - real growth rate | 1.40 (%) | 150 |
| GDP - per capita (PPP) | 52,300 | 13 |
| Labor force | 3,826,000 | 94 |
| Unemployment rate | 3.30 (%) | 28 |
| Distribution of family income - Gini index | 53.70 | 11 |
| Investment (gross fixed) | 26.30 (% of GDP) | 42 |
| Taxes and other revenues | 21.70 (% of GDP) | 149 |
| Budget surplus (+) or deficit (-) | 3.20 (% of GDP) | 19 |
| Public debt | 30.00 (% of GDP) | 114 |
| Inflation rate (consumer prices) | 4.10 (%) | 118 |
| Central bank discount rate | 0.50 (%) | 135 |
| Commercial bank prime lending rate | 5.00 (%) | 158 |
| Stock of narrow money | 176,600,000,000 | 21 |
| Stock of broad money | 1,148,000,000,000 | 16 |
| Stock of domestic credit | 714,000,000,000 | 21 |
| Market value of publicly traded shares | 2,240,000,000,000 | 6 |
| Industrial production growth rate | -0.10 (%) | 147 |
| Current account balance | 6,400,000,000 | 28 |
| Exports | 439,000,000,000 | 13 |
| Imports | 499,400,000,000 | 10 |
| Reserves of foreign exchange and gold | 317,300,000,000 | 10 |
| Debt - external | 1,047,000,000,000 | 17 |
| Stock of direct foreign investment - at home | 1,200,000,000,000 | 4 |
| Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad | 1,112,000,000,000 | 5 |
Energy
| Value name | Value | World Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Electricity - production | 41,300,000,000 (kWh) | 57 |
| Electricity - consumption | 45,070,000,000 (kWh) | 50 |
| Electricity - exports | 497,400,000 (kWh) | 61 |
| Electricity - imports | 11,150,000,000 (kWh) | 18 |
| Electricity - installed generating capacity | 10,660,000 (kW) | 53 |
| Electricity - from fossil fuels | 100.00 (% of total installed capacity) | 18 |
| Refined petroleum products - consumption | 337,600 (bbl/day) | 38 |
| Refined petroleum products - exports | 16,520 (bbl/day) | 78 |
| Refined petroleum products - imports | 354,100 (bbl/day) | 19 |
| Natural gas - consumption | 2,790,000,000 (cu m) | 76 |
| Natural gas - imports | 2,790,000,000 (cu m) | 45 |
| Carbon dioxide emissions from consumption of energy | 39,300,000 (Mt) | 71 |
Communications
| Value name | Value | World Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Telephones - main lines in use | 4,342,000 | 38 |
| Telephones - mobile cellular | 15,293,000 | 55 |
| Internet hosts | 870,041 | 48 |
| Internet users | 4,873,000 | 47 |
Transportation
| Value name | Value | World Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Airports | 2 | 201 |
| Roadways | 2,067 (km) | 172 |
| Merchant marine | 1,644 | 5 |
Data based on CIA facts book 2010 & 2013, wikipedia, national statistical offices and their census releases