Hong Kong From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Jump to: navigation, search "HK" redirects here. For other uses, see HK (disambiguation). Page semi-protected Coordinates: 22°16′42″N 114°09′32″E Hong Kong[note 1] 香港 A flag with a white 5-petalled flower design on solid red background A red circular emblem, with a white 5-petalled flower design in the centre, and surrounded by the words "Hong Kong" and "中華人民共和國香港特別行政區" Flag Emblem Anthem: 《義勇軍進行曲》 March of the Volunteers A panorama overlooking the skyscrapers of Hong Kong at night, with Victoria Harbour in the background View at night from Victoria Peak (2007). Hong Kong is situated on a peninsula and series of islands on the south coast of China, to the east of the Pearl River Delta and bordered to the north by Guangdong province Spoken languages English Cantonese Chinese Writing systems English alphabet Traditional Chinese characters Demonym Hong Konger Government Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China - Chief Executive Leung Chun-Ying - Chief Secretary for Administration Carrie Lam - Financial Secretary John Tsang - Secretary for Justice Rimsky Yuen Legislature Legislative Council Establishment - Treaty of Nanking 29 August 1842 - Japanese occupation 25 December 1941 to 15 August 1945 - Conveyance from British to Chinese sovereignty 1 July 1997 Area - Total 1,104 km2 (179th) 426 sq mi - Water (%) 4.58 (50 km2; 19 mi2)[3] Population - 2010 census 7,061,200[4] - Density 6,480[5]/km2 (4th) 16,576/sq mi GDP (PPP) 2011 estimate - Total $351.119 billion[6] - Per capita $49,137[6] GDP (nominal) 2011 estimate - Total $243.302 billion[6] - Per capita $34,049[6] Gini (2007) 43.4[7] medium HDI (2013) Steady 0.906[8] very high · 13th Currency Hong Kong dollar (HKD) Time zone HKT (UTC+8) Date format yyyy年m月d日 (Chinese) dd-mm-yyyy (English) Drives on the left Calling code +852 ISO 3166 code HK Internet TLD .hk .香港 This article contains Chinese text. Without proper rendering support, you may see question marks, boxes, or other symbols instead of Chinese characters. Hong Kong Hong Kong in Chinese 2.svg Chinese 香港 Cantonese Jyutping Hoeng1gong2 Cantonese Yale Hēunggóng Hanyu Pinyin Xiānggǎng Literal meaning Fragrant harbour [show]Transcriptions Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Traditional Chinese 香港特別行政區 (or 香港特區) Simplified Chinese 香港特别行政区 (or 香港特区) [show]Transcriptions Full view of Kowloon and Hong Kong. The old Kai Tak Airport, extending out into the bay, can be seen on the left. Outside view of an ancient tomb museum with protective canopy. The Lei Cheng Uk Han Tomb Museum located in northwest Kowloon was built in 1969 after the tomb's discovery in 1955. Hong Kong[note 2] is one of the two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China, the other being Macau. It is situated on China's south coast and, enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea,[9] it is known for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour. With a land mass of 1,104 km2 (426 sq mi) and a population of seven million people, Hong Kong is one of the most densely populated areas in the world.[10] Hong Kong's population is 95 percent ethnic Chinese and 5 percent from other groups.[11] Hong Kong's Han Chinese majority originate mainly from the cities of Guangzhou and Taishan in the neighbouring Guangdong province.[12] Hong Kong became a colony of the British Empire after the First Opium War (1839–42). Originally confined to Hong Kong Island, the colony's boundaries were extended in stages to the Kowloon Peninsula in 1860 and then the New Territories in 1898. It was occupied by Japan during the Pacific War, after which the British resumed control until 1997, when China resumed sovereignty.[13][14] The region espoused minimum government intervention under the ethos of positive non-interventionism during the colonial era.[15] The time period greatly influenced the current culture of Hong Kong, often described as "East meets West",[16] and the educational system, which used to loosely follow the system in England[17] until reforms implemented in 2009.[18] Under the principle of "one country, two systems", Hong Kong has a different political system from mainland China.[19] Hong Kong's independent judiciary functions under the common law framework.[20][21] Hong Kong Basic Law, its constitutional document, which stipulates that Hong Kong shall have a "high degree of autonomy" in all matters except foreign relations and military defence, governs its political system.[22][23] Although it has a burgeoning multi-party system, a small-circle electorate controls half of its legislature. The head of the government, Chief Executive of Hong Kong is chosen by an Election Committee of 400 to 1,200 members, a situation that will be in effect during the first 20 years of Chinese rule.[24][25][26] As one of the world's leading international financial centres, Hong Kong has a major capitalist service economy characterised by low taxation and free trade, and the currency, Hong Kong dollar, is the eighth most traded currency in the world.[27] The lack of space caused demand for denser constructions, which developed the city to a centre for modern architecture and the world's most vertical city.[28][29] Hong Kong has one of the highest per capita incomes in the world.[6] The dense space also led to a highly developed transportation network with public transport travelling rate exceeding 90 percent,[30] the highest in the world.[31] Hong Kong has numerous high international rankings in various aspects. For instance, its economic freedom, financial and economic competitiveness[32], quality of life, corruption perception,[33] Human Development Index are all ranked highly. According to estimates from both UN and WHO, Hong Kong had the longest life expectancy of any region in the world in 2012.[34] Hong Kong also has the highest average IQ score in 81 countries around the world.[35]