Hong Kong, special administrative region of China
Country Comparisons: chart
World Factbook: "Hong Kong has a free market economy highly dependent on international trade and finance - the value of goods and services trade, including the sizable share of re-exports, is about four times GDP. Hong Kong's open economy left it exposed to the global economic slowdown, but its increasing integration with China, through trade, tourism, and financial links, helped it recover more quickly than many observers anticipated."
GDP growth rate
2012: 1.8%
2011: 5%
2010: 7%
2009: -2.6%
Unemployment rate
2012: 3.4%
2011: 3.4%
2010 4.3%
2009: 5.3%
Hong Kong's life expectancy, infant mortality and corruption figures are better than those of the China mainland, reflecting a per capital wealth more than 5 times the mainland. (Corruption is more pervasive where there is less wealth and a greater scramble for it.)
Net migration rate
2011: More arriving than leaving; a new gain of 4.6 persons per 1,000 population.
Density for 2005: 6,317 persons per square kilometer – at the top of density in the world. Growth rate: 0.532 percent.
A region that extends from the Chinese mainland into the South China Sea, including a few islands, one of which is Hong Kong. Size equivalent to 33 by 33 kilometers, or 20 by 20 miles.
Chief of state: Hu Jintao (President of China and China's Paramount Leader since 15 November 2002). Head of government: Leung Chun-ying (chief executive) since 1 July 2012, elected from within Hong Kong and approved by the chief of state.
Hong Kong is a "special" region of China. Basic Law, approved March 1990 by China's National People's Congress, is Hong Kong's charter. Chief of state is the President of China.
Unicameral legislature has 30 members indirectly elected by functional constituencies and 30 members elected by popular vote – to be expanded from 60 to 70 members in 2012. Members serve four-year terms.
World Factbook: "Pursuant to an agreement signed by China and Britain 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."
Elections of September 2008: The pro-democracy party wins 57% of the vote, the pro-Beijing party wins 40% and independents win 3%. This gives the pro-Beijing party
SOURCES:
http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/
Copyright © 2009-2011 by Frank E. Smitha. All rights reserved.
