Hong Kong
Hong Kong is a special administrative region of the People's Republic of China. With 7.4 million residents of various nationalities in a 1,104-square-kilometre (426 sq mi) territory, Hong Kong is one of the most densely populated territories in the world.
Hong Kong 香港 | |||||||
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Special administrative region | |||||||
| Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China Other official names
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Location of Hong Kong within China | |||||||
| Sovereign state | China | ||||||
| British possession | 26 January 1841 | ||||||
| Treaty of Nanking | 29 August 1842 | ||||||
| Convention of Peking | 24 October 1860 | ||||||
| New Territories lease | 9 June 1898 | ||||||
| Imperial Japanese occupation | 25 December 1941 to 30 August 1945 | ||||||
| Redesignated as a British Dependent Territory | 1 January 1981 | ||||||
| Sino-British Joint Declaration | 19 December 1984 | ||||||
| Handover to China | 1 July 1997 | ||||||
| Administrative centre | Tamar | ||||||
| Largest district by population | Sha Tin | ||||||
| Official languages |
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Regional language | Cantonese | ||||||
Official scripts | Traditional Chinese English alphabet | ||||||
| Ethnic groups (2021) | 91.6% Chinese 2.7% Filipino 1.9% Indonesian 0.8% White 0.6% Indian 0.4% Nepalese 2% other | ||||||
| Demonym(s) | Hongkonger Hongkongese | ||||||
| Government | Devolved executive-led government within a unitary one-party state | ||||||
| John Lee | |||||||
| Eric Chan | |||||||
• Council President | Andrew Leung | ||||||
| Andrew Cheung | |||||||
| Legislature | Legislative Council | ||||||
| National representation | |||||||
• National People's Congress | 36 deputies | ||||||
| 203 delegates | |||||||
| Area | |||||||
• Total | 2,754.97 km2 (1,063.70 sq mi) (168th) | ||||||
• Water (%) | 59.70% (1,640.62 km2; 633.45 sq mi) | ||||||
• Land | 1,114.35 km2 (430.25 sq mi) | ||||||
| Highest elevation (Tai Mo Shan) | 957 m (3,140 ft) | ||||||
| Lowest elevation (South China Sea) | 0 m (0 ft) | ||||||
| Population | |||||||
• 2023 estimate | 7,498,100 | ||||||
• 2021 census | 7,413,070 | ||||||
• Density | 6,801/km2 (17,614.5/sq mi) (4th) | ||||||
| GDP (PPP) | 2023 estimate | ||||||
• Total | $548.999 billion (45th) | ||||||
• Per capita | $72,861 (13th) | ||||||
| GDP (nominal) | 2023 estimate | ||||||
• Total | $385.546 billion (40th) | ||||||
• Per capita | $51,168 (21st) | ||||||
| Gini (2016) | 53.9 high | ||||||
| HDI (2022) | 0.956 very high · 4th | ||||||
| Currency | Hong Kong dollar (HK$) (HKD) | ||||||
| Time zone | UTC+08:00 (HKT) | ||||||
| Date format | dd/mm/yyyy yyyy年mm月dd日 | ||||||
| Mains electricity | 220 V–50 Hz | ||||||
| Driving side | left | ||||||
| Calling code | +852 | ||||||
| ISO 3166 code | |||||||
| Internet TLD | |||||||
| Number plate prefixes | None for local vehicles, 粤Z for cross-boundary vehicles | ||||||
Hong Kong was established as a colony of the British Empire after the Qing dynasty ceded Hong Kong Island in 1841–1842 as a consequence of losing the First Opium War. The colony expanded to the Kowloon Peninsula in 1860 and was further extended when the United Kingdom obtained a 99-year lease of the New Territories in 1898. Hong Kong was occupied by Japan from 1941 to 1945 during World War II. The territory was handed over from the United Kingdom to China in 1997. Hong Kong maintains separate governing and economic systems from that of mainland China under the principle of one country, two systems.
Originally a sparsely populated area of farming and fishing villages, the territory is now one of the world's most significant financial centres and commercial ports. Hong Kong is the world's fourth-ranked global financial centre, ninth-largest exporter, and eighth-largest importer. Its currency, the Hong Kong dollar, is the ninth most traded currency in the world. Home to the seventh-highest number of billionaires of any city in the world, Hong Kong has the largest number of ultra high-net-worth individuals. Although the city has one of the highest per capita incomes in the world, severe income inequality exists among the population. Despite having the largest number of skyscrapers of any city in the world, housing in Hong Kong has been well-documented to experience a chronic persistent shortage.
Hong Kong is a highly developed territory and has a Human Development Index (HDI) of 0.956, ranking fourth in the world. The city has one of the highest life expectancies in the world, and a public transport rate exceeding 90 per cent.