Hong Kongs geography and climate Hong Kong is located at the south-east corner of the Peoples Republic of China, about 1,200 kilometers from the next largest city, Shanghai, and almost 2,000 kilometers from the capital city of Beijing. Hong Kong covers the islands of Hong Kong, Lantau, Kowloon Peninsula, and New Territories, including 262 outer islands. The Area That Makes up Hong Kong Hong Kong is located on Chinas Southeast Coast, just east of the mouth of the Pearl River, and borders the city of Shenzhen in Guangdong province. Hong Kong is a metropolis and Special Administrative Region of the Peoples Republic of China, located to the east of the mouth of the Pearl River on Chinas southern coast.
Hong Kong is one of the Special Administrative Regions (SARs) of the Peoples Republic of China (PRC), another being Macau. As a special administrative region, Hong Kong, the former British territory, is a part of China, but it has been granted a higher degree of autonomy, not having to comply with some laws that Chinese provinces must. The adoption by mainland Chinese officials of a mini-constitution for Hong Kong, the Basic Law of the Special Administrative Region of Hong Kong, solidified this arrangement in 1990, when Chinas National Peoples Congress approved the Hong Kong Mini Constitution.
Under the one country, two systems doctrine, mainland China allowed Hong Kong to continue governing itself and maintaining a variety of separate systems over 50 years. The guarantees were justified on the basis of Chinas formula one country, two systems, allowing for a co-existence of a capitalist Hong Kong and socialist Mainland China, both parts of the same country. The 99-year lease ended in 1997, when the United Kingdom returned Hong Kong to mainland China as a special administrative region (SAR) called Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the Peoples Republic of China (HKSAR). Cheap labour was brought in, and Hong Kong slowly recovered its pre-World War II status of being a highly wealthy, independent colony, but Hong Kong became part of Chinese territory once more on 1 July 1997, when Britain handed over the colony to the Peoples Republic of China.
The territory had diverged from mainland China due to the lengthy time it had been under colonial rule, and a different rate of economic, social, and cultural development. Human settlements within the current-day region of Hong Kong dates to the Late Paleolithic and Early Neolithic; however, the name Hong Kong did not appear in written records until Imperial Chinas involvement with and British colonies in the territory. The passage of the Basic Law was critical to Hong Kongs handover process, since Hong Kong had enjoyed high levels of autonomy under colonial rule, and Hong Kongs capitalist economy, rule of law, and lifestyle were a long way removed from Communist rule in China. The UKs Basic Law meant Hong Kong would keep its currency (the Hong Kong dollar), legal system and parliamentary system for fifty years — the term ending in 2047.
The Peoples Republic of China is administered by the Communist Party of China, which has jurisdiction over 22 provinces, five self-governing regions, four directly controlled municipalities, and the chief administrative officers for Hong Kong and Macau. Mainland China has the worlds second largest economy, with $14.3 trillion, behind the U.S., with $21.4 trillion. Hong Kong is also a large services economy, particularly strongly linked with mainland China and other parts of the Asia-Pacific.
The economy on the Chinese mainland is more reliant on manufacturing, though this sector has begun to recover in recent years. Given the lifting of all political barriers and the will to do so by mainland China, it is merely logical that Hong Kong industrialists should pursue the development of labour-intensive, land-intensive industries within China, where they can obtain mineral resources, cheap labour, and abundant land.
The main is the South China Morning Post, while The Standard serves as the commercially-oriented alternative. The State Council (led by the PRC premier) names the executive chief, following nominations from an election committee composed of 1,200 business, civic, and government leaders. Beijing allows Hong Kong to participate as associate member in some intergovernmental bodies, such as the Asian Development Bank and the World Health Organization; and to engage in some commercial-related agreements as Hong Kong, China.
The Department of Immigration issues permanent residents passports that are different from the PRCs or Macaos, and the territory maintains a regulated border with the rest of the country. It borders the South China Sea on the south, west, and east, and shares a land border with mainland China on the north. It is surrounded by the South China Sea on all sides, except for its northern part, where it is adjacent to Guangdongs Shenzhen City by the Shamchun River.
A Peoples Liberation Army (PLA) garrison consisting of about 5,000 soldiers, officers, and support personnel currently occupies former British military buildings in Hong Kong, including Central Barracks at Admiralty; the naval base at Stonecutters Island; and the Shek Kong Airfield. Communications Country Newspapers Radios Television sets Cable subscribers a Mobile phones a Fax machines a Personal computers a Internet hosts b Internet users b 1996 1997 1998 1998 1998 1998 1998 1999 Hong Kong 792 684 431 61.8 475 54.3 254.2 142.77 2,430 United States 215 2,146 847 244.3 256 78.4 458.6 1,508.77 74,100 Mainland China N/A 333 272 40.0 19 1.6 8.9 0.50 8,900 South Korea 393 1,033 346 138.3 302 N/A 156.8 55.53 10,860 aData is from the International Telecommunications Union, World Telecommunications Development Report 1999 and is a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 256 78.4 458.6 1,508.77 74,100 74,100 n/a 333 272 40.0 19 1.6 8.9 0.50 8,900 South Korea 393 1,033 346 138.3 302 138.3 302 n/A 138.3 302 n/A 138.8 55.53 n/A 138.8 55.53 n/A 138.9 138.9 138.9 138.9 138.9 138.9 138.9 138.9 138.9 138.9 138.9 138.