Aminet 6/Aminet 6 - June 1995.iso/Aminet/docs/misc/wfbook93_texi.lha/texi/107.data

Text File | 1995-03-27 | 10.9 KB | 379 lines

@node Header (Hong Kong)
@section Header (Hong Kong)

@display

Affiliation:
  (dependent territory of the UK)



@end display

@node Geography (Hong Kong)
@section Geography (Hong Kong)

@display

Location:
  East Asia, on the southeast coast of China bordering the South China Sea
Map references:
  Asia, Southeast Asia, Standard Time Zones of the World
Area:  total area:
  1,040 km2
 land area:
  990 km2
 comparative area:
  slightly less than six times the size of Washington, DC
Land boundaries:
  total 30 km, China 30 km
Coastline:
  733 km
Maritime claims:
 exclusive fishing zone:
  3 nm
 territorial sea:
  3 nm
International disputes:
  none
Climate:
  tropical monsoon; cool and humid in winter, hot and rainy from spring
  through summer, warm and sunny in fall
Terrain:
  hilly to mountainous with steep slopes; lowlands in north
Natural resources:
  outstanding deepwater harbor, feldspar
Land use:
 arable land:
  7%
 permanent crops:
  1%
 meadows and pastures:
  1%
 forest and woodland:
  12%
 other:
  79%
Irrigated land:
  20 km2 (1989)
Environment:
  more than 200 islands; occasional typhoons



@end display

@node People (Hong Kong)
@section People (Hong Kong)

@display

Population:
  5,552,965 (July 1993 est.)
Population growth rate:
  -0.06% (1993 est.)
Birth rate:
  12.27 births/1,000 population (1993 est.)
Death rate:
  5.68 deaths/1,000 population (1993 est.)
Net migration rate:
  -7.2 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1993 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
  5.9 deaths/1,000 live births (1993 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
 total population:
  79.99 years
 male:
  76.55 years
 female:
  83.64 years (1993 est.)
Total fertility rate:
  1.34 children born/woman (1993 est.)
Nationality:
 noun:
  Chinese
 adjective:
  Chinese
Ethnic divisions:
  Chinese 98%, other 2%
Religions:
  eclectic mixture of local religions 90%, Christian 10%
Languages:
  Chinese (Cantonese), English
Literacy:
  age 15 and over can read and write (1971)
 total population:
  77%
 male:
  90%
 female:
  64%
Labor force:
  2.8 million (1990)
 by occupation:
  manufacturing 28.5%, wholesale and retail trade, restaurants, and hotels
  27.9%, services 17.7%, financing, insurance, and real estate 9.2%, transport
  and communications 4.5%, construction 2.5%, other 9.7% (1989)



@end display

@node Government (Hong Kong)
@section Government (Hong Kong)

@display

Names:
 conventional long form:
  none
 conventional short form:
  Hong Kong
Abbreviation:
  HK
Digraph:
  HK
Type:
  dependent territory of the UK scheduled to revert to China in 1997
Capital:
  Victoria
Administrative divisions:
  none (dependent territory of the UK)
Independence:
  none (dependent territory of the UK; the UK signed an agreement with China
  on 19 December 1984 to return Hong Kong to China on 1 July 1997; in the
  joint declaration, China promises to respect Hong Kong's existing social and
  economic systems and lifestyle)
Constitution:
  unwritten; partly statutes, partly common law and practice; new Basic Law
  approved in March 1990 in preparation for 1997
Legal system:
  based on English common law
National holiday:
  Liberation Day, 29 August (1945)
Political parties and leaders:
  United Democrats of Hong Kong, Martin LEE, chairman; Democratic Alliance for
  the Betterment of Hong Kong; Hong Kong Democratic Foundation
Other political or pressure groups:
  Cooperative Resources Center, Allen LEE, chairman; Meeting Point, Anthony
  CHEUNG, chairman; Association of Democracy and People's Livelihood,
  Frederick FUNG Kin Kee, chairman; Liberal Democratic Federation, HEUNG Yee
  Kuk; Federation of Trade Unions (pro-China); Hong Kong and Kowloon Trade
  Union Council (pro-Taiwan); Confederation of Trade Unions (prodemocracy);
  Hong Kong General Chamber of Commerce; Chinese General Chamber of Commerce
  (pro-China); Federation of Hong Kong Industries; Chinese Manufacturers'
  Association of Hong Kong; Hong Kong Professional Teachers' Union; Hong Kong
  Alliance in Support of the Patriotic Democratic Movement in China
Suffrage:
  direct election 21 years of age; universal as a permanent resident living in
  the territory of Hong Kong for the past seven years indirect election
  limited to about 100,000 professionals of electoral college and functional
  constituencies
Elections:
 Legislative Council:
  indirect elections last held 12 September 1991 and direct elections were
  held for the first time 15 September 1991 (next to be held in September 1995
  when the number of directly-elected seats increases to 20); results -
  percent of vote by party NA; seats - (60 total; 21 indirectly elected by
  functional constituencies, 18 directly elected, 18 appointed by governor, 3
  ex officio members); indirect elections - number of seats by functional
  constituency NA; direct elections - UDHK 12, Meeting Point 3, ADPL 1, other
  2
Executive branch:
  British monarch, governor, chief secretary of the Executive Council
Legislative branch:
  unicameral Legislative Council



@end display

@node Government (Hong Kong 2. usage)
@section Government (Hong Kong 2. usage)

@display

Judicial branch:
  Supreme Court
Leaders:
 Chief of State:
  Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952)
 Head of Government:
  Governor Chris PATTEN (since NA July 1992); Chief Secretary Sir David Robert
  FORD (since NA February 1987)
Member of:   APEC, AsDB, CCC, ESCAP (associate), GATT, ICFTU, IMO (associate), INTERPOL
  (subbureau), IOC, ISO (correspondent), WCL, WMO
Diplomatic representation in US:
  as a dependent territory of the UK, the interests of Hong Kong in the US are
  represented by the UK
US diplomatic representation:
 chief of mission:
  Consul General Richard L. WILLIAMS
 embassy:
  Consulate General at 26 Garden Road, Hong Kong
 mailing address:
  Box 30, Hong Kong, or FPO AP 96522-0002
 telephone:
  [852] 239-011
Flag:
  blue with the flag of the UK in the upper hoist-side quadrant with the Hong
  Kong coat of arms on a white disk centered on the outer half of the flag;
  the coat of arms contains a shield (bearing two junks below a crown) held by
  a lion (representing the UK) and a dragon (representing China) with another
  lion above the shield and a banner bearing the words HONG KONG below the
  shield



@end display

@node Economy (Hong Kong)
@section Economy (Hong Kong)

@display

Overview:
  Hong Kong has a bustling free market economy with few tariffs or nontariff
  barriers. Natural resources are limited, and food and raw materials must be
  imported. Manufacturing accounts for about 18% of GDP, employs 28% of the
  labor force, and exports about 90% of its output. Real GDP growth averaged a
  remarkable 8% in 1987-88, slowed to 3.0% in 1989-90, and picked up to 4.2%
  in 1991 and 5.9% in 1992. Unemployment, which has been declining since the
  mid-1980s, is now about 2%. A shortage of labor continues to put upward
  pressure on prices and the cost of living. Short-term prospects remain
  bright so long as major trading partners continue to be reasonably
  prosperous.
National product:
  GDP - exchange rate conversion - $86 billion (1992 est.)
National product real growth rate:
  5.9% (1992)
National product per capita:
  $14,600 (1992 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
  9.4% (1992)
Unemployment rate:
  2% (1992 est.)
Budget:
  revenues $17.4 billion; expenditures $14.7 billion, including capital
  expenditures of $NA (FY92)
Exports:
  $118 billion, including reexports of $85.1 billion (f.o.b., 1992 est.)
 commodities:
  clothing, textiles, yarn and fabric, footwear, electrical appliances,
  watches and clocks, toys
 partners:   US 29%, China 21%, Germany 8%, UK 6%, Japan 5% (1990)
Imports:
  $120 billion (c.i.f., 1992 est.)
 commodities:
  foodstuffs, transport equipment, raw materials, semimanufactures, petroleum
 partners:
  China 37%, Japan 16%, Taiwan 9%, US 8% (1990)
External debt:
  $9.5 billion (December 1990 est.)
Industrial production:
  growth rate NA%
Electricity:
  9,566,000 kW capacity; 29,400 million kWh produced, 4,980 kWh per capita
  (1992)
Industries:
  textiles, clothing, tourism, electronics, plastics, toys, watches, clocks
Agriculture:
  minor role in the economy; rice, vegetables, dairy products; less than 20%
  self-sufficient; shortages of rice, wheat, water
Illicit drugs:
  a hub for Southeast Asian heroin trade; transshipment and major financial
  and money-laundering center
Economic aid:
  US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-87), $152 million; Western (non-US)
  countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-89), $923 million
Currency:
  1 Hong Kong dollar (HK$) = 100 cents



@end display

@node Economy (Hong Kong 2. usage)
@section Economy (Hong Kong 2. usage)

@display

Exchange rates:
  Hong Kong dollars (HK$) per US$ - 7.800 (1992), 7.771 (1991), 7.790 (1990),
  7.800 (1989), 7.810 (1988), 7.760 (1987); note - linked to the US dollar at
  the rate of about 7.8 HK$ per 1 US$ since 1985
Fiscal year:
  1 April - 31 March



@end display

@node Communications (Hong Kong)
@section Communications (Hong Kong)

@display

Railroads:
  35 km 1.435-meter standard gauge, government owned
Highways:
  1,100 km total; 794 km paved, 306 km gravel, crushed stone, or earth
Ports:
  Hong Kong
Merchant marine:
  176 ships (1,000 GRT or over), totaling 5,870,007 GRT/10,006,390 DWT;
  includes 1 passenger, 1 short-sea passenger, 20 cargo, 6 refrigerated cargo,
  29 container, 15 oil tanker, 3 chemical tanker, 6 combination ore/oil, 5
  liquefied gas, 88 bulk, 2 combination bulk; note - a flag of convenience
  registry; ships registered in Hong Kong fly the UK flag, and an estimated
  500 Hong Kong-owned ships are registered elsewhere
Airports:
 total:
  2
 useable:
  2
 with permanent-surface runways:
  2
 with runways over 3,659 m:
  0
 with runways 2,440-3,659 m:
  1
 with runways 1,220-2,439 m:
  0
Telecommunications:
  modern facilities provide excellent domestic and international services;
  3,000,000 telephones; microwave transmission links and extensive optical
  fiber transmission network; broadcast stations - 6 AM, 6 FM, 4 TV; 1 British
  Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) repeater station and 1 British Forces
  Broadcasting Service repeater station; 2,500,000 radio receivers; 1,312,000
  TV sets (1,224,000 color TV sets); satellite earth stations - 1 Pacific
  Ocean INTELSAT and 2 Indian Ocean INTELSAT; coaxial cable to Guangzhou,
  China; links to 5 international submarine cables providing access to ASEAN
  member nations, Japan, Taiwan, Australia, Middle East, and Western Europe



@end display

@node Defense Forces (Hong Kong)
@section Defense Forces (Hong Kong)

@display

Branches:
  Headquarters of British Forces, Royal Navy, Royal Air Force, Royal Hong Kong
  Auxiliary Air Force, Royal Hong Kong Police Force
Manpower availability:
  males age 15-49 1,635,516; fit for military service 1,256,057; reach
  military age (18) annually 43,128 (1993 est.)
Defense expenditures:
  exchange rate conversion - $300 million, 0.5% of GDP (1989 est.); this
  represents one-fourth of the total cost of defending itself, the remainder
  being paid by the UK
Note:
  defense is the responsibility of the UK



@end display