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 Hong Kong| Facts & Figures |
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| Status: Special Administrative Region of
China Chief Executive: Donald Tsang
(2005) Land area: 382 sq mi (989 sq km); total
area: 422 sq mi (1,092 sq km) Population (2008 est.): 7,018,636
(growth rate: 0.5%); birth rate: 7.3/1000; infant mortality rate:
2.9/1000; life expectancy: 81.7; density per sq mi: 6,735
National Holiday:
National Day, October 1
Major sources and definitions
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Hong Kong consists of the island of Hong Kong
(32 sq mi; 83 sq km), Stonecutters' Island, Kowloon Peninsula, and the New
Territories on the adjoining mainland. The island of Hong Kong was ceded
to Britain in 1841. Stonecutters' Island and Kowloon were annexed in 1860,
and the New Territories, which are mainly agricultural lands, were leased
from China in 1898 for 99 years. On July 1, 1997, Hong Kong was returned
to China. The vibrant capitalist enclave retains its status as a free
port, with its laws to remain unchanged for 50 years. Its first chief
executive, Tung Chee-hwa, formulated a policy agenda based on the concept
of “one country, two systems,” thus preserving Hong Kong's
economic independence.
In a series of massive demonstrations in July
2003, more than 500,000 people took to the streets of Hong Kong to protest
proposed antisubversion laws that curtailed civil rights. Surprisingly,
Tung Chee-hwa scrapped the law in September. After pro-democracy parties
handed pro-China parties a stunning defeat in November elections, China
quickly moved to stifle the democracy movement. In April 2004, Beijing
officials postponed indefinitely the expansion of the number of popularly
elected legislators. Hundreds of thousands protested. Pro-democracy
candidates took about 60% of the popular vote in Sept. 2004 elections, but
Beijing's legislative system granted them only 40% of the seats in the
legislature.
Donald Tsang, with the backing of Beijing, was
overwhelmingly reelected as chief executive in March 2007. Tsang was
challenged by Alan Leong, the former leader of the Hong Kong Bar
Association and an advocate for voting rights in Hong Kong.
See also
Encyclopedia:
Hong Kong
U.S. State Dept. Country Notes:
Hong Kong
.
Census and Statistics Department
www.info.gov.hk/censtatd/
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