Hong Kong
(zh)
Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (en)

Flag Emblem
Administration
Political Status	Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China
Government - Chief Executive	Donald Tsang
Geography
Area	1 104 km 2
Demography
Population (2008)	7,018,636 inhab.
Density	6357 inhabitants / km 2
Language (s)	Cantonese , English
Economy
GDP ( 2006 ) GDP per capita.	254.2 billion 38 127
Currency	Hong Kong Dollar
Other
Time Zone	UTC 8
Internet domain	. Hk
Calling code	+852

Hong Kong ( Chinese : , Cantonese : literally "wearing the perfume" or "fragrant harbor") is the largest and most populated of the two special administrative regions (SARs) of China (PRC), the the other being Macau. It has about seven million inhabitants is known as Hong Kong.

Hong Kong is situated on the eastern bank of the Pearl River on the south coast of China and is washed by the South China Sea. It adjoins the province of Guangdong to the north. Hong Kong is the richest city in China , its economy is among the most liberal in the world. It is a financial and commercial centers with global reach.

British colony from 1842, returned to China in 1997, Hong Kong remains fundamentally different from the rest of the People's Republic of China. A fundamental law determines its particular political regime. It follows the principle " one country, two systems ", which allows Hong Kong to retain its legal system, its currency, its political system, its sports teams and its immigration laws. Under the terms of the Sino-British joint, the China promised that Hong Kong would keep certain autonomy until at least 2047, 50 years after the transfer of sovereignty.

The city has 20,500 UK residents (up from 25,500 in 1996). The majority is made up of expatriates employed by multinational companies or contractors settled with their families. Since the handover, the streets have kept their two names in English and Cantonese.

Satellite image. Green, vegetated areas. Gray, urbanized areas. The largest island in the lower left is Lantau.

Administrative Region of Hong Kong covers an area of 1100 sq. km, bordering the Chinese province of Guangdong. Situated near the Tropic of Cancer , it is largely open to the South China Sea , but quite hilly. Hong Kong is located at the southeast corner of Delta Pearl River , one of the largest rivers in China. The delta region , which includes Guangzhou and Shenzhen , is one of the most populated and richest of China. Hong Kong plays a pivotal role in the regional economy ^{Hong Kong Island and Kowloon}

The north coast of the island of Hong Kong and on the left, separated from the island by the Victoria Harbour, Kowloon.

The island of Hong Kong was the first region inhabited by English settlers. It is quite mountainous and the population is concentrated in its northern part. Even today, parts of Central and Wan Chai are the political and economic heart of the SAR. It is also on the island that residents have the highest incomes.

The Kowloon peninsula faces the north coast of the island. It was the second region to be urbanized and residential densities are particularly high, exceeding 30 000 inhabitants per square kilometer. Mong Kok, one of the neighborhoods of Kowloon, is one of the neighborhoods most dense in the world, with numbers ranging from 150 to 200 000 inhabitants per km. Kowloon was originally a neighborhood, home to immigrants from mainland China. From the late 1990s, many relatively luxurious skyscrapers were built, including the complex of Union Square. Many of those skyscrapers are residential, but the highest of them, the International Trade Center (484 meters), houses a hotel, the Ritz-Carlton, and offices. A viewing platform is open to visitors to the hundredth floor.

The New Territories

Tseung Kwan O New Town

The New Territories are to land came under British control in 1898, except New Kowloon , which is now integrated in Kowloon. The New Territories account for over 80% of the area of Hong Kong. Since the 2000s, they also include more than half the population. Densities are generally lower, but rise more rapidly.

Both through its surface that its population, the most important part of New Territories is the land mass north of Kowloon. From 1970-1980, several new towns , each housing including several hundred thousand people. Examples are Tsuen Wan , Sha Tin , Tin Shui Wan and Tseung Kwan O.

The New Territories also include many islands. The largest by far is that of Lantau , located west of the island of Hong Kong , and that is including the new international airport. Among the minor islands include Lamma , Po Toi , Cheung Chau and Peng Chau. These small islands, inhabited by fishermen, still offer the traditional vision of coastal communities.

Climate

The climate of Hong Kong is a subtropical climate with dry winter (Cwa by Kppen classification ). Winter (January and February) is cloudy but the rain is very rare, with temperatures generally range between 13 and 22. The minimum annual average is 8.4 C. Spring and summer (March to October) are hot, humid and rainy with average temperatures ranging from 17-21 C (March) to 26-32 C (July). From June to September the temperature exceeds 30 C almost every day and rain is plentiful. The maximum annual average of 33.8 C. Autumn (October to December) is considered the most pleasant time: the weather is sunny and mild temperatures (15-30 degrees C).
Hong Kong often experiences typhoons. On 18 September 1906 , a typhoon or large (Tai) wind (Foun) and tsunami were 10,000 victims.

History

Though involved since the Neolithic at least, the territory of what is now Hong Kong has remained out of most major events in China throughout its imperial history. It began to become a global focal point until the 1840s when he became a European outpost in the Far East. British possession from 1842, Hong Kong returned to China in 1997. It has been one of the richest territories of the republic.

The first English settlement

In the 1830s, the island of Hong Kong has only about 7,500 inhabitants, mainly fishermen, farmers and charcoal. However, it occupies a strategic position. It is located at the delta of the Pearl River , so out of Canton , the only city in China then allowed to trade with foreigners. The site allows Hong Kong to establish a deep water port capable of accommodating ships with deep drafts, in accordance with the cargo volume. For this reason, the British occupied the island during the First Opium War , between 1839 and 1842. By the Treaty of Nanking , China ceded it officially and forever, in the UK which makes it a strategic base for trade in the Far East. Ten years later, the island has 33,000 inhabitants. From the 1850s, the Taiping rebellion involves the arrival of many refugees.

After the Second Opium War (1856-1860), the territory of Hong Kong widens: China gives Peninsula Kowloon , north of the island ( Convention of Peking , 1860) . The 1865 census has 125,504 residents, including 2000 European or American.

In 1898, Germany, France and Russia acquire rights in different territories of China. In response, the United Kingdom seeks to expand its colony of Hong Kong. He signed with China the "Second Convention of Peking, which gives it a long lease of 99 years in areas adjacent to Kowloon and adjacent islands. These spaces, known as the New Territories , stay longer widely used. The major development projects were introduced only in the 1970s.

The English colony during the communist period

Hong Kong in 1950

Population growth continues, and various economic activities grow. Yet the public remains relatively low average. Hong Kong has 1.6 million inhabitants in 1941 . The area suffers greatly during the Japanese occupation after the attack on Hong Kong from Japan , and the population drops to 600,000. With the coming to power of Communists in China (1949) have produced an influx of refugees.

Hong Kong is from the 1960s an economic boom. This is primarily based mainly on textiles, then, from the 1970s, finance plays a predominant role.

From 1979 , Chinese President Deng Xiaoping began opening China economically with other countries. The experience is limited primarily to special economic zones. Among the first areas to benefit from these investments, known a spectacular development, Shenzhen , located on the outskirts of Hong Kong. Hong Kong becomes a strategic point for trade with China: almost all come from the English colony, or at least pass by it.

The handover to China

The New Territories has been sold for 99 years, they returned to China in 1997. The island of Hong Kong and the peninsula of Kowloon , ceded in perpetuity to the United Kingdom, have theoretically been able to stay in England. However, the land of Hong Kong, who joined the New Territories in a single urban complex, made it impossible for a separation that involved the establishment of a border (the subway went from one area to another The future new airport was in the New Territories, etc.). Therefore, it was essential to restore to China the whole territory of Hong Kong. This was announced by the Sino-British Joint Declaration , signed on 19 December 1984 , by which the UK pledged to deliver to China the whole colony in 1997. The People's Republic, meanwhile, pledged to maintain economic and legislative systems, and the lifestyle of Hong Kong for 50 years. It is the policy of " one country, two systems ". ¹ July 1997 , Hong Kong became the first Special Administrative Region of China. The event gives rise to a ceremony broadcast worldwide.

At the end of that year, Hong Kong was affected by the Asian crisis of 1997. Six years later, in 2003, the outbreak of SARS , born in China in late 2002, there was 293 deaths .

Political organization, judicial and administrative

From a legal perspective, Hong Kong is clearly distinguishable from the mainland. The region has inherited the British system of common law , and fundamental freedoms are respected.

The political system consists of a legislature, which elects a chief executive , the most important politician in Hong Kong. The latter is the head of government. The influence of power in Beijing is a sensitive political issue in Hong Kong.

Half the members are democratically elected by direct universal suffrage by the population of the five geographical constituencies (Hong Kong, Kowloon East, Kowloon West, New Territories East New Territories West). The other half consists of elected representatives of 28 occupational categories.

Political system

The document serving as a constitution is the fundamental law of the Special Administrative Region of Hong Kong. Posted in the late 1980s in anticipation of the handover of Hong Kong to China, it is the result of negotiation between representatives of the colony and the Chinese mainland. It was passed by the NPC in 1990 and came into effect in 1997.

The legislative council, commonly called LEGCO , is the parliament of Hong Kong. Its 60 members are elected every four years, but not at the same time as the Chief Executive. The Basic Law provides that:

- 30 members are elected by universal suffrage, with a system of five constituencies geographical: the Hong Kong Island, Kowloon East, Kowloon West, New Territories East New Territories West.

- 30 members are elected in 28 socio-professional groups in which only a minority has the right to vote

For subsequent elections, the procedure could be modified, however, the elections of 2008 were made in a similar institutional framework. On 29 December 2007 the Chinese government announced that the universal suffrage , introduced by the constitution of Hong Kong as the ultimate goal could be set up in 2017 .

Hong Kong is headed by a chief executive , placed at the head of government for five years . Under Article 45 of the Basic Law, it is "chosen by election or consultations held locally" and appointed by the Chinese president. An appendix states that it must be elected by an assembly of eight hundred people representing various professions and organizations. The exact way by which one determines the composition is not specified in the constitution. It only indicates that it must be fixed by law and "in accordance with the principles of democracy and transparency." He appoints the other members of the executive . The current Chief Executive is Donald Tsang.

Legal system

Under the Basic Law of Hong Kong and the Sino-British Hong Kong has a legal and judicial system separate from that of mainland China.

Hong Kong has kept the tradition of common law established during the British colonization, while mainland China is subject to a civil law system. In addition, the rules of common law and statute law in force before the handover remain valid unless they contradict the Basic Law. Hong Kong does not obey the national laws of the PRC exceptions (defense, foreign affairs).

Article 84 of the Basic Law allows Hong Kong courts to refer to the jurisprudence of other common law courts, on the basis of precedent. Sections 82 and 92 allow the invitation of judges from other common law jurisdictions to participate in the proceedings of the Court of Final Appeal Hong Kong and to sit as a judge in Hong Kong.

The judicial system consists mainly of a Hong Kong Court of Final Appeal to replace the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council , the High Court, composed of the Court of Appeal and the Court of First Instance and the District Court including the Family Court.

The judges of the Court of Final Appeal are appointed by the Chief Executive of Hong Kong. The Basic Law of Hong Kong can be interpreted by the Standing Committee of the NPC. This power was invoked three times.

As in the United Kingdom, Hong Kong lawyers may be barristers or solicitors , but can not hold both offices simultaneously. The vast majority are solicitors who are qualified and regulated by the Law Society of Hong Kong, while barristers are by the Hong Kong Bar Association.

Administrative divisions and political

Hong Kong is divided since 1980 into 18 districts. Each district has a board, some of whose members are elected by universal suffrage. However, district councils have no real political power.

Transport

Rail Transport

Hong Kong tram

Hong Kong enjoys good transport infrastructure. The urban railway, the MTR is well developed. It is underground in the most populated areas. In the MTR , there are 150 stations. The MTR carries 3.5 million people per day.

Communications with China have developed. There are at least since 2002 a direct train from the Gare du Nord train station in Guangzhou Central Hong Kong which takes about 1h30. Border control is, however, made at the station.

There is also a funicular, built in 1888, the Peak Tram, which connects the district of Central at the top of Victoria Peak. Conveyance tourist attraction, it also allows people of Victoria Peak to get to their houses, through several intermediate stations.

The island of Hong Kong there are different ways decker tram, linking east to west the northern tip of Hong Kong Island.

Road transport

The road infrastructure of Hong Kong, of excellent quality, is driven by a myriad of taxis and many bus lines. Three tunnels across the harbor connecting the island to the mainland. A mammoth project planned to link Hong Kong to Macao and Zhuhai by a road bridge sea of tens of miles across the estuary of the Pearl River.

Shipping

Since its inception in the late nineteenth ^century, the Star Ferry is certainly one of the icons of Hong Kong. It serves four lines across the Victoria Harbour, carrying nearly 53,000 passengers per day . Many other services ferries serve many and very regular routes to the islands of Hong Kong and New Territories , Macau and several cities in the PRC.

Air transport

Hong Kong Express 737-800

The international airport of Hong Kong Chep Lak Kok is one of the largest airports in the world and is one of the main points of entry and exit of Asia for passengers and freight. It replaced the old airport Kai Tak in Kowloon in 1998. Spent by passengers and Skytrax / A> as one of the best airports in the world, it hosts over 85 airlines and is the main hub of local companies Cathay Pacific , Dragonair , Hong Kong Express Airways and Hong Kong Airlines.

The Hong Kong Government Flying Service is a governmental unit equipped with helicopters and aircraft utilities.

Economy

Hong Kong is by far the richest city in mainland China in 2009 with a GDP per capita 231 023 HKD. In purchasing power parity , it was 42 653 in 2009 against 33 434 in France and 45 934 in the United States. and ^the 3rd financial center in the world . Its economy is fifteen years since the most liberal in the world . The tax ratios are low and lax laws. Moreover, economic activity in Hong Kong allows the port to be the eighth in the world (2008) for the cargo tonnage with 259.402 million metric tons and the third for container traffic with 24,494,229 TEUs handled 2008.

The objective of monetary policy is to maintain Hong Kong's monetary stability. Since its opening to the outside, it is practical to maintain the exchange rate to 7.80 HK dollars to 1 U.S. dollar. Since 2005, the exchange is between 7.75 and HK 7.85 HK.

The tertiary

Hong Kong was first developed as a commercial port. From the 1950s, the industry, particularly textiles take a major place. Hong Kong enjoys when the influx of cheap labor. However, higher economic level leads to the development of services from the 1970s. They soon take precedence over industrial activities.

The Two International Finance Center 415 meters

An outward-oriented economy

Hong Kong small and specialized area economically highly dependent on external trade. The value of imports and exports to GDP is higher. The city increasingly functionally integrated with the People's Republic of China , with which it achieves 47% of its trade. The Hong Kong investment in China, including in Guangdong , are also very important. His close ties with China and its autonomous status in Hong Kong offer as an intermediary between the Mainland and Taiwan.

Tourism plays an increasing role. The PRC has authorized for July 28, 2003 some Chinese to visit Hong Kong outside of tour groups. ^Competitors

Several cities compete as a global financial center. As a financial center, Hong Kong has to compete with Singapore, and to a lesser extent, Shanghai.

According to investment bank Merrill Lynch , air pollution in Hong Kong greatly reduces its competitiveness especially against Singapore , Hong Kong workers and their families prefer to leave Hong Kong to preserve their health.

Demographics

Hong Kong is the fifth largest urban area of China ( China List of cities by population ). Considered independently, Hong Kong is one of the most populated areas in the world with a density of 6,357 inhabitants per km. Nearly seven million people crammed into 1,092 square kilometers. Taking into account that, because of the relief, only one fifth of the territory is buildable, urban concentration therefore reaches an average of over 30 000 inhabitants / km.

The city's population is aging common to all countries: in 2033, 27% of the population will be over 65 years by South China Morning Post. The birth rate is one of the world's lowest (9.3 per thousand inhabitants ). Many Hong Kong people went to the influx of farmers from within and to escape air pollution . The metropolis of south China is affected by the rural exodus and brain drain : many young people leaving Hong Kong to study in the United States.

Since 1997, 500,000 citizens of the People's Republic of China came to settle in Hong Kong. But the city still has about 265,000 British nationals.

Culture

International commercial and tourist destination, Hong Kong simultaneously sells the latest European fashion and traditional Chinese clothing. The contrast between the ultra-modern malls and traditional markets of Stanley, Jade. Found in every neighborhood of shops selling Chinese herbs, particularly along Bonham Strand, Sheung Wan. The excitement of the city at night is found in the districts of Wanchai and Lan Kwai Fong.

The entertainment industry is centered around the Hong Kong cinema and Cantopop. These two industries are closely related, for capital but also by celebs who spend almost systematically from one medium to another. These stars have frequently emerged on television, very popular since 1967. TV, movies and music are gaining considerable local and international, particularly in exporting Chinese emigrant communities. Because of a greater freedom of expression in China mainland, Hong Kong cinema is of great interest. Directors such as Yu Lik Wai, Fruit Chan and Lawrence Ah Mon through their films depict the contemporary Hong Kong society, including its negative aspects often evaded .

Western theater and opera Cantonese coexist on stage.

Languages

Bilingual road signs in English and Chinese in Hong Kong.

The Cantonese are the official languages of Hong Kong. It is spoken and taught in schools. Its use is widespread in both family life and in social life. The influence of media and music culture of cantopop provide an important place both in Hong Kong Cantonese at Guangdong neighbor and in Chinese communities overseas ( San Francisco , Vancouver , Toronto , New York , Los Angeles and Malaysia ). Hong Kong became the cultural center of the Cantonese area, who dethroned Township where this language has no official status against the Mandarin.

The English is quite common. It is spoken mainly in trade relations with all foreigners in general. The Hong Kong government has a policy of bilingualism in the display ( bilingual road signs , subtitles movies in theaters or on TV, etc.).. It is taught in all schools from primary, many TV commercials encourage Hong Kong people to learn English to communicate with foreigners and make a brilliant student. An estimated one third of the population is able to use it fluently. ^{Higher Education}

There are eight universities and numerous centers of higher learning:

• Universities
  • City University of Hong Kong
  • Hong Kong Polytechnic University (HKPU)
  • Hong Kong Shue Yan University
  • Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST)
  • Hong Kong Baptist University (HKBU)
  • Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK)
  • University of Hong Kong
  • Free University of Hong Kong
  • Lingnan University

• Other institutions
  • Chu Hai College
  • Hong Kong Institute of Vocational Training
  • The Hong Kong Institute of Education

Sport

Former British colony and Special Administrative Region within China, Hong Kong usually takes part in international sporting events under its own banner. Two Olympic medals for Hong Kong: A gold medal in Atlanta in 1996 windsurfing Mistral Women (Lee Lai Shan) and a silver medal for the men's doubles in table tennis in 2004 in Athens (Ko Lai Chak and Li Ching).

The area has hosted the equestrian events as part of the Summer Olympics of 2008 in Beijing.

Architecture

Space is limited in Hong Kong. Densities are high and many areas have been reclaimed from the sea Hong Kong is known for its large number of high-ciel.Certains, located on the island of Hong Kong, are particularly famous, as the Bank of China Tower designed by IM Pei and Two International Finance Centre due to Cesar Pelli. However, the future ICC (International Commerce Center) in early 2010 became the tallest building in the city, with 484 m.

According to the classification of the real estate group Knight Frank and Citi Private Bank , Hong Kong is the fourth most expensive city in the world (behind London , Monaco and New York ) in respect of property prices (19 700 euros per square meter in the most exclusive neighborhoods) .

Here are concentrated skyscrapers, the tallest and most famous. The highest side Hong Kong Two International Finance Centre on the right, completed in 2003, Central Plaza , completed more left 11 years earlier. They will be dethroned by the ICC in early 2010 (Kohn Pedersen Fox Architects), located at the tip of Kowloon Peninsula.

In order not to lower home values and impoverishing the rich, the Chinese government gave up its program of social housing provided for the period 1997-2004, thereby maintaining 100 000 cage houses cramped home to as many of decommissioned and considered as an "affront to human dignity" by the Economic and Social Council .

Religions

90% of Hong Kongers are Taoist , Confucian or Buddhist and 10% Christian ^, . According to the regional government, there are also Muslims , the Hindus , the Sikhs and Jews in Hong Kong .

The three major religions prevalent in the Chinese population more or less closely intertwined to the point of confusion in the popular practices. It is frequently these cults coexist in the same architectural space (but separate temples enclosed within the same enclosure as the Sik Sik Temple, or temple altars occupy the same as in that of Hollywood Road).

Native Hong Kong

• Rene Obaldia
• Andy Lau
• Chow Yun-Fat
• Jackie Chan
• Amanda Lear
• Guo-Hung Leung
• Tony Leung Chiu-wai
• Maggie Cheung
• Ma Ying-jeou
• Nicholas Tse
• Stephen Chow
• Jiro Wang
• Niki Chow
• Kelly Chen
• Johnnie To
• Herman Li
• Vivian Moore
• Anthony Wong Chau Sang

Codes

Hong Kong has the code:

• BH , BK and BL , according to the list of prefixes ICAO aircraft registration ,
• HK , according to the list of international codes of plates ,
• HK , according to the standard ISO 3166-1 , code alpha-2
• HKG , according to the list of country codes IOC ,
• HKG , according to the standard ISO 3166-1 (list of country codes), code alpha-3,
• VH : according to the list of prefixes ICAO airport codes ,
• ZZZ , according to the list of country codes used by NATO , alpha-2 code,
• ZZZ , according to the list of country codes used by NATO , code alpha-3,

References

Leave a Reply

Frequently Asked Questions