Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China[1] 中華人民共和國香港特別行政區
Flag Emblem
View at night from Victoria Peak
Official languages		Chinese, English [2]
Demonym		Hong Kong people, Hongkonger
Government		Non-sovereign partial indirect democracy
-	Chief Executive	Sir Donald Tsang
-	Chief Justice	Andrew Li
-	President of the Legislative Council	Jasper Tsang
Legislature		Legislative Council
Establishment
-	Transfer of sovereignty to Britain (Treaty of Nanking)	29 August 1842
-	Japanese occupation	25 December 1941 – 15 August 1945
-	Transfer of sovereignty to the PRC	1 July 1997
Area
-	Total	1,108 km2 (179th) 427 sq mi
-	Water (%)	4.6
Population
-	End-2008 estimate	7,008,900[3] (98th)
-	Mid-2008 census	6,708,389
-	Density	6054.5/km2 (3rd) 16,452/sq mi
GDP (PPP)		2008 estimate
-	Total	$293.311 billion[4] (38th)
-	Per capita	$44,413[4] (10th)
GDP (nominal)		2008 estimate
-	Total	$223.764 billion[4] (37th)
-	Per capita	$31,849[4] (27th)
Gini (2007)		43.4[5]
HDI (2008)		▲ 0.945 (high) (22nd)
Currency		Hong Kong dollar (HKD)
Time zone		HKT (UTC+8)
Date formats		yyyy年m月d日 (Chinese) dd/mm/yyyy (English)
Drives on the		left
Internet TLD		.hk
Calling code		+852

Hong Kong (Chinese: 香港), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region,^[6] is a largely self-governing^[7] territory of the People's Republic of China, facing Guangdong to the north and the South China Sea to the east, west and south. Hong Kong is a global metropolitan and international financial centre, and has a highly developed capitalist economy. Hong Kong may refer to: Hong Kong, a special administrative region of the Peoples Republic of China, formerly a British colony. ... The flag of the HKSAR Flag ratio: 2:3 The HKSAR and the PRC flags brandishing at the patio of the Legislative Council. ... Hong Kong Emblem (since 1997) The Coat of arms of Hong Kong is the current devised emblem that came into use on July 1, 1997, when the sovereignty of Hong Kong was transferred to the Peoples Republic of China, and the emblem replaced the colonial Hong Kong Arms, or... For other places with the same name, see Victoria Peak (disambiguation). ... An official language is a language that is given a special legal status in the countries, states, and other territories. ... The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ... A demonym or gentilic is a word that denotes the members of a people or the inhabitants of a place. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into List of types of democracy. ... Other Hong Kong topics Culture - Economy Education - Geography - History Hong Kong Portal The Chief Executive (traditional Chinese: ) of Hong Kong is the head of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the Peoples Republic of China, and represents the region. ... The Honourable (Sir) Donald Tsang Yam-kuen GBM JP (KBE) (曾蔭權) is the Chief Secretary of the Hong Kong SAR government who has been dubbed bow-tied Tsang because of his fashion style. ... The Hon Andrew Li Kwok-nang, CBE, DLitt (Hon. ... The President of the Legislative Council is the speaker of the Legislative Council of Hong Kong. ... The Honourable Jasper Tsang Yok-sing GBS JP (曾鈺成) (born 1947 in Guangzhou, Guangdong and his native place is Shunde, Guangdong) is the founding Chairman (1992-2003) of the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment of Hong Kong (DAB), the largest pro-Beijing political party in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. ... A Legislature is a type of representative deliberative assembly with the power to create, amend and ratify laws. ... The Legislative Council (abbreviated as LegCo; Chinese: 立法會, Pinyin: LìfÇŽ Huì; formerly 立法局, LìfÇŽ Jú) is the unicameral legislature of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the Peoples Republic of China. ... The Treaty of Nanjing (Chinese: 南京條約, NánjÄ«ng TiáoyuÄ“) is the agreement which marked the end of the First Opium War between the United Kingdom and China. ... The Japanese occupation of Hong Kong began after the Governor of Hong Kong, Sir Mark Young surrendered the territory of Hong Kong to Japan on 25 December 1941 after 18 days of fierce fighting between British and Canadian defenders against Japanese Imperial forces. ... The transfer of sovereignty of Hong Kong from the United Kingdom to China, often referred to as The Handover, occurred on July 1, 1997. ... This article is about the physical quantity. ... To help compare orders of magnitude of different geographical regions, we list here areas between 1,000 km² and 10,000 km². See also areas of other orders of magnitude. ... This is a list of the countries of the world sorted by area. ... A square mile is an English unit of area equal to that of a square with sides each 1 statute mile (≈1,609 m) in length. ... Impact from a water drop causes an upward rebound jet surrounded by circular capillary waves. ... A percentage is a way of expressing a proportion, a ratio or a fraction as a whole number, by using 100 as the denominator. ... Map of countries by population for the year 2007 This is a list of countries ordered according to population. ... Population density per square kilometre by country, 2006 Population density map of the world in 1994. ... Population density by country, 2006 List of countries and dependencies by population density in inhabitants/km². The list includes sovereign states and self-governing dependent territories that are recognized by the United Nations. ... PPP of GDP for the countries of the world (2003). ... There are three lists of countries of the world sorted by their gross domestic product (GDP) (the value of all final goods and services produced within a nation in a given year). ... Look up Per capita in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... This article includes two lists of countries of the world[1] sorted by their gross domestic product (GDP) at purchasing power parity (PPP) per capita, the value of all final goods and services produced within a nation in a given year divided by the average population for the same year. ... World map of GDP (Nominal and PPP). ... Look up Per capita in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Map of countries by 2007 GDP (nominal) per capita (IMF, April 2008). ... Graphical representation of the Gini coefficient The Gini coefficient is a measure of inequality of income distribution or inequality of wealth distribution. ... This page talks about Human Development Index, for other HDIs see HDI (disambiguation) World map indicating Human Development Index (2007). ... This talks about the countries in the Human Development Index, for information on the Human Development Index, please Click Here World map indicating Human Development Index (2007) (Colour-blind compliant map) For red-green color vision problems. ... ISO 4217 is the international standard describing three letter codes (also known as the currency code) to define the names of currencies established by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO). ... Timezone and TimeZone redirect here. ... UTC redirects here. ... A date in a calendar is a reference to a particular day represented within a calendar system. ...  right-hand traffic left-hand traffic Right-hand traffic and left-hand traffic mean regulations requiring all traffic to keep either to the left or the right side of the road. ... A country code top-level domain (ccTLD) is a top-level domain used and reserved for a country or a dependent territory. ... .hk is the Internet country code top-level domain ( ccTLD) for Hong Kong. ... This is a list of country calling codes defined by ITU-T recommendation E.164. ... Telephone numbers in Hong Kong are mostly eight-digit. ... A Special Administrative Region (SAR) of the Peoples Republic of China is an administrative division of the Peoples Republic of China (PRC). ... Four political entities have a special position recognized by international treaty or agreement (Ã…land in Finland, Svalbard in Norway, as well as the special administrative regions of Hong Kong and Macau in the Peoples Republic of China). ... Not to be confused with the former Kwantung Leased Territory in north-eastern China. ... Filipino name Tagalog: Timog Dagat Tsina (Dagat Luzon for the portion within Philippine waters) Malay name Malay: Laut China Selatan Portuguese name Portuguese: Mar da China Meridional Vietnamese name Vietnamese: The South China Sea is a marginal sea south of China. ... “World city” redirects here. ... Two IFC International Finance Centre (IFC) is an integrated commercial development on the waterfront of Hong Kongs Central District. ... A developed country is a country that has achieved (currently or historically) a high degree of industrialization, and which enjoys the higher standards of living which wealth and technology make possible. ... For other uses, see Capitalism (disambiguation). ...

Beginning as a trading port, Hong Kong became a crown colony of the United Kingdom in 1842, reclassified as a British dependent territory in 1983, and remained so until the transfer of its sovereignty to the People's Republic of China in 1997.^[8][9] Under the "one country, two systems" policy,^[10] Hong Kong enjoys high degree ^[11] of autonomy in all areas with the exception of foreign affairs and defence, which are the responsibility of the PRC Government.^[7] As part of this arrangement, Hong Kong continues to maintain its own currency, legal system, political system, immigration control, rule of the road and other aspects that concern its way of life,^[7] many of which are distinct from those of mainland China.^{[12][13][14][15]} A United Kingdom overseas territory (formerly known as a dependent territory or earlier as a crown colony) is a territory that is under the sovereignty and formal control of the United Kingdom but is not part of the United Kingdom proper (Great Britain and Northern Ireland). ... Location of the British Overseas Territories The British Overseas Territories are fourteen[1] territories which the United Kingdom considers to be under its sovereignty, but not as part of the United Kingdom itself. ... The transfer of sovereignty of Hong Kong from the United Kingdom to China, often referred to as The Handover, occurred on July 1, 1997. ... Portuguese name Portuguese: Um país, dois sistemas One country, two systems is an idea originally proposed by Deng Xiaoping during the early 1980s, then Paramount Leader of the Peoples Republic of China (PRC), for the reunification of China. ... An autonomous (subnational) entity is a subnational entity that has a certain amount of autonomy. ... Other Hong Kong topics Culture - Economy Education - Geography - History Hong Kong Portal Politics of Hong Kong takes place in a framework of a political system dominated by China, an own legislature, the Chief Executive as the head of government, and of a pluriform multi-party system. ... The Immigration Department (Traditional Chinese: , known as 人民入境事務處 before the 1997 handover) of the Hong Kong Government is responsible for immigration control of Hong Kong. ...  right-hand traffic left-hand traffic Right-hand traffic and left-hand traffic mean regulations requiring all traffic to keep either to the left or the right side of the road. ... ...

Renowned for its expansive skyline and natural setting, its identity as a cosmopolitan centre where the East meets the West is reflected in its cuisine, cinema, music and traditions.^[16] Although the population is predominantly Chinese, residents and expatriates of other ethnicities form a small but significant^{[citation needed]} segment of society.^[17] With a population of 7 million people but land area of only 1,108 km² (428 sq mi), Hong Kong is one of the most densely populated areas in the world.^[18] The term Eastern world refers very broadly to the various cultures, social structures and philosophical systems of the East, namely Asia (including China, India, Japan, and surrounding regions). ... Occident redirects here. ... The cuisine in Hong Kong can best be described as a fusion of eastern and western style cuisine. ... Hong Kong is a part of China that has produced a number of popular traditions, including a large part of what is known as Cantopop. ... For the band, see Expatriate (band). ...

Etymology

The name "Hong Kong" in the English language is an approximate phonetic rendering of the Cantonese or Hakka pronunciation of the spoken Cantonese name "香港", meaning "fragrant harbour".^[19] The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ... This article is on all of the Yue dialects. ... Hakka is one language in the family of languages known as Chinese. ...

Before 1842, the name Hong Kong originally referred colloquially to a small inlet (now Aberdeen Harbour/Little Hong Kong) between the island of Ap Lei Chau and the south side of the island which later became known as Hong Kong. The inlet was one of the first points of contact between British sailors and local fishermen.^[20] The reference to fragrance may refer to the harbour waters sweetened by the fresh water esturine influx of the Pearl River, or to the incense factories lining the coast to the north of Kowloon which was stored around Aberdeen Harbour for export, before the development of Victoria Harbour.^[19] For the harbour serving the Scottish city of Aberdeen, see Transport in Aberdeen. ... Ap Lei Chau (鴨脷洲), or Aberdeen Island, is an island of Hong Kong, located south-west of Hong Kong Island, next to Aberdeen Harbour and Aberdeen Channel, with an area of 1. ... Pearl River in Guangzhou Pearl River at night, Guangzhou The Zhu Jiang, (Chinese: 珠江 Pinyin: Zhū Jiāng), or Pearl River or less commonly the Canton River, is Chinas third longest river (2,200 km, after the Yangtze River and the Yellow River), and second largest by volume (after the... Burning incense Incense is composed of aromatic biotic materials. ... In modern day Hong Kong, Kowloon refers to the urban area made up of Kowloon Peninsula and New Kowloon, bordered by the Lei Yue Mun strait in the east, Mei Foo Sun Chuen and Stonecutters Island in the west, Tates Cairn and Lion Rock in the north, and... Victoria Harbour The night view of the Victoria Harbour with the skyscrapers in Central behind, viewed from Tsim Sha Tsui Victoria Harbour (Traditional Chinese: 維多利亞港; Simplified Chinese: 维多利亚港; Cantonese Jyutping: wai4 do1 lei6 aa3 gong2; Mandarin Pinyin: Wéiduōlìyà Gǎng) is the harbour between the Kowloon Peninsula and the...

In 1842, the Treaty of Nanking was signed, and the name Hong Kong was first recorded on official documents to encompass the entirety of the Island.^[21] The Convention of Peking (1860) and Convention for the Extension of Hong Kong Territory (1898) added the Kowloon peninsula and New Territories into Hong Kong's territory, which has remained unchanged until the present. The Treaty of Nanjing (Chinese: 南京條約, Nánjīng Tiáoyuē) is the agreement which marked the end of the First Opium War between the United Kingdom and China. ... The Convention of Peking (October 18, 1860), also known as the First Convention of Peking, was a treaty between the Qing Government of China and the British Empire, and between China and France, and China and Russia. ... The Convention for the Extension of Hong Kong Territory (aka. ... In modern day Hong Kong, Kowloon refers to the urban area made up of Kowloon Peninsula and New Kowloon, bordered by the Lei Yue Mun strait in the east, Mei Foo Sun Chuen and Stonecutters Island in the west, Tates Cairn and Lion Rock in the north, and... A major road, Kwong Fuk Road in Tai Po, a town in the New Territories. ...

History

Human settlement in the area now known as Hong Kong dates back to the late Paleolithic and early Neolithic era,^[22] but the name Hong Kong (香港) did not appear on written record until the Treaty of Nanking of 1842.^[23] The area's earliest recorded European visitor was Jorge Álvares, a Portuguese mariner who arrived in 1513.^[24][25] // The Paleolithic is a prehistoric era distinguished by the development of stone tools. ... An array of Neolithic artifacts, including bracelets, axe heads, chisels, and polishing tools. ... The Treaty of Nanjing (Chinese: 南京條約, NánjÄ«ng TiáoyuÄ“) is the agreement which marked the end of the First Opium War between the United Kingdom and China. ... For other uses, see Europe (disambiguation). ... Jorge Álvares (died July 8, 1521) was a Portuguese explorer. ... Mariner can refer to The PBM Mariner flying boat The Mariner Space Program An archaic term for sailor Categories: Disambiguation ...

In 1839 the refusal by Qing Dynasty authorities to import opium resulted in the First Opium War between China and Britain. Hong Kong Island became occupied by British forces in 1841, and was formally ceded to Britain under the Treaty of Nanking at the end of the war. The British established a Crown Colony with the founding of Victoria City the following year. In 1860, after China's defeat in the Second Opium War, Kowloon Peninsula south of Boundary Street and Stonecutter's Island were ceded to Britain under the Convention of Peking. In 1898 Britain obtained a 99-year lease of Lantau Island and the adjacent northern lands, which became known as the New Territories.^[26] Flag (1890-1912) Anthem Gong Jinou (1911) Qing China at its greatest extent. ... This article is about the drug. ... Combatants Qing China British East India Company Commanders Daoguang Emperor Charles Elliot, Anthony Blaxland Stransham The First Opium War or the First Anglo-Chinese War was fought between the United Kingdom and the Qing Empire in China from 1839 to 1842 with the aim of forcing China to import British... The Treaty of Nanjing (Chinese: 南京條約, NánjÄ«ng TiáoyuÄ“) is the agreement which marked the end of the First Opium War between the United Kingdom and China. ... A United Kingdom overseas territory (formerly known as a dependent territory or earlier as a crown colony) is a territory that is under the sovereignty and formal control of the United Kingdom but is not part of the United Kingdom proper (Great Britain and Northern Ireland). ... Hong Kong became a British colony in 1842. ... Combatants Qing China United Kingdom French Empire Commanders Unknown Michael Seymour James Bruce, 8th Earl of Elgin Jean-Baptiste Louis Gros The Second Opium War or Arrow War was a war of the United Kingdom and France against the Qing Dynasty of China from 1856 to 1860. ... The Kowloon Peninsula, commonly referred to as Kowloon, is a peninsula, in the south of the mainland part of the Hong Kong territory. ... Boundary Street (Chinese: 界限街; Cantonese IPA: , Jyutping gaai3 haan6 gaai1; Mandarin Pinyin: Jiè Xiàn Jiê) is a three-lane one-way street in Kowloon, Hong Kong. ... Stonecutters Island (昂船洲) is a former island in Victoria Harbour, Hong Kong. ... The Convention of Peking (October 18, 1860), also known as the First Convention of Peking, was a treaty between the Qing Government of China and the British Empire, and between China and France, and China and Russia. ... Map of Lantau Island, Hong Kong Lantau Island, also Lantao, based on the old local name of Lantau Peak (Traditional Chinese: ; lit. ... A major road, Kwong Fuk Road in Tai Po, a town in the New Territories. ...

Hong Kong in the late nineteenth century was a major trading post of the British Empire.

Japanese troops enter Hong Kong and march on Queen's Road led by Lieutenant General Takashi Sakai and Vice Admiral Masaichi Niimi in December 1941, after the British surrender. (Photo courtesy of Imperial War Museum, UK.)

During the first half of the 20th century, Hong Kong was a free port, serving as an entrepôt of the British Empire. The British introduced an education system based on their own model, while the local Chinese population had little contact with the European community of wealthy tai-pans settled near Victoria Peak.^[26] Alternative meaning: Nineteenth Century (periodical) (18th century — 19th century — 20th century — more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 19th century was that century which lasted from 1801-1900 in the sense of the Gregorian calendar. ... For a comprehensive list of the territories that formed the British Empire, see Evolution of the British Empire. ... A painting of Queens Road Central in 1865 The Japanese army marched into the City on 26 December 1941, following the fall of Hong Kong. ... Lieutenant General is a military rank used in many countries. ... Takashi Sakai (酒井 隆 Sakai Takashi; October 18, 1887–September 30, 1946) was a Lieutenant General in the Imperial Japanese Army during World War II. He commanded the Japanese Army at the Battle of Hong Kong and was later captured and sentenced to death for war crimes. ... Vice Admiral is a naval rank of three star level, equivalent to Lieutenant General in seniority. ... Masaichi Niimi (新見政一, February 4, 1887 - April 2, 1993) was a General of Japanese Navy during the World War II period, who commanded the Japanese Invasion of Hong Kong. ... The Imperial War Museum is a museum in London featuring military vehicles, weapons, war memorabilia, a library, a photographic archive, and an art collection of 20th century and later conflicts, especially those involving Britain, and the British Empire. ... A free port (porto franco) or free zone (US: Foreign-Trade Zone) is a port or area with relaxed jurisdiction with respect to the country of location. ... An entrepôt is a trading centre, or simply a warehouse, where merchandise can be imported and exported without paying import duties, often at a profit. ... For a comprehensive list of the territories that formed the British Empire, see Evolution of the British Empire. ... A tai-pan (大班) was a foreign businessman doing business in China or Hong Kong in the 19th century. ... For other places with the same name, see Victoria Peak (disambiguation). ...

In conjunction with its military campaign in World War II, the Empire of Japan invaded Hong Kong on 8 December 1941. The Battle of Hong Kong ended with British and Canadian defenders surrendering control of the colony to Japan on 25 December. During the Japanese occupation, civilians suffered widespread food shortages, rationing, and hyper-inflation due to forced exchange of currency for military notes. Hong Kong lost more than half of its population in the period between the invasion and Japan's surrender in 1945, when the United Kingdom resumed control of the colony. ^[27] Combatants Allied powers: China France Great Britain Soviet Union United States and others Axis powers: Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Chiang Kai-shek Charles de Gaulle Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki Tōjō Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead: 33,000... Anthem Kimi ga Yo Imperial Reign Capital Tokyo Government Constitutional monarchy Emperor  - 1868–1912 Emperor Meiji  - 1912–1926 Emperor Taishō  - 1926–1989 Emperor Shōwa Prime Minister  - 1885-1888, 1892-1896, 1898, 1900-1901 Itō Hirobumi  - 1888-1889 Kuroda Kiyotaka  - 1889-1891 Yamagata Aritomo  - 1906-1908, 1911-1912 Saionji Kinmochi... Combatants British Army Canadian Army British Indian Army Royal Hong Kong Regiment Imperial Japanese Army Commanders Mark Aitchison Young Christopher Michael Maltby Sakai Takashi Strength 15,000 troops 50,000 troops Casualties 4,500 killed 8,500 POWs 706 killed 1,534 wounded Pacific campaigns 1941-42 Pearl Harbor – Thailand... The Japanese occupation of Hong Kong began after the Governor of Hong Kong, Sir Mark Young surrendered the territory of Hong Kong to Japan on 25 December 1941 after 18 days of fierce fighting between British and Canadian defenders against Japanese Imperial forces. ... A famine is an phenomenon in which a large percentage of the population of a region or country are undernourished and death by starvation becomes increasingly common. ... Gasoline ration stamps being printed as a result of the 1973 oil crisis Rationing is the controlled distribution of resources and scarce goods or services. ... A 500,000,000,000 (500 billion) Serbian dinar banknote circa 1993, the largest nominal value ever officially printed in Serbia, the final result of hyperinflation. ...

Hong Kong's population recovered quickly as a wave of mainland migrants arrived for refuge from the ongoing Chinese Civil War. With the proclamation of the People's Republic of China in 1949, more migrants fled to Hong Kong in fear of persecution by the Communist Party.^[26] Many corporations in Shanghai and Guangzhou also shifted their operations to Hong Kong.^[26] The colony became the sole place of contact between mainland China and the Western world, as the Chinese communist government increasingly isolated itself from outside influence. ... Belligerents Nationalist Party of China Communist Party of China Commanders Chiang Kai-shek Mao Zedong Strength 4,300,000 (July 1946) 3,650,000 (June 1948) 1,490,000 (June 1949) 1,200,000 (July 1946) 2,800,000 (June 1948) 4,000,000 (June 1949) The Chinese Civil War... The Communist Party of China (CPC) (simplified Chinese: ; traditional Chinese: ; pinyin: ), also known as the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), is the ruling political party of the Peoples Republic of China and also the worlds largest political party. ... For other uses, see Corporation (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Shanghai (disambiguation). ... CITIC Plaza Guangzhou (simplified Chinese: ; traditional Chinese: ; pinyin:  ; jyutping : Gwong²zau¹) is the capital and a sub-provincial city of Guangdong Province in the southern part of the Peoples Republic of China. ... Occident redirects here. ... State power within the government of the Peoples Republic of China (PRC) is divided among three bodies: the Communist Party of China, the state, and the Peoples Liberation Army, (PLA). ...

As textile and manufacturing industries grew with the help of population growth and low cost of labour, Hong Kong rapidly industrialised, with its economy becoming driven by exports, and living standards rising steadily. The construction of Shek Kip Mei Estate in 1953 marked the beginning of the public housing estate program, designed to cope with the huge influx of immigrants. Trade in Hong Kong accelerated even further when Shenzhen, immediately north of Hong Kong, became a Special Economic Zone of the PRC, and established Hong Kong as the main source of foreign investment to the mainland. The later decades of the 20th century saw the economy shift from textiles and manufacturing to mainly services-based, as the financial and banking sectors became increasingly dominant. Mei Ho House, Shek Kip Mei Estate near Tai Po Road Shek Kip Mei Estate (Chinese: 石硤尾邨) is the first public housing estate in Hong Kong. ... Public housing estate (Chinese: ) is the housing estate in Hong Kong, mainly built by Hong Kong Housing Authority and Hong Kong Housing Society. ... For other uses, see Shenzhen (disambiguation). ... // In the Peoples Republic of China The word special mainly means special economic systems and policies. ...

With the lease of the New Territories due to expire within two decades the governments of the United Kingdom and the People's Republic of China discussed the issue of Hong Kong's sovereignty in the 1980s. In 1984 the two countries signed the Sino-British Joint Declaration, agreeing to transfer sovereignty to the People's Republic of China in 1997,^[26] and stipulating that Hong Kong would be governed as a special administrative region, retaining its laws and a high degree of autonomy for at least fifty years after the transfer. The Hong Kong Basic Law, which would serve as the constitutional document after the transfer, was ratified in 1990, and the transfer of sovereignty occurred at midnight on 1 July 1997, marked by a handover ceremony at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre.^[26] The Sino-British Joint Declaration, formally known as the Joint Declaration of the Government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the Government of the Peoples Republic of China on the Question of Hong Kong, was signed by the Prime Ministers of the Peoples... A Special Administrative Region (SAR) of the Peoples Republic of China is an administrative division of the Peoples Republic of China (PRC). ... The transfer of sovereignty of Hong Kong from the United Kingdom to China, often referred to as The Handover, occurred on July 1, 1997. ... Handover ceremony of Hong Kong in 1997: The Union Flag lowered and the Flag of China raised. ...

Hong Kong's economy was affected by the Asian financial crisis of 1997 that hit many East Asian markets, and the lethal H5N1 avian influenza also surfaced that year. After a gradual recovery, Hong Kong suffered again due to an outbreak of SARS in 2003.^[28] Today, Hong Kong continues to serve as an important global financial centre, but faces uncertainty over its future role with a growing mainland China economy, and its relationship with the PRC government in areas such as democratic reform and universal suffrage. The Asian financial crisis was a financial crisis that started in July 1997 in Thailand and affected currencies, stock markets, and other asset prices in several Asian countries, many considered East Asian Tigers. ... This article is about the geographical region. ... Influenza A virus subtype H5N1, also known as A(H5N1) or simply H5N1, is a subtype of the Influenza A virus which can cause illness in humans and many other animal species. ... For the H5N1 subtype of Avian influenza see H5N1. ... -1... All text and figures relate to mainland China only, unless stated. ...

Government and politics

Other Hong Kong topics Culture - Economy Education - Geography - History Hong Kong Portal Politics of Hong Kong takes place in a framework of a political system dominated by China, an own legislature, the Chief Executive as the head of government, and of a pluriform multi-party system. ... Other Hong Kong topics Culture - Economy Education - Geography - History Hong Kong Portal The Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the Peoples Republic of China (Traditional Chinese: ; see pronunciation; conventional short name Hong Kong Government, 香港政府), led by the Chief Executive is responsible for the administration of Hong... Elections are held in Hong Kong when certain offices in the government need to be filled. ...

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Top: The Legislative Council, the unicameral legislature of Hong Kong.
Bottom: Government House, the official residence of the Chief Executive.

In accordance with the Sino-British Joint Declaration, and reflecting the policy known as "one country, two systems" by the People's Republic of China, Hong Kong enjoys a high degree of autonomy as a special administrative region in all areas except defence and foreign affairs.^[29] The declaration stipulates that the region maintain its capitalist economic system and guarantees the rights and freedoms of its people for at least 50 years beyond the 1997 handover.^[30] The Basic Law is the constitutional document that outlines executive, legislative and judicial authorities of government, although final authority for interpreting the Basic Law rests with the PRC government.^[31] The Legislative Council (abbreviated as LegCo; Chinese: 立法會, Pinyin: Lìfǎ Huì; formerly 立法局, Lìfǎ Jú) is the unicameral legislature of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the Peoples Republic of China. ... For unicameral alphabets, see the article letter case. For The unicameral, see Nebraska Legislature. ... A Legislature is a type of representative deliberative assembly with the power to create, amend and ratify laws. ... The facade of the Government House. ... Other Hong Kong topics Culture - Economy Education - Geography - History Hong Kong Portal The Chief Executive (traditional Chinese: ) of Hong Kong is the head of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the Peoples Republic of China, and represents the region. ... The Sino-British Joint Declaration, formally known as the Joint Declaration of the Government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the Government of the Peoples Republic of China on the Question of Hong Kong, was signed by the Prime Ministers of the Peoples... Portuguese name Portuguese: Um país, dois sistemas One country, two systems is an idea originally proposed by Deng Xiaoping during the early 1980s, then Paramount Leader of the Peoples Republic of China (PRC), for the reunification of China. ... A Special Administrative Region (SAR) of the Peoples Republic of China is an administrative division of the Peoples Republic of China (PRC). ... For other uses, see Capitalism (disambiguation). ... The Economy of Hong Kong is widely believed, and some argue incorrectly, to be the most economically free in the world. ... The transfer of the sovereignty of Hong Kong from the United Kingdom to China, often referred to as The Handover, occurred on July 1, 1997. ... A constitution is a system, often codified in a written document, which establishes the rules and principles by which an organization is governed. ...

The primary institutions of government are: The Politics series Politics Portal This box:      Separation of powers is a term coined by French political Enlightenment thinker Baron de Montesquieu[1][2], is a model for the governance of democratic states. ...

• The executive: The Executive Council, headed by the Chief Executive who is elected by the Election Committee and then approved and appointed by the Central People's Government;^[32]
  • The civil service: A politically neutral body that implements policies and provides government services, where public servants are appointed based on meritocracy;^[32]

• The legislature: The Legislative Council with 60 members, half of which are directly elected by universal suffrage by permanent residents of Hong Kong, and headed by the President of the Legislative Council who serves as the speaker;^[32]

• The judiciary: Hong Kong Judiciary, comprising the Court of Final Appeal, the High Court (which includes the Court of Appeal and the Court of First Instance), the District Courts, et cetera.^[33] Judges are appointed by the CE.

The Basic Law and universal suffrage have been major issues of political debate since the transfer of sovereignty. In 2002, the government's proposed Article 23 of the Basic Law, which required the enactment of laws prohibiting acts of treason and subversion against the Chinese government, was met with fierce opposition, and eventually shelved.^[32][34][35] Debate between pro-Beijing groups and pro-democracy groups characterises Hong Kong's political scene, with the latter supporting a faster pace of democratisation.^[36] The Executive Council (ExCo) of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the Peoples Republic of China is an organ in the Executive branch of the political structure of Hong Kong. ... Other Hong Kong topics Culture - Economy Education - Geography - History Hong Kong Portal The Chief Executive (traditional Chinese: ) of Hong Kong is the head of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the Peoples Republic of China, and represents the region. ... Other Hong Kong topics Culture - Economy Education - Geography - History Hong Kong Portal This page discusses the college of electors in Hong Kong politics. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with State Council of the Peoples Republic of China. ... The Hong Kong civil service is managed by 11 policy bureaux in the Government Secretariat, and 67 departments and agencies, mostly staffed by civil servants. ... Forms of government Part of the Politics series Politics Portal This box:      Meritocracy is a system of a government or another organization wherein appointments are made *who* makes the appointments - ultimately, it is the people (all members of the group). ... The Legislative Council (abbreviated as LegCo; Chinese: 立法會, Pinyin: LìfÇŽ Huì; formerly 立法局, LìfÇŽ Jú) is the unicameral legislature of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the Peoples Republic of China. ... Elections Part of the Politics series Politics Portal This box:      Universal suffrage (also general suffrage or common suffrage) consists of the extension of the right to vote to all adults, without distinction as to race, sex, belief, intelligence, or economic or social status. ... Permanent residency refers to a persons status such that the person is allowed to reside indefinitely within the country despite not having citizenship. ... The President of the Legislative Council is the speaker of the Legislative Council of Hong Kong. ... It has been suggested that Speakers of the House be merged into this article or section. ... Court of Final Appeal usually refers to the last court in which one can appeal cases brought before the highest level. ... The High Court (Traditional Chinese: ) in Hong Kong consists of the Court of Appeal and the Court of First Instance. ... Court of Appeals is the title of certain appellate courts in various jurisdictions. ... The Court of First Instance, created in 1989, is a court of the European Union. ... The District Courts are the lower court system in Hong Kong, have both criminal and civil jurisdictions. ... The Judiciary of Hong Kong is responsible for the administration of justice in Hong Kong. ... Elections Part of the Politics series Politics Portal This box:      Universal suffrage (also general suffrage or common suffrage) consists of the extension of the right to vote to all adults, without distinction as to race, sex, belief, intelligence, or economic or social status. ... State power within the government of the Peoples Republic of China (PRC) is divided among three bodies: the Communist Party of China, the state, and the Peoples Liberation Army, (PLA). ... Pro-democracy camp (民主派) is a frequently used jargon by the media and within the academics to refer to the politicians and social activists in Hong Kong who advocate faster pace of democratisation and implementation of universal and equal suffrage. ... Other Hong Kong topics Culture - Economy Education - Geography - History Hong Kong Portal Politics of Hong Kong takes place in a framework of a political system dominated by China, an own legislature, the Chief Executive as the head of government, and of a pluriform multi-party system. ...

Legal system and judiciary

The Court of Final Appeal in Central

In contrast to mainland China's civil law system, Hong Kong continues to follow the English Common Law tradition established during British rule.^[37] Hong Kong's courts are permitted to refer to decisions (precedents) rendered by courts of other common law jurisdictions,^[38] and judges from other common law jurisdictions are allowed to participate in proceedings of Hong Kong's Court of Final Appeal and sit as Hong Kong judges.^[39] The legal system of Hong Kong is based on the rule of law and the independence of the Judiciary. ... The Judiciary of Hong Kong is responsible for the administration of justice in Hong Kong. ... The night view of the Central as viewed from Tsim Sha Tsui on the opposite side of the Victoria Harbour Central (Chinese: 中環; Jyutping: zung1 waan4; Cantonese IPA: ; Pinyin: Zhōnghuán) is an area located in Central and Western District, Hong Kong Island, Hong Kong. ... ... For other uses of civil law, see civil law. ... The common-law legal system forms a major part of the law of many countries, especially those with a history as British territories or colonies. ... Precedent is the principle in law of using the past in order to assist in current interpretation and decision-making. ... Court of Final Appeal usually refers to the last court in which one can appeal cases brought before the highest level. ...

Structurally, Hong Kong's court system consists of the Court of Final Appeal, the High Court, which is made up of the Court of Appeal and the Court of First Instance, and the District Court, which includes the Family Court.^[33] Other adjudicative bodies include the Lands Tribunal, the Magistrates' Courts, the Juvenile Court, the Coroner's Court, the Labour Tribunal, the Small Claims Tribunal, and the Obscene Articles Tribunal, which is responsible for classifying non-video pornography to be circulated in Hong Kong.^[33] Justices of the Court of Final Appeal are appointed by Hong Kong's Chief Executive.^[40] The High Court of Hong Kong was part of the British judicial system and a lower court under the Supreme Court of Hong Kong. ... The Court of Appeals deals with appeals on all civil and criminal cases from the Court of First Instance of Hong Kong and the District Court of Hong Kong. ... The Court of First Instance is one of two courts in the High Court structure in Hong Kong. ... The District Courts are the lower court system in Hong Kong, have both criminal and civil jurisdictions. ... The Family Court deals with cases relating to divorces and welfare maintenance for children. ... Other Hong Kong topics Culture - Economy Education - Geography - History Hong Kong Portal The Chief Executive (traditional Chinese: ) of Hong Kong is the head of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the Peoples Republic of China, and represents the region. ...

The Department of Justice is the largest legal institution in Hong Kong, and its responsibilities involve legislation, judicial administration, prosecution, civil representation, legal and policy drafting and reform, and the legal profession.^[37] Aside from prosecuting criminal cases, officials of the Department of Justice also appear in court on behalf of the government in all civil and administrative lawsuits against the government.^[37] As protector of the public interest, it may apply for judicial reviews and assign legal representation on behalf of the public to take part in such a trial.^[41] The Basic Law protects the Department of Justice from any interference.^[42] This department replaced the former Legal Department (律政司) of the colonial government of Hong Kong. ... Legislation (or statutory law) is law which has been promulgated (or enacted) by a legislature or other governing body. ... Public interest is a term used to denote political movements and organizations that are in the public interest—supporting general public and civic causes, in opposition of private and corporate ones (particularistic goals). ... Judicial review is the power of a court to review the actions of public sector bodies in terms of their legality or constitutionality. ... The Basic Law of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the Peoples Republic of China serves as the constitutional document of Hong Kong. ...

Administrative districts

 Statistics

New Territories
No.	District	Population[43]	Area[44]
1.	Islands	138,900	175.03 km2 (67.58 sq mi)
2.	Kwai Tsing	510,300	21.82 km2 (8.42 sq mi)
3.	North	287,700	137.31 km2 (53.02 sq mi)
4.	Sai Kung	407,300	136.39 km2 (52.66 sq mi)
5.	Sha Tin	606,700	69.46 km2 (26.82 sq mi)
6.	Tai Po	292,700	147.42 km2 (56.92 sq mi)
7.	Tsuen Wan	292,300	60.7 km2 (23.44 sq mi)
8.	Tuen Mun	493,800	84.45 km2 (32.61 sq mi)
9.	Yuen Long	533,300	138.43 km2 (53.45 sq mi)
Kowloon
No.	District	Population	Area
10.	Kowloon City	359,400	9.97 km2 (3.85 sq mi)
11.	Kwun Tong	579,400	11.05 km2 (4.27 sq mi)
12.	Sham Shui Po	365,600	9.48 km2 (3.66 sq mi)
13.	Wong Tai Sin	421,900	9.36 km2 (3.61 sq mi)
14.	Yau Tsim Mong	285,300	6.85 km2 (2.64 sq mi)
Hong Kong Island
No.	District	Population	Area
15.	Central and Western	253,100	12.52 km2 (4.83 sq mi)
16.	Eastern	588,700	18.81 km2 (7.26 sq mi)
17.	Southern	275,700	38.95 km2 (15.04 sq mi)
18.	Wan Chai	155,700	10.02 km2 (3.87 sq mi)

Hong Kong is subdivided into 18 geographic districts for administrative purposes, each represented by a district council that advises the government on local matters such as public facilities, community programmes, cultural activities and environmental improvements. There are a total of 534 district councils seats, 405 of which are elected, while the rest are appointed by the Chief Executive and 27 ex officio chairmen of rural committees.^[45] The government's Home Affairs Department communicates government policies and plans to the public through the district offices. A major road, Kwong Fuk Road in Tai Po, a town in the New Territories. ... The Islands District (離島區) is one of the 18 districts of Hong Kong. ... Kwai Tsing (Chinese: 葵青區, Jyutping: kwai4 cing1 keoi1, pinyin: kuí qÄ«ng qÅ«) is one of the 18 districts of Hong Kong. ... Location within the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (Click here for satellite image) District Council Chairman Lau Tin-sang Constituencies 16 Area   â€“Land   â€“Water 168 km² km² km² Population   â€“Total (2006)   â€“Density 280,730 2,055/km² Latitude Longitude Official website: North District Council North District (Traditional Chinese: ) is the... Sai Kung (西貢; pinyin: Xi1gong4; Cantonese: sai1 gung3) is the second-largest of the 18 districts of Hong Kong. ... District slogan: none Location within Hong Kong S.A.R. (Click here for satellite image) District Council Chairman WAI Kwok-hung, JP Area   â€“Land   â€“Water 60 km² km² km² Population   â€“Total (2001)   â€“Density > 600,000 /km² Latitude Longitude 22°39 N 114°21 E Official website: Sha Tin District Council... Location within the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region ([ Click here for satellite image]) District Council Chairman Cheng Chun-ping, JP Constituencies 19 Area   â€“Land   â€“Water 148. ... Tsuen Wan (荃灣區) is one of the 18 districts of Hong Kong. ... For a town in Hong Kong, see Tuen Mun. ... Yuen Long District (元朗區, Jyutping: jyun4 long5, pinyin: YuánlÇŽng, used to be known as Un Long), is one of the districts of Hong Kong located in the northwest of the New Territories. ... In modern day Hong Kong, Kowloon refers to the urban area made up of Kowloon Peninsula and New Kowloon, bordered by the Lei Yue Mun strait in the east, Mei Foo Sun Chuen and Stonecutters Island in the west, Tates Cairn and Lion Rock in the north, and... Sovereign state  Peoples Republic of China Administrative region  Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Location within the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (Satellite image) District Officer Miss Agnes Wong, JP Constituencies 22 Area   â€“Land   â€“Water 9. ... Sovereign state  Peoples Republic of China Administrative region  Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Location within the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region ([{{{google}}} Satellite image]) District Council Chairman Chan Chung-bun, BBS, JP Constituencies 34 Area   â€“Land   â€“Water 11. ... Sham Shui Po District (深水埗區) is one of 18 districts of Hong Kong. ... Wong Tai Sin (黃大仙; Pinyin Huang2da4xian1) is one of the 18 districts of Hong Kong. ... Sovereign state  Peoples Republic of China Administrative region  Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Location within the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (Satellite image) District Council Chairman Chan Man-yu Constituencies 16 Area   â€“Land   â€“Water 6. ... Location within the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (Click here for satellite image) District Council Chairman Chan Tak-chor Constituencies 15 Area   â€“Land   â€“Water 12. ... The Eastern district (東區) is one of the 18 districts of Hong Kong. ... The Southern District (南區) is one of the 18 districts of Hong Kong. ... ... The territory of Hong Kong is divided in 18 administrative districts (Population as of 2000) Hong Kong Island Central and Western (274,400) Eastern (620,800) Southern (282,400) Wan Chai (190,300) Kowloon (New Kowloon included) Kowloon City (406,000) Kwun Tong (564,700) Sham Shui Po (372,200... The District Councils (區議會 and formerly District Boards) are district organizations in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR). ... Other Hong Kong topics Culture - Economy Education - Geography - History Hong Kong Portal The Chief Executive (traditional Chinese: ) of Hong Kong is the head of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the Peoples Republic of China, and represents the region. ... This page includes English translations of several Latin phrases and abbreviations such as . ... Home Affairs Department - Wikipedia /**/ @import /skins-1. ...

The 18 districts can be split into three areas, often used for statistical purposes. Hong Kong Island is the original 1842 colony, and contains Hong Kong's financial core on its northern coast. Kowloon is to the north across Victoria Harbour, the southern part of which was ceded in 1860. The much larger New Territories was the final addition to Hong Kong's territory in 1898. The night view of the Central as viewed from Tsim Sha Tsui on the opposite side of the Victoria Harbour Central (Chinese: 中環; Jyutping: zung1 waan4; Cantonese IPA: ; Pinyin: Zhōnghuán) is an area located in Central and Western District, Hong Kong Island, Hong Kong. ... In modern day Hong Kong, Kowloon refers to the urban area made up of Kowloon Peninsula and New Kowloon, bordered by the Lei Yue Mun strait in the east, Mei Foo Sun Chuen and Stonecutters Island in the west, Tates Cairn and Lion Rock in the north, and... Victoria Harbour The night view of the Victoria Harbour with the skyscrapers in Central behind, viewed from Tsim Sha Tsui Victoria Harbour (Traditional Chinese: 維多利亞港; Simplified Chinese: 维多利亚港; Cantonese Jyutping: wai4 do1 lei6 aa3 gong2; Mandarin Pinyin: Wéiduōlìyà Gǎng) is the harbour between the Kowloon Peninsula and the... The Convention of Peking (October 18, 1860), also known as the First Convention of Peking, was a treaty between the Qing Government of China and the British Empire, and between China and France, and China and Russia. ... A major road, Kwong Fuk Road in Tai Po, a town in the New Territories. ... The Convention for the Extension of Hong Kong Territory (aka. ...

Hong Kong has a unitary system of government, no local government exists since the two municipal councils were abolished in 2000. And as such there is no formal definition for its cities and towns. One such example is Victoria City, which was one of the first urban settlements in Hong Kong after it became a colony, and was^{[citation needed]} considered Hong Kong's capital city^[46] during British rule.^{[citation needed]} Its historic boundary, along with that of Kowloon and New Kowloon, remain stated in law, but has not had any legal or administrative status since 1982.^{[citation needed]} A unitary authority is a type of local authority, which has a single tier and is responsible for all local government functions within its area. ... Local governments are administrative offices that are smaller than a state. ... The following is a list of cities, towns and new towns in Hong Kong. ... Hong Kong became a British colony in 1842. ... Capital City is a 60-minute television show produced by Euston Films that ran for 13 episodes in 1989 on ITV. This drama focused on the lives of investment bankers in London living and working on the corporate trading floor for the fictional international bank Shane-Longman. ... In modern day Hong Kong, Kowloon refers to the urban area made up of Kowloon Peninsula and New Kowloon, bordered by the Lei Yue Mun strait in the east, Mei Foo Sun Chuen and Stonecutters Island in the west, Tates Cairn and Lion Rock in the north, and... New Kowloon (Chinese: 新九龍; Cantonese IPA: , Jyutping: san1 gau2 lung4, Mandarin Pinyin: Xīn Jiǔlóng) is an area in Kowloon, Hong Kong, bounded in the south by Boundary Street, and in the north by the ranges of the Lion Rock, Beacon Hill, Tates Cairn and Kowloon Peak. ...

Geography and climate

The hilly terrain of Kowloon and Hong Kong Island

Areas of urban development and vegetation are visible in this false-colour satellite image.

Hong Kong is located on China's south coast, 60 km (37 mi) east of Macau on the opposite side of the Pearl River Delta. It is surrounded by the South China Sea on the east, south, and west, and borders the city of Shenzhen in Guangdong Province to the north over the Sham Chun River. The territory's 1,104 km² (426 sq mi) land area consists primarily of Hong Kong Island, Lantau Island, Kowloon Peninsula and the New Territories as well as some 260 other islands.^[47] Other Hong Kong topics Culture - Economy Education - History - Politics Hong Kong Portal The Geography of Hong Kong primarily consists of three main territories: Hong Kong Island, Kowloon Peninsula, and the New Territories. ... Other Hong Kong topics Culture - Economy Education - History - Politics Hong Kong Portal The climate of Hong Kong is a monsoon-influenced humid subtropical climate (Köppen climate classification Cwa), just short of being a tropical wet-and-dry climate. ... In modern day Hong Kong, Kowloon refers to the urban area made up of Kowloon Peninsula and New Kowloon, bordered by the Lei Yue Mun strait in the east, Mei Foo Sun Chuen and Stonecutters Island in the west, Tates Cairn and Lion Rock in the north, and... Map of Pearl River Delta (details) The Pearl River Delta Region (PRD) in China occupies the low-lying areas alongside the Pearl River estuary where the Pearl river flows into the South China Sea. ... Filipino name Tagalog: Timog Dagat Tsina (Dagat Luzon for the portion within Philippine waters) Malay name Malay: Laut China Selatan Portuguese name Portuguese: Mar da China Meridional Vietnamese name Vietnamese: The South China Sea is a marginal sea south of China. ... A sub-provincial city (副省级城市), or vice-provincial city, in the Peoples Republic of China, is a prefecture-level city that is ruled by a province, but is administered independently in regard to economy and law. ... For other uses, see Shenzhen (disambiguation). ... Guangdong (Simplified Chinese: 广东; Traditional Chinese: 廣東; pinyin: Guǎngdōng; Wade-Giles: Kuang-tung; Kwangtung in older transliteration; Cantonese: gwong2 dung1), is a province on the south coast of the Peoples Republic of China. ... Sham Chun River (also Shenzhen River, Shenzhen He) (Chinese: 深圳河; Cantonese IPA: ; Jyutping: sam1 zan3 ho4; Hanyu Pinyin: Shēnzhèn Hé), together with the Sha Tau Kok River, serves as the natural border between Hong Kong and mainland China. ... Map of Lantau Island, Hong Kong Lantau Island, also Lantao, based on the old local name of Lantau Peak (Traditional Chinese: ; lit. ... The Kowloon Peninsula, commonly referred to as Kowloon, is a peninsula, in the south of the mainland part of the Hong Kong territory. ... A major road, Kwong Fuk Road in Tai Po, a town in the New Territories. ...

As much of Hong Kong's terrain is hilly to mountainous with steep slopes, less than 25% of the territory's landmass is developed, and about 40% of the remaining land area is reserved as country parks and nature reserves.^[48] Most of the territory's urban development exists on Kowloon peninsula, along the northern edge of Hong Kong Island and in scattered settlements throughout the New Territories. The highest elevation in the territory is at Tai Mo Shan, at a height of 958 metres (3,140 ft) above sea level. Hong Kong's long, irregular and curvaceous coastline also affords the territory with many bays, rivers and beaches. Although Hong Kong is regarded as one of the worlds great cities, out of the total 1,092 km² of land, about three-quarters is countryside. ... A nature reserve is an area of importance for wildlife, flora, fauna or features of geological or other special interest, which is reserved and managed for conservation and to provide special opportunities for study or research. ... Urban, city, or town planning, deals with design of the built environment from the municipal and metropolitan perspective. ... Tai Mo Shan Road, and Tai Mo Shan peak in distance Tai Mo Shan capped in the mist Tai Po, as seen from top of Tai Mo Shan. ... Hong Kong has a long coastline which is full of twists and turns with many bays and beaches. ...

Despite Hong Kong's reputation of being intensely urbanised, the territory has made much effort to promote a green environment,^[49] and recent growing public concern has prompted the severe restriction of further land reclamation from Victoria Harbour. Awareness of the environment is growing as Hong Kong suffers from increasing pollution compounded by its geography and tall buildings. Approximately 80% of the city's smog originates from other parts of the Pearl River Delta.^[50] Urbanization is the degree of or increase in urban character or nature. ... Land reclamation is either of two distinct practices. ... Victoria Harbour The night view of the Victoria Harbour with the skyscrapers in Central behind, viewed from Tsim Sha Tsui Victoria Harbour (Traditional Chinese: 維多利亞港; Simplified Chinese: 维多利亚港; Cantonese Jyutping: wai4 do1 lei6 aa3 gong2; Mandarin Pinyin: Wéiduōlìyà Gǎng) is the harbour between the Kowloon Peninsula and the... Air pollution Pollution is the introduction of pollutants (whether chemical substances, or energy such as noise, heat, or light) into the environment to such a point that its effects become harmful to human health, other living organisms, or the environment. ... Air pollution is considered serious problem in Hong Kong. ...

Situated just south of the Tropic of Cancer, Hong Kong's climate is humid subtropical climate (Köppen climate classification Cwa). Summer is hot and humid with occasional showers and thunderstorms, and warm air coming from the southwest. It is also the time when typhoons are most likely, sometimes resulting in flooding or landslides. Winter weather usually starts sunny and becomes cloudier towards February, with the occasional cold front bringing strong, cooling winds from the north. The most pleasant seasons are spring, although changeable, and autumn, which is generally sunny and dry.^[51] Hong Kong averages 1,948 hours of sunshine per year,^[52] while the highest and lowest ever recorded temperatures at the Hong Kong Observatory are 36.1 °C (97.0 °F) and 0.0 °C (32.0 °F), respectively.^[53] For the novel by Henry Miller, see Tropic of Cancer (novel). ... Other Hong Kong topics Culture - Economy Education - History - Politics Hong Kong Portal The climate of Hong Kong is a monsoon-influenced humid subtropical climate (Köppen climate classification Cwa), just short of being a tropical wet-and-dry climate. ... The humid subtropical climate (Köppen Cfa) is a climate zone characterized by hot, humid summers and chilly to mild winters. ... Köppen climate classification The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. ... A rolling thundercloud over Enschede, The Netherlands. ... This article is about weather phenomena. ... A flood (in Old English flod, a word common to Teutonic languages; compare German Flut, Dutch vloed from the same root as is seen in flow, float) is an overflow of water, an expanse of water submerging land, a deluge. ... This article is about geological phenomenon. ... For the Star Trek: Enterprise episode, see Cold Front (Enterprise). ... For other uses, see Celsius (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Fahrenheit (disambiguation). ...

Weather averages for Hong Kong
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Average high °C (°F)	18.6 (65)	18.6 (65)	21.5 (71)	25.1 (77)	28.4 (83)	30.4 (87)	31.3 (88)	31.1 (88)	30.2 (86)	27.7 (82)	24.0 (75)	20.3 (69)	25 (77)
Average low °C (°F)	14.1 (57)	14.4 (58)	16.9 (62)	20.6 (69)	23.9 (75)	26.1 (79)	26.7 (80)	26.4 (80)	25.6 (78)	23.4 (74)	19.4 (67)	15.7 (60)	21 (70)
Precipitation mm (inches)	24 (0.94)	52 (2.05)	71 (2.8)	188 (7.4)	329 (12.95)	388 (15.28)	374 (14.72)	444 (17.48)	287 (11.3)	151 (5.94)	35 (1.38)	34 (1.34)	2,382 (93.78)
Source: Hong Kong Observatory[54] 2008

A view of Hong Kong Island

Economy

2 International Finance Centre, the pinnacle of high-rise architecture in Hong Kong

Hong Kong is one of the world's leading financial centres.^[55] Its highly capitalist economy has been ranked the freest in the world by the Index of Economic Freedom for 15 consecutive years.^[56][57][58] It is an important centre for international finance and trade, with one of the greatest concentration of corporate headquarters in the Asia-Pacific region, and is known as one of the Four Asian Tigers for its high growth rates and rapid industrialisation between the 1960s and 1990s.^[59] The Hong Kong Stock Exchange is the sixth largest in the world, with a market capitalisation of US$2.97 trillion as of October 2007, and the second highest value of initial public offerings, after London.^[60] The currency used in Hong Kong is the Hong Kong dollar, which has been pegged to the U.S. dollar since 1983. The Economy of Hong Kong is widely believed, and some argue incorrectly, to be the most economically free in the world. ... International Finance Centre (abbr. ... Bank of China Tower at night. ... In economics, a capitalist is someone who owns capital, presumably within the economic system of capitalism. ... Map of Economic Freedom released by the Heritage Foundation. ... Map showing general definition of Asia-Pacific The term Asia-Pacific or APAC generally applies to littoral East Asia, Southeast Asia and Australasia near the Pacific Ocean, plus the states in the ocean itself (Oceania). ... Korean name Hangul: Skyline of Central, Hong Kongs financial centre (viewed from Victoria Peak, Hong Kong) Seoul, the capital of South Korea The skyline of Singapores town area at dusk. ... This is a list of stock exchanges. ... Market capitalization, often abbreviated to market cap, mkt. ... USD redirects here. ... IPO redirects here. ... This article is about the capital of England and the United Kingdom. ... USD redirects here. ...

The Government of Hong Kong plays a passive role in the financial industry, mostly leaving the direction of the economy to market forces and the private sector. Under the official policy of positive non-interventionism, Hong Kong is often cited as an example of laissez-faire capitalism. Following World War II, Hong Kong industrialised rapidly as a manufacturing centre driven by exports, and then underwent a rapid transition to a service-based economy in the 1980s. Hong Kong matured to become a financial centre in the 1990s, but was greatly affected by the Asian financial crisis in 1998, and again in 2003 by the SARS outbreak. A revival of external and domestic demand has led to a strong recovery, as cost decreases strengthened the competitiveness of Hong Kong exports and a long deflationary period ended. Positive non-interventionism is the economic policy of Hong Kong rasied by Charles Philip Haddon-Cave in 1980 (or by John James Cowperthwaite in 1971). ... Laissez-faire capitalism is, roughly stated, the doctrine that the free market functions to the greatest good when left unfettered and unregulated by government. ... Combatants Allied powers: China France Great Britain Soviet Union United States and others Axis powers: Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Chiang Kai-shek Charles de Gaulle Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki Tōjō Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead: 33,000... The Asian financial crisis was a financial crisis that started in July 1997 in Thailand and affected currencies, stock markets, and other asset prices in several Asian countries, many considered East Asian Tigers. ... Sars may refer to any of the following: Severe acute respiratory syndrome, commonly abbreviated as SARS Michael Sars, a Norwegian biologist, father of Georg Sars Georg Sars, a Norwegian biologist, son of Michael Sars Special Administrative Regions, commonly abbreviated as SARs Sars, Perm Krai, an urban settlement in Perm Krai...

The territory has little arable land and few natural resources, so it must import most of its food and raw materials. Hong Kong is the world's eleventh largest trading entity,^[61] with the total value of imports and exports exceeding its gross domestic product. Much of Hong Kong's exports consist of re-exports, which are products made outside of the territory, especially in mainland China, and distributed via Hong Kong. Even before the 1997 handover, Hong Kong had established extensive trade and investment ties with mainland China, and its autonomous status now enables it to serve as a point of entry for investment flowing into the mainland. At the end of 2007, there were 3.46 million people employed full-time, with the unemployment rate averaging 4.1%, the fourth straight year of decline.^[62] Hong Kong's economy is dominated by the service sector, which accounts for over 90% of its GDP, while industry now constitutes just 9%. Inflation was at 2% in 2007, and Hong Kong's largest export markets are mainland China, the United States, and Japan.^[63] GDP redirects here. ... ... The transfer of the sovereignty of Hong Kong from the United Kingdom to China, often referred to as The Handover, occurred on July 1, 1997. ... The tertiary sector of industry, also called the service sector or the service industry, is one of the three main industrial categories of a developed economy, the others being the secondary industry (manufacturing and primary goods production such as agriculture), and primary industry (extraction such as mining and fishing). ... GDP is an acronym which can stand for more than one thing: (in economics) an abbreviation for Gross Domestic Product. ...

Military

As it has never been a sovereign state, Hong Kong never has any entirely independent military forces. As a British colony and later territory, defence was provided by the British military under the command of the Governor of Hong Kong who was ex officio Commander-in-chief.^[64] When the People's Republic of China assumed sovereignty in 1997, the British barracks were replaced by a garrison of the People's Liberation Army, comprising ground, naval, and air forces, and under the command of the Chinese Central Military Commission.^[9] The Basic Law protects local civil affairs against interference by resident military forces, and the Hong Kong Government remains responsible for the maintenance of public order.^[65] The Hong Kong Government does not need to pay the costs of the resident military forces. Hong Kong Military Service Corps (HKMSC) (Chinese: 香港軍事服務團) was a British army unit and part of the British garrison in Hong Kong (see British Forces Overseas Hong Kong). ... The Hong Kong Garrison of the Peoples Liberation Army entering Hong Kong for the first time in 1997. ... This article discusses states as sovereign political entities. ... A United Kingdom overseas territory (formerly known as a dependent territory or earlier as a crown colony) is a territory that is under the sovereignty and formal control of the United Kingdom but is not part of the United Kingdom proper (Great Britain and Northern Ireland). ... Location of the British Overseas Territories The British Overseas Territories are fourteen[1] territories which the United Kingdom considers to be under its sovereignty, but not as part of the United Kingdom itself. ... The armed forces of the United Kingdom, commonly known as the British Armed Forces or Her Majestys Armed Forces, and sometimes legally the Armed Forces of the Crown[1], encompasses a navy, army, and an air force. ... Flag of the Governor of Hong Kong, 1959–1997 The Governor of Hong Kong (Traditional Chinese: ; abbreviated 港督) was a British official who ruled Hong Kong during the colonial period between 1841 and 1997 and was ex-officio Commander-in-Chief and Vice-Admiral of Hong Kong. ... This page includes English translations of several Latin phrases and abbreviations such as . ... Commander-in-Chief (in NATO-lingo often C-in-C or CINC pronounced sink) is the commander of all the military forces within a particular region or of all the military forces of a state. ... The Military of Hong Kong consists of the Hong Kong Garrison of the Peoples Republic of Chinas Peoples Liberation Army (or PLA). ... For other uses, see Army (disambiguation). ... Naval redirects here. ... For a particular Air Force, see List of air forces. ... The Central Military Commission (Simplified Chinese: ; pinyin: ) refers to one of two bodies within the Peoples Republic of China, either to the Central Military Commission of the Peoples Republic of China, a state organ, or the Central Military Commission of the Communist Party, a party organ. ... Other Hong Kong topics Culture - Economy Education - Geography - History Hong Kong Portal The Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the Peoples Republic of China (Traditional Chinese: ; see pronunciation; conventional short name Hong Kong Government, 香港政府), led by the Chief Executive is responsible for the administration of Hong... Other Hong Kong topics Culture - Economy Education - Geography - History Hong Kong Portal The Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the Peoples Republic of China (Traditional Chinese: ; see pronunciation; conventional short name Hong Kong Government, 香港政府), led by the Chief Executive is responsible for the administration of Hong...

Demographics

Hong Kong is one of the most densely populated areas in the world, at 6,200 people per km².

The Tian Tan Buddha on Lantau Island

Residents of Hong Kong are sometimes referred to as Hongkongers. The territory's population increased sharply throughout the 1990s^{[citation needed]}, reaching 6.99 million in 2006.^[66] Hong Kong has a fertility rate of 0.95 children per woman,^[67] one of the lowest in the world and far below the 2.1 children per woman required to sustain the current population. However, the population in Hong Kong continues to grow due to the influx of immigrants from mainland China, approximating 45,000 per year. Life expectancy in Hong Kong is 81.6 years as of 2006, the sixth highest in the world. Population density by country, 2006 List of countries and dependencies by population density in inhabitants/km². The list includes sovereign states and self-governing dependent territories that are recognized by the United Nations. ... The Big Buddha, on Lantau Island, Hong Kong Tian Tan Buddha from afar Buddhistic statues praising the Tian Tan Buddha Tian Tan Buddha (Traditional Chinese: ) is a large bronze statue of the Buddha, completed in 1993, and located at Ngong Ping, Lantau Island, in Hong Kong. ... Lantau Island (based on its old name 爛頭島 lan tau do, lit. ... Hong Kong is one of the most densely populated areas in the world with an overall density of some 6,300 people per square kilometre. ... The (total) fertility rate of a population is the average number of child births per woman. ... ... This article is under construction. ...

About 95% of the people of Hong Kong are Chinese by ethnicity, the majority of which is Cantonese or from linguistic groups such as Hakka and Chiu Chow. The remaining 5% of the population is composed of non-ethnic Chinese forming a highly visible group despite their smaller numbers. A South Asian population of Sindhis, Indians, Pakistanis and Nepalese are found. Some Vietnamese refugees have become permanent residents of Hong Kong. There are also a number of Europeans, Americans, Australians, Canadians, Japanese, and Koreans working in Hong Kong's commercial and financial sector. Cantonese people (Traditional Chinese: 廣東人; Simplified Chinese: 广东人; Pinyin: Guǎngdōng rén; Jyutping: gwong2 dung1 yan4), broadly speaking, are persons originating from the present-day Guangdong province in southern China. ... Hakka (Chinese: 客家; pinyin: kèjiā, literal meaning guest families) are a Han Chinese people whose ancestors are said to originate from around Henan and Shanxi in northern China over 2700 years ago. ... The Teochew are a subgroup of the Han Chinese people who primarily live in coastal eastern Guangdong in China, and represent one of the three major ethnic groups in the province. ... An anti-discrimination poster in Admiralty MTR station illustrates a few targeted South Asian cultures. ... Sindhis (सिन्धी, سنڌي) are an Indo-Aryan language speaking socio-ethnic group of people originating in Sindh which is part of present day Pakistan. ... This article deals with the European people as an ethnic group or ethnic groups. ...

Hong Kong's de-facto official language is Cantonese, a Chinese language originating from Guangdong Province to the north of Hong Kong (of which Hong Kong was part of before British colonial rule), and is spoken by 95% of the population as a first language. English is also an official language, and according to a 1996 by-census is spoken by 3.1% of the population as an everyday language and by 34.9% of the population as a second language.^[68] Signs displaying both Chinese and English are common throughout the territory. Since the 1997 handover, an increase in immigrants from mainland China and greater integration with the mainland economy have brought an increasing number of Mandarin speakers to Hong Kong. Look up De facto in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Standard Cantonese is a variant, and is generally considered the prestige dialect of Cantonese Chinese. ... Chinese (written) language (pinyin: zhōngw n) written in Chinese characters The Chinese language (汉语/漢語, 华语/華語, or 中文; Pinyin: H nyǔ, Hu yǔ, or Zhōngw n) is a member of the Sino-Tibetan family of languages. ... Guangdong (Simplified Chinese: 广东; Traditional Chinese: 廣東; pinyin: Guǎngdōng; Wade-Giles: Kuang-tung; Kwangtung in older transliteration; Cantonese: gwong2 dung1), is a province on the south coast of the Peoples Republic of China. ... The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ... The transfer of sovereignty of Hong Kong from the United Kingdom to China, often referred to as The Handover, occurred on July 1, 1997. ... ... Map of eastern China and Taiwan, showing the historic distribution of Mandarin Chinese in light brown. ...

Religion in Hong Kong enjoys a high degree of freedom, guaranteed by the Basic Law. 90% of Hong Kong's population practises a mix of local religions,^[69] most prominently Buddhism (mainly Chinese Mahayana) and Taoism.^[70][71][72] A Christian community of around 600,000 exists,^[73][74] forming about 8% of the total population, and is nearly equally divided between Catholics and Protestants, although other, smaller Christian communities exist such as Latter-Day Saints^[75] and Jehovah's Witnesses.^[76] There are also Muslim, Jewish, Hindu, Sikh and Bahá'í communities.^[73] Concerns over a lack of religious freedom after the 1997 handover have largely subsided, with Falun Gong adherents free to practice in Hong Kong, and the Anglican Church and Roman Catholic Church each freely appointing its own bishops, unlike in mainland China. Religion in Hong Kong is part and parcel of the culture of Hong Kong. ... The Basic Law of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the Peoples Republic of China serves as the constitutional document of Hong Kong. ... Buddhism is a Dharmic religion and philosophy[1] with between 230 to 500 million adherents worldwide. ... Seated Buddha, from the Chinese Tang Dynasty, Hebei province, ca. ... Taoism (pronounced or ; also spelled Daoism) refers to a variety of related philosophical and religious traditions and concepts. ... Topics in Christianity Preaching Prayer Ecumenism Relation to other religions Movements Music Liturgy Calendar Symbols Art Criticism Christianity Portal This box:      Christianity is a monotheistic[1] religion centered on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as presented in the New Testament. ... Protestantism is a general grouping of denominations within Christianity. ... For other uses, see The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (disambiguation). ... For people named Islam, see Islam (name). ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Sikhism (IPA: or ; Punjabi: , , IPA: ), founded on the teachings of Guru Nanak Dev and nine successive gurus in fifteenth century Northern India, is the fifth-largest religion in the world. ... This article is about the generally recognized global religious community. ... The Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen guarantees freedom of religion, as long as religious activities do not infringe on public order in ways detrimental to society. ... Falun Gong, (Traditional Chinese: ; Simplified Chinese: ; Hanyu Pinyin: ; literally Practice of the Wheel of Law) also known as Falun Dafa, (Traditional Chinese: ; Simplified Chinese: ; Hanyu Pinyin: ; lit. ... Hong Kong Sheng Kung Hui (HKSKH) (Traditional Chinese:香港聖公會) is the episcopal church (Anglican Church) in Hong Kong and Macao. ... Catholic Church redirects here. ... ...

Education

A view over the University of Hong Kong

Hong Kong's education system roughly follows the system in England, although at the higher education levels, both English and American systems exist. The medium of instruction is mainly spoken Cantonese, written Chinese and English, but Mandarin language education has been increasing. The Programme for International Student Assessment, has ranked Hong Kong's education system as the second best in the world.^[77] Education in Hong Kong has a similar system to that of the United Kingdom, in particular the English education system of Hong Kong was modernized by the British in 1861. ... The University of Hong Kong (commonly abbreviated as HKU, pronounced as Hong Kong U) is the oldest and most prestigious tertiary institution in Hong Kong. ... Education in England is the responsibility of Department for Education and Skills at national level and, in the case of publicly funded compulsory education, of Local Education Authorities. ... Medium of instruction is the language that is used in teaching. ... en:Cantonese (linguistics) ... The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ... This article is on all of the Northern Chinese dialects. ... The Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) is a triennial world-wide test of 15-year-old schoolchildrens scholastic performance, the implementation of which is coordinated by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). ...

Hong Kong's public schools are operated by the Education Bureau. The system features a non-compulsory three-year kindergarten, followed by a compulsory six-year primary education, a three-year junior secondary education, a non-compulsory two-year senior secondary education leading to the Hong Kong Certificate of Education Examinations, and a two-year matriculation course leading to the Hong Kong Advanced Level Examinations.^[78] Most comprehensive schools in Hong Kong fall under three categories: the rarer public schools; the more common subsidised schools, including government aids and grant schools; and private schools, often run by Christian organisations and having admissions based on academic merit rather than on financial resources. Outside this system are the schools under the Direct Subsidy Scheme and private international schools. Students in Rome, Italy. ... The Education Bureau (traditional Chinese: ; pinyin: ; Jyutping: gaau3 juk6 tung2 cau4 guk6; abbr. ... For other uses, see Kindergarten (disambiguation). ... A primary school in ÄŒeský Těšín, Poland Primary education is the first stage of compulsory education. ... Secondary education - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia /**/ @import /skins-1. ... The Hong Kong Certificate of Education Examination (HKCEE, 香港中學會考) is a standardized examination which most local students sit for at the end of their 5-year secondary education. ... Look up matriculation in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... The Hong Kong Advanced Level Examination (HKALE, 香港高級程度會考), or more commonly known as the A-level, conducted by the Hong Kong Examinations and Assessment Authority (HKEAA), is normally taken by senior students at the end of their matriculation in Hong Kong. ... The term public school has three distinct meanings: In the USA and Canada, elementary or secondary school supported and administered by state and local officials. ... For the film of this title, see Private School (film). ... Topics in Christianity Preaching Prayer Ecumenism Relation to other religions Movements Music Liturgy Calendar Symbols Art Criticism Christianity Portal This box:      Christianity is a monotheistic[1] religion centered on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as presented in the New Testament. ... The Direct Subsidy Scheme is a system instituted by the Hong Kong Education and Manpower Bureau (a division of the Hong Kong government) as a means to enhance the quality of private schools in Hong Kong at the kindergarten, primary, and secondary levels. ... International schools are private schools that cater mainly to children who are not nationals of the host country, often the children of the staff of international businesses, international organizations, embassies, missions, or missionary programs. ...

There are nine public universities in Hong Kong, and a number of private higher institutions, offering various bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degrees, other higher diplomas and associate degree courses. The University of Hong Kong, the oldest institution of tertiary education in territory, was referred by Quacquarelli Symonds as a "world-class comprehensive research university"^[79] and was ranked 26th on the 2008 THES - QS World University Rankings,^[80] making it 1st in Asia^[81]. The Hong Kong University of Science & Technology and Chinese University of Hong Kong are ranked 39 and 42 respectively, making them ranked 2nd and 4th respectively in Asia^[82]. Higher Education in Hong Kong means any education higher than secondary education, including professional, technical and academic. ... Higher Education in Hong Kong means any education higher than secondary education, including professional, technical and academic. ... A bachelors degree is usually an undergraduate academic degree awarded for a course or major that generally lasts for three, four, or in some cases and countries, five or six years. ... A masters degree is a postgraduate academic degree awarded after the completion of an academic program of one to six years in duration. ... Aquatint of a Doctor of Divinity at the University of Oxford, in the scarlet and black academic robes corresponding to his position. ... An associates degree is the degree awarded by community colleges in Canada and the United States upon completion of a course of study equivalent to the first two years in a four-year college or university. ... The University of Hong Kong (commonly abbreviated as HKU, pronounced as Hong Kong U) is the oldest and most prestigious tertiary institution in Hong Kong. ... Students attend a lecture at a tertiary institution. ... Quacquarelli Symonds, or QS for short, is a company specializing in education and study abroad. ... The THES - QS World University Rankings is an annual publication of university rankings around the world, published by The Times Higher Education Supplement (THES) and Quacquarelli Symonds (QS). ... For other uses, see Asia (disambiguation). ... The idyllic HKUST campus is built on a steep hillside overlooking the South China Sea. ... CUHK Science Building, commonly known as the rice cooker The Chinese University of Hong Kong, commonly referred to as CUHK, is the second oldest university in Hong Kong; it is also the only collegiate university in the city. ...

Culture

A statue on the Avenue of Stars, a tribute to Hong Kong cinema

Hong Kong is frequently described as a place where East meets West, reflecting the culture's mix of the territory's Chinese roots with the culture brought to it during its time as a British colony/territory.^[83] Although over a decade has passed since the handover, Western cultural practices remain, and coexist seamlessly with the traditional philosophy and practices of Chinese culture. The culture of Hong Kong can best be described as a foundation that began with China, and then leaned West for much of the 20th century under constructive British colonialism. ... Martial artist and movie star 李小龍 Bruce Lees sculpture in the Avenue of Stars, Hong Kong The Avenue of Stars (Chinese: ), modelled on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, is located along the Victoria Harbour waterfront in Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong. ... The cinema of Hong Kong is one of the three major threads in the history of Chinese language cinema, alongside the cinema of China, and the cinema of Taiwan. ... This article is about the Asian regions. ... Occident redirects here. ... Location of the British Overseas Territories The British Overseas Territories are fourteen[1] territories which the United Kingdom considers to be under its sovereignty, but not as part of the United Kingdom itself. ... For contemporary culture after 1949, see Culture of the Peoples Republic of China. ...

One of the more noticeable contradictions is Hong Kong's balancing of a modernised way of life with traditional Chinese practices. Concepts like feng shui are taken very seriously, with expensive construction projects often hiring expert consultants, and are often believed to make or break a business. Other objects like bagua mirrors are still regularly used to deflect evil spirits, and buildings often lack any floor number that has a 4 in it, due to its similarity to the word for "die" in the Chinese language. The fusion of east and west also characterises Hong Kong's cuisine, where dim sum or da been lo restaurants can be found next to fast food joints. Fēng Shuǐ (風水 – literally, wind and water pronounced fung shuway), which may be more than 3000 years old, is the ancient practice of placement to achieve harmony with the environment. ... For other uses, such as the Peruvian province or town, see Bagua (disambiguation). ... In Chinese culture, certain numbers are believed by some to be auspicious (吉利) or inauspicious (不利) based on the Chinese word that the number name sounds similar to. ... Dim sum (Chinese: 點心; Cantonese IPA: dɪm2sɐm1; Pinyin: diǎnxīn; Wade-Giles: tien-hsin; literally dot heart or order heart, meaning order to ones hearts content; also commonly translated as touch the heart, dotted heart, or snack), a Cantonese term, is usually a light meal or brunch, eaten sometime... Raw meats ready to be cooked. ... Fast food is food prepared and served quickly at a fast-food restaurant or shop at low cost. ...

While Hong Kong is a recognised global centre of trade, its most famous export is its entertainment industry, particularly in the martial arts genre which gained a high level of popularity in the late 1960s and 1970s. Several Hollywood performers have originated from Hong Kong cinema, notably Bruce Lee, Chow Yun-Fat, and Jackie Chan. A number of Hong Kong film-makers have also achieved widespread fame in Hollywood, such as John Woo, Wong Kar-wai and Tsui Hark. Homegrown films such as Chungking Express, Infernal Affairs, Shaolin Soccer, Rumble in the Bronx, and In the Mood for Love have gained international recognition. Hong Kong is also the world's centre for Cantopop music, which draws its influence from other forms of Chinese music, and more international styles including jazz, rock and roll, rhythm and blues, electronic music, western pop music and others, and has a multinational fanbase. Hawaiian State Grappling Championships. ... The cinema of Hong Kong is one of the three major threads in the history of Chinese language cinema, alongside the cinema of China, and the cinema of Taiwan. ... Bruce Lee (traditional Chinese: ; simplified Chinese: ; Pinyin: Lǐ Xiǎolóng; Cantonese Yale: Léih Síulùhng; November 27, 1940 – July 20, 1973) was a Chinese-American martial artist, philosopher, instructor, and martial arts actor widely regarded as the most influential martial artist of the 20th century and a... Chow Yun-Fat (Traditional Chinese: ; Simplified Chinese: ; Pinyin: ) (born May 18, 1955) is a Hong Kong actor. ... Chan Kong-Sang (Simplified Chinese: ; Traditional Chinese: ; pinyin: ), also known as Jackie Chan Sing Lung (Simplified Chinese: ; Traditional Chinese: ; pinyin: ) or Jackie Chan SBS, (born on April 7, 1954) is a Chinese martial artist, action star, actor, director, screenwriter, film producer, singer and stunt performer. ... For other uses, see John Woo (disambiguation). ... Wong Kar-wai (Traditional Chinese: ; Simplified Chinese: ; Pinyin: ; Cantonese Yale: Wòhng Gà Waih; Shanghainese Latin method: Wan Kawe; born July 17, 1958) is a Hong Kong film director known for his visually unique, highly stylized art films. ... This is a Chinese name; the family name is Tsui (徐) Tsui Hark, born Tsui Man-kong (徐文光) on February 15, 1950, is a New Wave film director in Hong Kong and a highly influential producer. ... Chungking Express (traditional Chinese: ; simplified Chinese: ; pinyin: ; literally Chongqing jungle) is a 1994 Hong Kong film written and directed by Wong Kar-wai. ... For other uses of internal affairs, see internal affairs. ... Shaolin Soccer is a 2001 Hong Kong comedy film directed by acclaimed Hong Kong comedian, actor and director, Stephen Chow. ... Rumble in the Bronx (紅番區; Hong faan kui in Cantonese) is an action-comedy movie starring Jackie Chan and Anita Mui. ... In the Mood for Love is a 2000 Hong Kong art film directed by Wong Kar-wai, starring Maggie Cheung and Tony Leung Chiu Wai. ... Cantopop (Chinese: 粵語流行曲) is a colloquial portmanteau for Cantonese popular music. It is also referred to as HK-pop, short for Hong Kong popular music. It is categorized as a subgenre of Chinese popular music within C-pop. ... Music of China appears to date back to the dawn of Chinese civilization, and documents and artifacts provide evidence of a well-developed musical culture as early as the Zhou Dynasty (1122 BC _ 256 BC). ... For other uses, see Jazz (disambiguation). ... Rock and roll (also spelled Rock n Roll, especially in its first decade), also called rock, is a form of popular music, usually featuring vocals (often with vocal harmony), electric guitars and a strong back beat; other instruments, such as the saxophone, are common in some styles. ... R&B redirects here. ... For other uses, see Electronic music (disambiguation). ... For this articles equivalent regarding the East, see Eastern culture. ... This article is about the genre of popular music. ...

Hong Kong provides many opportunities for hiking and swimming.

The Hong Kong government supports cultural institutions such as the Hong Kong Heritage Museum, the Hong Kong Museum of Art, the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts, and the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra. Also, the government's Leisure and Cultural Services Department subsidises and sponsors international performers brought to Hong Kong. Many international cultural activities are organised by the government, consulates, and privately. The Leisure and Cultural Services Department (Chinese: 康樂及文化事務署) , often abbreviated as LCSD, is a department in the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the Peoples Republic of China. ...

Hong Kong has two broadcast television stations, ATV and TVB. Cable and satellite services are also widespread. The production of Hong Kong's soap dramas, comedy series and variety shows have reached mass audiences throughout the Chinese-speaking world. Magazine and newspaper publishers in Hong Kong distribute and print in both Chinese and English, with a focus on sensationalism and celebrity gossip. The media is relatively free from government interference compared to that of mainland China, and newspapers are often divided along political lines of support or show skepticism towards the Chinese government in Beijing.^{[citation needed]} Hong Kong is also one of three CNN International headquarters. There are two free-to-air television services in Hong Kong: Asia Television Ltd (ATV): operates one English-language (World) and one Chinese-language (Home) channel. ... Asia Television Limited (logo aTV) (Traditional Chinese: ; pinyin: ) was Hong Kongs first television station under Rediffusion. ... REDIRECT Television Broadcasts Limited ... Pay Television Services in Hong Kong Hong Kong Cable Television Ltd (CableTV): controlled by Wharf Holdings, operates over one hundred channels with programmes broadcast in English, Cantonese, Putonghua and other languages. ... A variety show is a show with a variety of acts, often including music and comedy skits, especially on television. ... Below is a list of newspapers in Hong Kong, categorized by language. ... Sensationalism is a manner of being extremely controversial, loud, attention-grabbing, or otherwise sensationalistic. ... Neighborly gossips in the Altstadt in Sindelfingen, Germany Gossip consists of casual or idle talk of any sort, usually slanderous and/or devoted to discussing others. ... Media in Hong Kong is available to the public conveniently in various forms, namely: television and radio channels, newspapers, magazines and the World Wide Web. ... Within the Peoples Republic of China there is heavy government involvement in the media, with many of the largest media organizations (namely CCTV, the Peoples Daily, and Xinhua) being agencies of the Chinese government. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Government of the Peoples Republic of China. ... Peking redirects here. ... CNN International (CNNI) is an English language television network that carries news, current affairs and business programming world-wide. ...

Hong Kong offers wide recreational and competitive sport opportunities despite its limited land area. Internationally, Hong Kong participates in the Olympic Games, and numerous other Asian Games events, and hosted the equestrian events for the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing. There are major multipurpose venues like Hong Kong Coliseum and MacPherson Stadium. Hong Kong's steep terrain make it ideal for hiking, with expansive views over the territory, and its rugged coastline provides many beaches for swimming. The five Olympic rings were designed in 1913, adopted in 1914 and debuted at the Games at Antwerp, 1920. ... Asian Games Logo The Asian Games, also called the Asiad, is a multi-sport event held every four years among athletes from all over Asia. ... The 2008 Summer Olympics (simplified Chinese: ; traditional Chinese: ; pinyin: ), officially known as the Games of the XXIX Olympiad, will be celebrated from August 8, 2008, to August 24, 2008, with the opening ceremony commencing at 08:08:08 pm CST (12:08:08 UTC) at the Beijing National Stadium in... Peking redirects here. ... Facade of Hong Kong Coliseum. ...

Architecture

Hong Kong has the world's greatest number of skyscrapers, at 7,650.^[84] The high density and tall skyline of Hong Kong's urban area is due to a lack of available sprawl space, with the average distance from the harbourfront to the steep hills of Hong Kong Island at 1.3 km (0.8 mi).^[85] This lack of space causing demand for dense, high-rise offices and housing, has resulted in 36 of the world's 100 tallest residential buildings being in Hong Kong,^[86] and more people living or working above the 14th floor than anywhere else on Earth, making it the world's most vertical city.^[87] Bank of China Tower at night. ... For other uses, see Skyscraper (disambiguation). ... Urban density is a term used in urban planning and urban design to refer to the number of people inhabiting a given urbanized area. ... For other uses, see Skyline (disambiguation). ... Cities with at least a million inhabitants in 2006 An urban area is an area with an increased density of human-created structures in comparison to the areas surrounding it. ... -1... This article is about Earth as a planet. ...

A downside to the lack of space and demand for construction is that few older buildings remain, the city instead becoming a centre for modern architecture. The tallest building in Hong Kong, topped out but still under construction, is the International Commerce Centre, at 484 m (1,590 ft) high. The tallest completed building is Two International Finance Centre, at 415 m (1,360 ft) high.^[88] Other recognisable skyline features include the HSBC Headquarters Building, said to be easily dismantled and rebuilt elsewhere, the triangular Central Plaza with its pyramid-shaped spire, The Center with its nighttime multi-coloured neon light show, and I M Pei's Bank of China Tower with its sharp, angular façade. The city has been rated as having the best skyline in the world.^[89] Notable remaining historical assets include the Tsim Sha Tsui Clock Tower, the Central Police Station, and the remains of Kowloon Walled City. Modern architecture, not to be confused with contemporary architecture, is a term given to a number of building styles with similar characteristics, primarily the simplification of form and the elimination of ornament. ... Topping out - symbol of this tradition in Poland Topping out is a ceremony done when the last beam is placed at the top of a building. ... International Commerce Centre is a 118 story, 484 m skyscraper under construction in West Kowloon, Hong Kong; as part of the Union Square project built on top of the MTR Kowloon Station. ... Two IFC International Finance Centre (IFC) is an integrated commercial development on the waterfront of Hong Kongs Central District. ... HSBC Hong Kong Headquarters The HSBC Hong Kong headquarters building (officially HSBC Main Building) is located along the southern side of Statue Square, in Central, at the location of the old City Hall, Hong Kong (built 1869, demolished 1933). ... This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ... A screen showing financial news at The Center, an office complex in Central. ... BOC Tower at night The Bank of China Tower (short: BOC Tower; 中銀大廈) is a huge skyscraper in Central, Hong Kong. ... West façade of the Notre-Dame de Strasbourg Cathedral A facade (or façade) is the exterior of a building – especially the front, but also sometimes the sides and rear. ... The Clock Tower The Clock Tower is a landmark in Hong Kong. ... The Central Police Station is located at Hollywood Road, in Central, Hong Kong. ... This article is about the former unique residential block in Hong Kong. ...

There are many development plans in place, including the construction of new government buildings,^[90] waterfront redevelopment in Central,^[91] and a series of projects in West Kowloon.^[92] More high-rise development is set to take place on the other side of Victoria Harbour in Kowloon, as the 1998 closure of the nearby Kai Tak Airport lifted strict height restrictions,^[93] also allowing Hong Kong's tallest tower and third tallest in the world, the still under construction International Commerce Centre, to be built.^[94] Panorama of Tamar site Close up view of Tamar site Tamar site (添馬艦), 4. ... The night view of the Central as viewed from Tsim Sha Tsui on the opposite side of the Victoria Harbour Central (Chinese: 中環; Jyutping: zung1 waan4; Cantonese IPA: ; Pinyin: Zhōnghuán) is an area located in Central and Western District, Hong Kong Island, Hong Kong. ... In modern day Hong Kong, Kowloon (九龍, Mandarin: Jiulong, lit. ... Victoria Harbour The night view of the Victoria Harbour with the skyscrapers in Central behind, viewed from Tsim Sha Tsui Victoria Harbour (Traditional Chinese: 維多利亞港; Simplified Chinese: 维多利亚港; Cantonese Jyutping: wai4 do1 lei6 aa3 gong2; Mandarin Pinyin: Wéiduōlìyà GÇŽng) is the harbour between the Kowloon Peninsula and the... Kai Tak Airport (Traditional Chinese: ) was the international airport of Hong Kong from 1925 until 1998. ... International Commerce Centre is a 118 story, 484 m skyscraper under construction in West Kowloon, Hong Kong; as part of the Union Square project built on top of the MTR Kowloon Station. ...

A panoramic view of northern Hong Kong Island between North Point in the east (left) and Central in the west (right)

This article is an overview of the term Panorama. ... North Point is a mixed-use urban area on the north of Hong Kong Island in Hong Kong, between Causeway Bay and Quarry Bay. ... The night view of the Central as viewed from Tsim Sha Tsui on the opposite side of the Victoria Harbour Central (Chinese: 中環; Jyutping: zung1 waan4; Cantonese IPA: ; Pinyin: Zhōnghuán) is an area located in Central and Western District, Hong Kong Island, Hong Kong. ...

Transport

Hong Kong's tram system is the only one in the world that runs exclusively with double-deckers.

The iconic Star Ferry on one of its nine-minute voyages across Victoria Harbour

Hong Kong has a highly developed transportation network, encompassing both public and private transport. Over 90% of daily travels (11 million) are on public transport,^[95] making it the highest percentage in the world.^[96] The Octopus card, a stored value smart card payment system, can be used to pay for fares on almost all railways, buses and ferries, and also for parking and purchases at convenience stores, supermarkets, and fastfood restaurants.^[97] Lower deck of a Star Ferry in the morning Old Star Ferry Pier in Central, Hong Kong. ... Victoria Harbour The night view of the Victoria Harbour with the skyscrapers in Central behind, viewed from Tsim Sha Tsui Victoria Harbour (Traditional Chinese: 維多利亞港; Simplified Chinese: 维多利亚港; Cantonese Jyutping: wai4 do1 lei6 aa3 gong2; Mandarin Pinyin: Wéiduōlìyà Gǎng) is the harbour between the Kowloon Peninsula and the... Hong Kong has a highly developed and sophisticated transportation network, encompassing both public and private transport. ... For the movement of people or objects, see transport. ... Mass transit redirects here. ... Obverse side of a standard adult card. ... Smart card used for health insurance in France. ...

The city's rapid transit system, MTR, has 150 stations and serves 3.4 million people a day.^[98] A tramway system, serving the city since 1904, covers the northern parts of Hong Kong Island and is the only tram system in the world run exclusively with double deckers.^[99] Double-decker buses were introduced to Hong Kong in 1949, and are now almost exclusively used, with single-decker buses remaining in use for routes with lower demand or roads with lower carrying capacity. Most normal franchised bus routes in Hong Kong operate until 1 am. Public light buses run the length and breadth of Hong Kong, through areas where standard bus lines cannot reach or do not reach as frequently, quickly, or directly. “Mass Transit” redirects here. ... This article is about the metro system in Hong Kong. ... This article refers to public transport vehicles running on rails. ... A London AEC Routemaster, RML 2473 (JJD 473D), on route 7 approaching Ladbroke Grove tube station in April 2002. ... A green public minibus awaiting at the station at Tsim Sha Tsui. ...

The Star Ferry service operates four lines across Victoria Harbour and has been in operation for over 120 years, providing a panoramic view of Hong Kong's skyline for its 53,000 daily passengers.^[100] It is considered one of the city's most treasured cultural icons and has been rated as one of the most picturesque ferry crossings in the world.^[101] Other ferry services are provided by operators serving outlying islands, new towns, Macau, and cities in mainland China. Hong Kong is also famous for its junks traversing the harbour, and small kai-to ferries which serve remote coastal settlements. Lower deck of a Star Ferry in the morning Old Star Ferry Pier in Central, Hong Kong. ... Victoria Harbour The night view of the Victoria Harbour with the skyscrapers in Central behind, viewed from Tsim Sha Tsui Victoria Harbour (Traditional Chinese: 維多利亞港; Simplified Chinese: 维多利亚港; Cantonese Jyutping: wai4 do1 lei6 aa3 gong2; Mandarin Pinyin: Wéiduōlìyà Gǎng) is the harbour between the Kowloon Peninsula and the... The ferryboat Dongan Hills, filled with commuters, about to dock at a New York City pier, circa 1945. ... The territory of Hong Kong consists of a mainland area and 236 islands. ... A junk is a Chinese sailing vessel. ... A kai-to carrying passengers to the outlying islands off the Sai Kung Peninsula in Hong Kong Passengers boarding a larger kai-to to Peng Chau at the Discovery Bay Kai-to pier in Nim Shue Wan. ...

Hong Kong's steep, hilly terrain calls for some unusual ways of getting up and down the slopes. The Peak Tram, the first public transport system in Hong Kong, has provided vertical rail transport between Central and Victoria Peak since 1888 by steeply ascending the side of a mountain. In Central and Western district, there is an extensive system of escalators and moving pavements, including the longest outdoor covered escalator system in the world, the Mid-Levels escalator. The Peak Tram approaching the upper terminus The Peak Tramway (traditional Chinese: ) is a funicular railway in Hong Kong, which carries both tourists and residents to the upper levels of Hong Kong Island. ... The night view of the Central as viewed from Tsim Sha Tsui on the opposite side of the Victoria Harbour Central (Chinese: 中環; Jyutping: zung1 waan4; Cantonese IPA: ; Pinyin: Zhōnghuán) is an area located in Central and Western District, Hong Kong Island, Hong Kong. ... For other places with the same name, see Victoria Peak (disambiguation). ... Location within the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (Click here for satellite image) District Council Chairman Chan Tak-chor Constituencies 15 Area   â€“Land   â€“Water 12. ... Escalators at Canary Wharf, London. ... An entrance to the Central-Mid-levels escalator. ...

Hong Kong International Airport is a leading air passenger gateway and logistics hub in Asia and one of the world's busiest airports in terms of international passenger and cargo movement, serving more than 47 million passengers and handling 3.74 million tonnes of cargo in 2007.^[102] It replaced Kai Tak Airport in Kowloon in 1998, and has been rated as the world's best airport in a number of surveys.^[103] Over 85 airlines operate at the two-terminal airport and it is the primary hub of Cathay Pacific, Dragonair, Air Hong Kong, Hong Kong Airlines and Hong Kong Express. Kai Tak Airport (Traditional Chinese: ) was the international airport of Hong Kong from 1925 until 1998. ... In modern day Hong Kong, Kowloon refers to the urban area made up of Kowloon Peninsula and New Kowloon, bordered by the Lei Yue Mun strait in the east, Mei Foo Sun Chuen and Stonecutters Island in the west, Tates Cairn and Lion Rock in the north, and... An airport terminal is a building at an airport where passengers transfer from ground transportation to the facilities that allow them to board airplanes. ... Cathay Pacific Airways Limited (traditional Chinese: ; SEHK: 0293, OTCBB: CPCAY) is the largest airline and flag carrier of Hong Kong. ... For other uses of this term, see Dragonair. ... Cargo aircraft of Air Hong Kong taken in Narita Airport. ... Not to be confused with Hong Kong Airways. ... Hong Kong Express is also the title of a television drama serie produced by SBS of Korea The Hong Kong Express Airways Limited (港聯航空) is an airline based at Hong Kong International Airport. ...

See also

Notes and references

The Basic Law of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the Peoples Republic of China serves as the constitutional document of Hong Kong. ... Map of eastern China and Taiwan, showing the historic distribution of Mandarin Chinese in light brown. ... Simplified Chinese character (Simplified Chinese: or ; traditional Chinese: or ; pinyin: or ) is one of two standard sets of Chinese characters of the contemporary Chinese written language. ... ... Standard Cantonese is a variant, and is generally considered the prestige dialect of Cantonese Chinese. ... Traditional Chinese characters refers to one of two standard sets of printed Chinese characters. ... De facto is a Latin expression that means in fact or in practice. It is commonly used as opposed to de jure (meaning by law) when referring to matters of law or governance or technique (such as standards), that are found in the common experience as created or developed without... Bilingual freeway signs in Chek Lap Kok. ... Hongkong Electric (Traditional Chinese: 香港電燈; SEHK: 0006) is a vertically integrated electricity utility company in Hong Kong. ... HSBC Holdings PLC (NYSE: HBC), (LSE: HSBA) , (HKSE: 005) , (Euronext: HSBC) , is one of the largest banking groups in the world. ... Languages can be romanized in a variety of ways, as shown here with Mandarin Chinese In linguistics, romanization (or Latinization, also spelled romanisation or Latinisation) is the representation of a word or language with the Roman (Latin) alphabet, or a system for doing so, where the original word or language... Pinyin, more formally called Hanyu Pinyin (Simplified Chinese: ; Traditional Chinese: ; Pinyin: ), is the most common variant of Standard Mandarin romanization system in use. ... The pronunciation of Hong Kong varies depending upon the language of the native speaker, be it Cantonese or Standard Mandarin. ... Other Hong Kong topics Culture - Economy Education - Geography - History Hong Kong Portal The Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the Peoples Republic of China (Traditional Chinese: ; see pronunciation; conventional short name Hong Kong Government, 香港政府), led by the Chief Executive is responsible for the administration of Hong... ... Other Hong Kong topics Culture - Economy Education - Geography - History Hong Kong Portal The Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the Peoples Republic of China (Traditional Chinese: ; see pronunciation; conventional short name Hong Kong Government, 香港政府), led by the Chief Executive is responsible for the administration of Hong... The Mainland and Hong Kong Closer Economic Partnership Arrangement (Chinese: 內地與香港關於建立更緊密經貿關係的安排), or Closer Economic Partnership Arrangement (CEPA ; Chinese: 更緊密經貿關係), is an economic agreement between the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the Peoples Republic of China and the Central Peoples Government of the Peoples Republic of... The South China Morning Post, together with its Sunday edition, the Sunday Morning Post, is the dominant English-language newspaper in Hong Kong, with a circulation of 104,000. ... Russell Ash (b. ... The Treaty of Nanjing (Chinese: 南京條約, NánjÄ«ng TiáoyuÄ“) is the agreement which marked the end of the First Opium War between the United Kingdom and China. ... The New York Times is a daily newspaper published in New York City and distributed internationally. ... The Peoples Daily (Chinese: 人民日报 Pinyin ) is the official newspaper of the Communist Party of China, published worldwide with a circulation of 3 to 4 million. ... The Encyclopædia Britannica is a general English-language encyclopaedia published by Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... December 27 is the 361st day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (362nd in leap years). ... The Cable News Network, commonly known as CNN, is a major cable television network founded in 1980 by Ted Turner. ... Emporis is a real estate data company with headquarters in Darmstadt, Germany. ... A digital object identifier (or DOI) is a standard for persistently identifying a piece of intellectual property on a digital network and associating it with related data, the metadata, in a structured extensible way. ... Emporis is a real estate data company with headquarters in Darmstadt, Germany. ... Emporis is a real estate data company with headquarters in Darmstadt, Germany. ... This article is about the operator of the namesake card. ... This article is about the metro system in Hong Kong. ... Skytrax is a United Kingdom-based researching company for commercial airlines. ...

Further reading

The headquarters of the Cambridge University Press, in Trumpington Street, Cambridge. ...

External links

Hong Kong portal

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• GovHK - Official government site
• Hong Kong Government - Census and Statistics Department
• Hong Kong Government - Fact Sheets
• Hong Kong Legislative Council - Official site of the legislative body
• Hong Kong at Encyclopædia Britannica
• Hong Kong entry at The World Factbook
• HongKong at UCB Libraries GovPubs
• Hong Kong at the Open Directory Project
• Wikimedia Atlas of Hong Kong
• DiscoverHongKong - Official site of the Hong Kong Tourism Board
• Hong Kong travel guide from Wikitravel
• Mai Po Nature Reserve, Hong Kong
• WikiSatellite view of Hong Kong at WikiMapia

v • d • e  Hong Kong topics History Prehistoric · Imperial · Colonial · Japanese occupation · 1950s · 1960s · 1970s · 1980s · 1990s · 2000s Geography Climate · Ecology · Country parks and conservation · Marine Parks · Public parks and gardens · Harbours · Channels · Beaches · Rivers · Reservoirs · Lakes · Bays · Islands and peninsulas · Mountains and peaks · Administrative divisions · Cities and towns · Areas · Villages · Buildings and structures Culture Demographics · Languages (Pronunciation of "Hong Kong") · Religion · Cinema · Television · Shopping · Cuisine · Music · Cantopop · Media · Opera · Museums · Sport · Manhua · Public holidays · Celebrities Politics Basic Law · Sino-British Joint Declaration · One country, two systems · Political parties · Elections · Foreign relations · Judiciary · Legal system · Military · Legislative Council · Districts · District Council · Government · Departments and agencies Public services Education · Food and Health Bureau · Healthcare · Police · Fire services · Other departments and agencies Economy Banks · Companies · Hong Kong dollar · Stock Exchange · The Hongs · Port · Employment Tourism Landmarks and tourist attractions · Disneyland · Ocean Park Transport Airport · Ferries · Rail · Taxis · Buses (Public light buses) · Major roads Other topics Communications · Architecture · Honours system · Representative football team · International rankings Portal · WikiProject Hong Kong

Geographic locale v • d • e Countries and territories of East Asia People's Republic of China (S.A.R: Hong Kong · Macau) · Republic of China1 · South Korea · Japan · Mongolia · North Korea Sometimes included:  Singapore · Vietnam · Russian Far East The UTF-8-encoded Japanese Wikipedia article for mojibake, as displayed in ISO-8859-1 encoding. ... Japanese name Kanji: Hiragana: Korean name Hangul: Hanja: Vietnamese name Quốc ngữ: Hán tá»±: A Chinese character or Han character (simplified Chinese: ; traditional Chinese: ; pinyin: ) is a logogram used in writing Chinese, Japanese, rarely Korean, and formerly Vietnamese. ... The Encyclopædia Britannica is a general English-language encyclopaedia published by Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. ... The World Factbook (ISSN 1553-8133; also known as the CIA World Factbook)[2] is an annual publication of the Central Intelligence Agency of the United States with almanac-style information about the countries of the world. ... The Open Directory Project (ODP), also known as dmoz (from , its original domain name), is a multilingual open content directory of World Wide Web links owned by Netscape that is constructed and maintained by a community of volunteer editors. ... Wikitravel is a project to create an open content, complete, up-to-date, and reliable world-wide travel guide. ... In the prehistory of Hong Kong, according to archaeological studies and many other resources, human activity in Hong Kong dates back over five millennia. ... The History of Hong Kong in Imperial China began in 214 BC under the Qin Dynasty. ... The Japanese occupation of Hong Kong began after the Governor of Hong Kong, Sir Mark Young surrendered the territory of Hong Kong to Japan on 25 December 1941 after 18 days of fierce fighting between British and Canadian defenders against Japanese Imperial forces. ... 1950s in Hong Kong began after the Japanese rule ended in 1945 with sovereignty returning to the British. ... Hong Kongs development in the 1960s are most notably at industries. ... In the 1970s, Hong Kong underwent many changes that were to shape the future of the city. ... [[1980s injkfsld;js;dlkjgfksldjg s;djfsa;ljfsaljfawsde recognized internationally for its politics, entertainment and skyrocketing real estate prices. ... The 1990s in Hong Kong was defined by the 1984 Sino-British Joint Declaration, a statement that paved the way for a series of changes that would facilitate the transfer of sovereignty from the United Kingdom to the Peoples Republic of China (PRC). ... 2000s in Hong Kong began a new millennium under the Peoples Republic of China (PRC). ... Other Hong Kong topics Culture - Economy Education - History - Politics Hong Kong Portal The ecology of Hong Kong is mostly affected by the results of climatic changes. ... Although Hong Kong is regarded as one of the worlds great cities, out of the total 1,092 km² of land, about three-quarters is countryside. ... Other Hong Kong topics Culture - Economy Education - History - Politics Hong Kong Portal The Marine Parks Ordinance protects and conserves the marine environment and a rich collection of aquatic animals and plants, such as corals, sea grasses and dolphins. ... Other Hong Kong topics Culture - Economy Education - History - Politics Hong Kong Portal Most of the public parks and gardens are managed by the Leisure and Cultural Services Department. ... The following is a list of harbours in Hong Kong: Victoria Harbour (維多利亞港), (維港) Aberdeen Harbour (香港仔海港) Double Haven (印洲塘) Port Shelter (牛尾海) Inner Port Shelter (西貢海) Tolo Harbour (吐露港) Tai Tam Harbour (大潭港) Rocky Harbour (糧船灣海) Three Fathoms Cove (企嶺下海) See also List of buildings, sites, and areas in... Other Hong Kong topics Culture - Economy Education - History - Politics Hong Kong Portal List of channels, straits and passages in Hong Kong This list is incomplete; you can help by expanding it. ... Hong Kong has a long coastline which is full of twists and turns with many bays and beaches. ... Other Hong Kong topics Culture - Economy Education - History - Politics Hong Kong Portal The location of Hong Kong, adjacent to the coast, is not close to the system of major rivers in southern China, though the water to the west of Hong Kong is influenced by Pearl River. ... Reservoirs in Hong Kong: High Island Reservoir Kowloon Group of Reservoirs Kowloon Reservoir Kowloon Byewash Reservoir Kowloon Reception Reservoir Shek Lei Pui Reservoir Plover Cove Reservoir Pok Fu Lam Reservoir Shek Pik Reservoir Shing Mun Reservoir (also Jublilee Reservoir) Lower Shing Mun Reservoir Tai Tam Reservoirs This list is incomplete... Other Hong Kong topics Culture - Economy Education - History - Politics Hong Kong Portal Lakes of Hong Kong: Brides Pool Po Chu Tam Inspiration Lake This list is incomplete; you can help by expanding it. ... The following is a list of bays in Hong Kong: Hong Kong Island Quarry Bay Aldrich Bay / Shau Kei Wan, also Buffalo Bay Repulse Bay Causeway Bay Kowloon and New Kowloon Kowloon Bay Hung Hom Bay Ngau Tsz Wan To Kwa Wan Cheung Sha Wan Lai Chi Kok Bay New... Other Hong Kong topics Culture - Economy Education - History - Politics Hong Kong Portal The Hong Kong SAR consists of a mainland area and 262 islands. ... The following is a list of mountains, peaks and hills in Hong Kong: // Tallest peaks of Hong Kong Tai Mo Shan - 958 m Lantau Peak (Fung Wong Shan) - 934 m, on Lantau Island Sunset Peak (Tai Tung Shan) - 869 m, on Lantau Island Ma On Shan - 702 m Wong Leng... The following is a list of cities, towns and new towns in Hong Kong. ... Other Hong Kong topics Culture - Economy Education - History - Politics Hong Kong Portal The following is a list of areas of Hong Kong. ... The following is a list of villages in Hong Kong. ... Other Hong Kong topics Culture - Economy Education - History - Politics Hong Kong Portal This is a list of buildings and structures in Hong Kong. ... The culture of Hong Kong can best be described as a foundation that began with China, and then leaned West for much of the 20th century under constructive British colonialism. ... Hong Kong is one of the most densely populated areas in the world with an overall density of some 6,300 people per square kilometre. ... The pronunciation of Hong Kong varies depending upon the language of the native speaker, be it Cantonese or Standard Mandarin. ... Shopping in Hong Kong have been categorized from social activity to a serious sport[1][2]. It is an important part of the culture and a way of life. ... The cuisine in Hong Kong can best be described as a fusion of eastern and western style cuisine. ... Hong Kong is a part of China that has produced a number of popular traditions, including a large part of what is known as Cantopop. ... Cantopop (Chinese: 粵語流行曲) is a colloquial portmanteau for Cantonese popular music. It is also referred to as HK-pop, short for Hong Kong popular music. It is categorized as a subgenre of Chinese popular music within C-pop. ... Media in Hong Kong is available to the public conveniently in various forms, namely: television and radio channels, newspapers, magazines and the World Wide Web. ... Cantonese opera is one of the major categories in Chinese opera, originating in southern Chinas Cantonese culture. ... // The following is a list of museums in Hong Kong: Airport Core Programme Exhibition Centre (Ting Kau) Art Museum The Chinese University of Hong Kong (within the Chinese University of Hong Kong) Flagstaff House Museum of Tea Ware (Hong Kong Park) Hong Kong Correctional Services Museum (Stanley) Hong Kong Film... Manhua (Traditional Chinese: 漫畫; Simplified Chinese: 漫画; Pinyin: ) is a general term for comics produced in China, often including Chinese translations of Japanese manga. ... General holidays in Hong Kong are times when Hong Kong workers get rest from their work, in conjunction with special occasions. ... This is a list of Chinese celebrities born or raised in Hong Kong, or mainly active in the media of Hong Kong. ... Other Hong Kong topics Culture - Economy Education - Geography - History Hong Kong Portal Politics of Hong Kong takes place in a framework of a political system dominated by China, an own legislature, the Chief Executive as the head of government, and of a pluriform multi-party system. ... The Sino-British Joint Declaration, formally known as the Joint Declaration of the Government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the Government of the Peoples Republic of China on the Question of Hong Kong, was signed by the Prime Ministers of the Peoples... Portuguese name Portuguese: Um país, dois sistemas One country, two systems is an idea originally proposed by Deng Xiaoping during the early 1980s, then Paramount Leader of the Peoples Republic of China (PRC), for the reunification of China. ... A political party is a political organization subscribing to a certain ideology or formed around very special issues with the aim to participate in power, usually by participating in elections. ... Elections are held in Hong Kong when certain offices in the government need to be filled. ... Hong Kongs diplomatic relations and defence are the responsibility of the Peoples Republic of China. ... The Judiciary of Hong Kong is responsible for the administration of justice in Hong Kong. ... The legal system of Hong Kong is based on the rule of law and the independence of the Judiciary. ... Central Barracks, location of the local garrison of the PLA. The Military of Hong Kong consists of the Hong Kong Garrison of the Peoples Republic of Chinas Peoples Liberation Army. ... The Legislative Council (abbreviated as LegCo; Chinese: 立法會, Pinyin: LìfÇŽ Huì; formerly 立法局, LìfÇŽ Jú) is the unicameral legislature of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the Peoples Republic of China. ... The territory of Hong Kong is divided in 18 administrative districts (Population as of 2000) Hong Kong Island Central and Western (274,400) Eastern (620,800) Southern (282,400) Wan Chai (190,300) Kowloon (New Kowloon included) Kowloon City (406,000) Kwun Tong (564,700) Sham Shui Po (372,200... The District Councils (區議會 and formerly District Boards) are district organizations in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR). ... Departments and agencies are controlled by the Hong Kong Government. ... The Hong Kong civil service is managed by 11 policy bureaux in the Government Secretariat, and 67 departments and agencies, mostly staffed by civil servants. ... Dennis Sabre. ... Departments and agencies are controlled by the Hong Kong Government. ... Hong Kong maintains a three-tier system of deposit-taking institutions, licensed banks, restricted licence banks and deposit-taking companies. ... Categories: Companies of Asia | Companies of China | Hong Kong ... The Hongs (Chinese: è¡Œ) were major business houses in Hong Kong with significant influence on patterns of consumerism, trades, manufacturing and other key areas of the economy. ... The Port of Hong Kong has always been a key factor in the development and prosperity of Hong Kong, which is strategically located on the Far East trade routes and is in the geographical centre of the now fast-developing Asia-Pacific Basin. ... This page gives detailed information on the employment situation in Hong Kong. ... Several tourists looking at the night view of the Victoria Harbour at Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong. ... Sky Fair - The Hot Air balloon Culture Show in Ocean Park Hong Kong Ocean Theater - Three Dolphins jumping out of the water simultaneously Atoll Reef (Aquarium) New Jelly Fish House Sea Jelly Spectacular opened on April 10, 2006 Grand Prix - Go-Karts Ride Some of the Ocean Park rides which... Hong Kong has a highly developed and sophisticated transportation network, encompassing both public and private transport. ... Hong Kongs rail network comprises of public transport trains operated by two companies, namely the MTR Corporation Limited (MTRC) and the Kowloon-Canton Railway Corporation (KCRC). ... An urban red taxi in Hong Kong. ... Citybus Limiteds bus which can be easily seen in Hong Kong Island. ... A green public minibus awaiting at the station at Tsim Sha Tsui. ... Hong Kong Strategic Route and Exit Number System (Traditional Chinese: 香港主要幹線及出口編號系統) is a system adopted by the Transport Department of Hong Kong to organize the territorys major roads into Routes 1 through 9 for the convenience of drivers. ... // Telephone Telephones - main lines in use: 3. ... Bank of China Tower at night. ... This list of countries, arranged alphabetically, gives an overview of countries of the world. ... Types of administrative and/or political territories include: A legally administered territory, which is a non-sovereign geographic area that has come under the authority of another government. ... This article is about the geographical region. ... A Special Administrative Region (SAR) of the Peoples Republic of China is an administrative division of the Peoples Republic of China (PRC). ... For the Chinese civilization, see China. ... Far Eastern Federal District (highlighted in red) Russian Far East (Russian: ; IPA: ) is a term that refers to the Russian part of the Far East, i. ... 1 Commonly known as "Taiwan"; see Political status of Taiwan. v • d • e Dependent and other territories of Asia Abkhazia · Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao · Aceh · Adjara · Hong Kong · Islamic Emirate of Waziristan · Kachin State · Kayah State · Kayin State · Kurdistan · Macau · Nagorno-Karabakh · Nakhchivan · Palestinian National Authority · Republic of West Papua · Shan State · South Ossetia · South Moluccas · Tamil Eelam · Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus · Tuva · Xinjiang (East Turkestan) Taiwan Strait area The controversy regarding the political status of Taiwan hinges on whether Taiwan, including the Pescadores (Penghu), should remain the effective territory of the Republic of China (ROC), become unified with the territories now governed by the Peoples Republic of China (PRC), or become the Republic of... World map of dependent territories. ... The list of unrecognized countries enumerates those geo-political entities which lack general diplomatic recognition, but wish to be recognized as sovereign states. ... For other uses, see Asia (disambiguation). ... The de facto Government of Abkhazia has been totally stablished in Sukhumi since its fall to the separatist forces at the end of Georgian-Abkhazian war in 1993. ... The Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM; Rehiyong Awtonomo ng Muslim Mindanao) of the Philippines is composed of five provinces and one city namely: Basilan, Lanao del Sur, Maguindanao, Sulu, Tawi-Tawi and the Marawi City. ... Aceh (pronounced , generally Anglicized as IPA: ) is a special territory (daerah istimewa) of Indonesia, located on the northern tip of the island of Sumatra. ... Official language Georgian Capital Batumi ISO code GE.AJ Head of the Government Levan Varshalomidze Area  - Total  - % water 2,900 km² n/a Population  - Total (1989)  - Density 392,432 135. ... Area controlled by the Islamic Emirate of Waziristan shown in dark green The Islamic Emirate of Waziristan (Urdu: اسلامی امارات وزیرستان ) is a rebel organization in Waziristan, Pakistan that some commentators claim gained de facto recognition from the Government of Pakistan when it was named as party to the Waziristan Accord, the agreement... Kachin State (Jingphaw Mungdan), is the northernmost state of Myanmar. ... Kayah, also called Karenni State is a state of Myanmar. ... Kayin State is an administrative division of Myanmar and also known as Karen State. ... The Kurdistan Region (Kurdish: حكومه تى هه ريمى كوردستان, Hikûmetî Herêmî Kurdistan, Arabic: اقلیم کردستان) is an autonomous, federally recognized political entity located in northern Iraq. ... Nagorno-Karabakh (Azerbaijani: Dağlıq Qarabağ or Yuxarı Qarabağ, literally mountainous black garden or upper black garden; Russian: Нагорный Карабах, translit. ... This article is about the autonomous region. ... Palestinian government redirects here. ... Morning Star flag. ... Shan State is a state located in Myanmar (Burma), which takes its name from the Shan people, the majority ethnic group in the Shan State. ... Anthem unknown Capital Tskhinvali Official languages Ossetian1 Government  -  President Eduard Kokoity  -  Prime Minister Yury Morozov De facto independence from Georgia  -  Declared November 28, 1991   -  Recognition none  Currency Russian ruble (RUB) Russian in widespread use by government and other institutions. ... Flag of Republik Maluku Selatan, see also article at Flags of the World The South Moluccas, or Republik Maluku Selatan (RMS), was a self-proclaimed republic in the Maluku Islands, founded April 25, 1950. ... Tamil Eelam (Tamil: தமிழ் ஈழம், tamiḻ īḻam) is the name given by Tamils in Sri Lanka to the state which they aspire to create in the Northern and Eastern portions of Sri Lanka. ... Anthem Ä°stiklâl Marşı(Turkish) Independence March Capital Nicosia Official languages Turkish Government Representative democratic republic1  -  President Mehmet Ali Talat  -  Prime Minister Ferdi Sabit Soyer Sovereignty from Cyprus   -  Proclaimed November 15, 1983   -  Recognition By Turkey   -  Independence from Cyprus   -  Declared November 15, 1983  Area  -  Total 3,355 km² (not ranked) 1... Tyva Republic IPA: (Russian: IPA: ; Tuvan: ), or Tuva (), is a federal subject of Russia (a republic). ... For the county in Shanxi province, see Xinjiang County. ... East Turkestan (also transliterated: East Turkistan; Uyghur: Sherqiy Türkistan), also known as Uyghurstan, is the part of greater Turkistan in Xinjiang, China and far eastern Central Asia. ... v • d • e Province-level divisions of the People's Republic of China Provinces Anhui • Fujian • Gansu • Guangdong • Guizhou • Hainan • Hebei • Heilongjiang • Henan • Hubei • Hunan • Jiangsu • Jiangxi • Jilin • Liaoning • Qinghai • Taiwan* • Shaanxi • Shandong • Shanxi • Sichuan • Yunnan • Zhejiang Due to Chinas large population and area, the political divisions of China have consisted of several levels since ancient times. ... A province, in the context of China, is a translation of Sheng (Chinese: 省 ShÄ›ng), which is an administrative division of China. ... Anhui (Chinese: 安徽; Hanyu Pinyin: ; Wade-Giles: An-hui; Postal System Pinyin: Ngan-hui, Anhwei or An-hwei) is a province of the Peoples Republic of China. ...   (Chinese: ; pinyin: ; Wade-Giles: Fu-chien; Postal map spelling: Fukien, Foukien; local transliteration Hokkien from Min Nan Hok-kiàn) is one of the provinces on the southeast coast of the Peoples Republic of China. ... Gansu (Simplified Chinese: 甘肃; Traditional Chinese: 甘肅; Hanyu Pinyin: ; Wade-Giles: Kan-su, Kansu, or Kan-suh) is a province located in the northwest of the Peoples Republic of China. ... Not to be confused with the former Kwantung Leased Territory in north-eastern China. ... (Simplified Chinese: 贵州; Traditional Chinese: è²´å·ž; pinyin: Gùizhōu; Wade-Giles: Kuei-chou; also spelled Kweichow) is a province of the Peoples Republic of China located in the southwestern part of the country. ... This article does not cite its references or sources. ... Hubei (Chinese: 湖北; Hanyu Pinyin: ; Wade-Giles: Hu-pei; Postal System Pinyin: Hupeh) is a central province of the Peoples Republic of China. ... Not to be confused with the unrelated provinces of Hainan, Henan, and Yunnan. ...   (simplified Chinese: ; traditional Chinese: ; pinyin: ; Wade-Giles: Chiang-su; Postal map spelling: Kiangsu) is a province of the Peoples Republic of China, located along the east coast of the country. ...   (Chinese: ; pinyin: ; Wade-Giles: Chiang-hsi; Postal map spelling: Kiangsi) is a southern province of the Peoples Republic of China, spanning from the banks of the Yangtze River in the north into hillier areas in the south. ... For the city, see Jilin City. ...   (Simplified Chinese: ; Traditional Chinese: ; pinyin: Liáoníng) is a northeastern province of the Peoples Republic of China. ... Qinghai (Chinese: 青海; Hanyu Pinyin: ; Wade-Giles: Ching-hai; Postal System Pinyin: Tsinghai; Tibetan: མཚོ་སྔོན་ mtsho-sngon; Mongolian: Köke Naγur; Manchu: Huhu Noor) is a province of the Peoples Republic of China, named after the enormous Qinghai Lake. ...   (Simplified Chinese: ; Traditional Chinese: ; pinyin: ShÇŽnxÄ«; Wade-Giles: Shan-hsi; Postal map spelling: Shensi) is a north-central province of the Peoples Republic of China, and includes portions of the Loess Plateau on the middle reaches of the Yellow River as well as the Qinling Mountains across the...   (Simplified Chinese: ; Traditional Chinese: ; pinyin: ; Wade-Giles: Shan-tung) is a coastal province of eastern Peoples Republic of China. ... Shanxi (Chinese: 山西; Hanyu Pinyin: ; Wade-Giles: Shan-hsi; Postal System Pinyin: Shansi) is a province in the northern part of the Peoples Republic of China. ... This article is about the Chinese province. ... For the tea from this region, see Yunnan tea. ... Zhejiang (also spelled Chehkiang or Chekiang) is an eastern coastal province of the Peoples Republic of China. ... Autonomous regions Guangxi • Inner Mongolia • Ningxia • Tibet • Xinjiang The autonomous regions of China are the largest type of autonomous area in China. ... Guangxi (Zhuang: Gvangjsih; old orthography: ; Simplified Chinese: 广西; Traditional Chinese: 廣西; Pinyin: GuÇŽngxÄ«; Wade-Giles: Kuang-hsi; Postal System Pinyin: Kwangsi), full name Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region (Zhuang: Gvangjsih Bouxcuengh Swcigih; old orthography: ; Simplified Chinese: 广西壮族自治区; Traditional Chinese: 廣西壯族自治區; Pinyin: GuÇŽngxÄ« Zhuàngzú ZìzhìqÅ«) is a Zhuang autonomous region of... Inner Mongolia (Mongolian: ᠥᠪᠦᠷ ᠮᠣᠨᠺᠤᠯᠤᠨ ᠥᠪᠡᠷᠲᠡᠺᠡᠨ ᠵᠠᠰᠠᠬᠤ ᠣᠷᠤᠨ r Mongghul-un bertegen Jasaqu Orun; Chinese: 内蒙古自治区; Hanyu Pinyin: N i Měnggǔ Z qū) is an Autonomous Region of the Peoples Republic of China. ... Ningxia (Simplified Chinese: 宁夏; Traditional Chinese: 寧夏; Pinyin: Níngxià; Wade-Giles: Ning-hsia; Postal Pinyin: Ningsia), full name Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region (Simplified Chinese: 宁夏回族自治区; Traditional Chinese: 寧夏回族自治區; Pinyin: Níngxià Huízú ZìzhìqÅ«), is a Hui autonomous region of the Peoples Republic of China, located on the northwest Loess... This article is about the administrative region of the Peoples Republic of China. ... For the county in Shanxi province, see Xinjiang County. ... Municipalities Beijing • Chongqing • Shanghai • Tianjin Direct-controlled municipalities are the highest-level cities in China, with status equal to that of the provinces. ... Peking redirects here. ... Chongqing (simplified Chinese: ; traditional Chinese: ; pinyin: ; Postal map spelling: Chungking; Wade-Giles: Chung-ching) is the largest and most populous of the Peoples Republic of Chinas four provincial-level municipalities, and the only one in the less densely populated western half of China. ... For other uses, see Shanghai (disambiguation). ...   (Chinese: ; Pinyin: ; Postal map spelling: Tientsin) is one of the four municipalities of China. ... Special Administrative Regions Hong Kong • Macau A Special Administrative Region (SAR) of the Peoples Republic of China is an administrative division of the Peoples Republic of China (PRC). ... Territorial Dispute Paracel Islands • Senkaku Islands • Spratly Islands • Taiwan* *=PRC claims Taiwan as one of its provinces, but has never had control over the island. See legal status of Taiwan. A territorial dispute is a disagreement over the possession/control of land between two or more states, or over the possession/control of land by one state after it has conquered it from a former state no longer currently recognized by the occupying power. ... // Aerial view of Uotsuri-jima / Diaoyu-dao Kuba Jima (久場島) or Huangwei Yu (黃尾嶼 Yellow Tail) is located at has an area of 1. ... The legal question of which legal entity holds de jure sovereignty over Taiwan is a controversial issue. ... v • d • e Major cities of Greater China People's Republic of China Direct-controlled municipalities Beijing · Chongqing · Shanghai · Tianjin Sub-provincial cities Changchun · Chengdu · Dalian · Guangzhou · Hangzhou · Jinan · Harbin · Nanjing · Ningbo · Qingdao · Shenyang · Shenzhen · Wuhan · Xi'an · Xiamen Provincial capitals (not included above) Changsha · Fuzhou · Guiyang · Haikou · Hefei · Hohhot · Kunming · Lanzhou · Lhasa · Nanchang · Nanning · Shijiazhuang · Taiyuan · Ürümqi · Xining · Yinchuan · Zhengzhou Special administrative regions