“Hong Kong is frequently described as a place where East meets West, a meeting reflected in its inhabitants, their customs, economic infrastructure, education, and culture. British rule may have ended in 1997 but Western culture is deeply ingrained in Hong Kong and coexists seamlessly with traditional philosophy and practices of the Chinese.”

The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (unofficially known as Hong Kong) is one of two special administrative regions of the People’s Republic of China. With a total land mass of 1,092 sq km, Hong Kong is a collection of islands that lie along the eastern side of the Pearl River Delta, facing the South China Sea to the east, west, and south; and bordering the the city of Shenzhen in the Guangdong province of China to the north. Hong Kong Island is the best known of the islands and contains the territory’s major city and financial center, with its sister islands being Lantau, Kowloon Peninsula, the New Territories, and 260 others. Geographically, Lantau is actually the largest of these islands, with Hong Kong Island being the second largest (and most populous), and the island of Ap Lei Chau ranking as the most densely populated island in the world (with 60,000 people/km2).

As a special administrative region (China’s other being Macau), Hong Kong is a highly autonomous administrative unit with its own gubernatorial chief executive serving as the head of the region and government. Hong Kong’s government is not fully independent, however, in that its foreign policies and all issues of military defense still lie with the central Chinese government. These special administrative regions should also not be confused with China’s many special economic zones, which are entirely administratively controlled by the central government. It is also interesting to note that, despite having its densely populated areas, Hong Kong, on the whole, is only 25% developed, with 40% of the land being reserved for parks and nature reserves, and much of the remainder of the territory being hilly or mountainous and thus not amenable to development.

As a special administrative region (China’s other being Macau), Hong Kong is a highly autonomous administrative unit with its own gubernatorial chief executive serving as the head of the region and government. Hong Kong’s government is not fully independent, however, in that its foreign policies and all issues of military defense still lie with the central Chinese government. These special administrative regions should also not be confused with China’s many special economic zones, which are entirely administratively controlled by the central government. It is also interesting to note that, despite having its densely populated areas, Hong Kong, on the whole, is only 25% developed, with 40% of the land being reserved for parks and nature reserves, and much of the remainder of the territory being hilly or mountainous and thus not amenable to development.

From the year 1842 to 1981, Hong Kong was a Crown colony of the United Kingdom, after which it became a British dependent territory, most recently transferring autonomy to China in a highly anticipated 1997 event that garnered world attention. The document enacting this transfer of Hong Kong to China—The Sino-British Joint Declaration and the Basic Law of Hong Kong—clearly set out Hong Kong’s ability to operate with a high degree of autonomy until at least fifty years after the transfer (thus, until the year 2047). The policy currently providing guidelines for Hong Kong’s governance is what is known as a policy of “one country, two systems,” in which the Central People’s Government is responsible for Hong Kong’s defense and foreign affairs, and the government of Hong Kong itself possessing its own police force, legal system, customs policy, immigrant policy, and maintaining its own delegates to international organizations and events.

Originally incorporated into imperial China during the Qin Dynasty (221 BC – 206 BC), Hong Kong found itself caught up in the First Opium War between Britain and China, and was occupied by British forces beginning in 1841 (as the Treaty of Nanking that formally ended the war also formally ceded Hong Kong to Great Britain). After several additional, smaller accessions and agreements, Hong Kong was declared a free port, authorized to serve as an entrepôt of the British Empire. British education was introduced in the early 1900s, although the local Chinese population in Hong Kong interacted very little with the British and European communities, instead establishing themselves along the wealthier areas of Victoria Peak, located in the mountainous western part of Hong Kong Island.

Throughout the tumultuous period of World War II, many immigrants fled from China into Hong Kong for fear of persecution. Many corporations also fled China’s government and policies, transferring operations from Shanghai and Guangzhou to Hong Kong. This cultural and economic upheaval is often cited as among the primary reasons Hong Kong has established itself as one of the world’s major financial centers.

Today, Hong Kong is subdivided into 18 geographic districts: Central and Western; Eastern; Islands; Kowloon City; Kwai Tsing; Kwun Tong; North; Sai Kung; Sha Tin; Sham Shui Po; Southern; Tai Po; Tsuen Wan; Tuen Mun; Wan Chai; Wong Tai Sin; Yau Tsim Mong; and Yuen Long. Each of these districts is represented by a District Council that advises the Hong Kong Government on local matters: those concerning public facilities, community programs, cultural issues, and proposed needs for environmental improvements. Looking at Hong Kong more broadly, the Chief Executive—chosen by an election committee to no more than two five-year terms—is considered to be the head of the Hong Kong government, as well as the region’s principal representative.

Demographically, residents of Hong Kong (often locally referred to as Hongkongers) are unique in make-up, and thus cultural and potential in the global market. Hong Kong’s estimated 2006 population of 7 million was primarily established via an enormous population boom in the 1990s—much of this growth occurring via immigration. Today, roughly 95% of Hong Kong’s population is Chinese, the majority of those reporting themselves as Cantonese, or as hailing from other ethnic groups (namely Hakka and Teochew). Hong Kong’s de facto language is Cantonese (a Chinese language originating from the Guangdong province to Hong Kong’s north) and 95% of the Hong Kong population lists Cantonese as their first language. English is also an official language of Hong Kong, however, and is fluently or near fluently spoken by about 40% of the population. Signs are commonly displayed in both Cantonese and English throughout the islands, although recent years have also seen an increase in the use of Mandarin (the official dialect of the People’s Republic of China). This influx of Chinese language and influence is due, in large measure, to the two entities increasing cultural and economic integration. An additional 5% of the Hong Kong population report themselves as non-ethnic Chinese, or as hailing from other Asian ethnic backgrounds: Sindhi, Indian, Pakistani, and Nepalese. Hong Kong is also home to a large number of Vietnamese refugees (many of whom have become permanent residents), and over 140,000 Filipinos live and work in Hong Kong, typically as domestic helpers. An increasing number of Hong Kong’s domestic workers, however, are Indonesian. And, finally, a fair number of European, American, Australian, Canadian, Japanese, and Korean migrants live and work in Hong Kong, primarily in the commercial and financial sector.

Religiously, Hong Kong conveys its citizens a high degree of religious freedom, rights that are protected in Hong Kong’s constitution and Basic Law. About 90% of Hong Kong’s residents practice of mix of local religions—primarily Buddhism and Taoism—with both of these religions sharing common backgrounds in Confucian theory, Chinese folklores and mythologies, and various forms of ancestor worship. Sizeable Christians communities are also present in the territory, however, including Protestant Christians and Roman Catholics; as are increasing numbers of non-Christians, such as Muslims, Jews, Hindus, Sikhs, and Bahá'ís.

As a final note on Hong Kong’s demographics, developed areas of the territory are considered to be densely populated—with more than 6,200 people per km2. Most of this density is concentrated in the territory’s urban core (which consists primarily of Kowloon and the north of Hong Kong Island). Yet Hong Kong also rates as having one of the world’s lowest fertility rates, at 0.95 children per woman. Despite this fertility rate being well below that needed to maintain the current population, constant influxes of immigrants from mainland China (approximately 45,000 per year) are expected to overcome these potential population loses. Regardless, Hong Kong has the unique distinction of possessing the second highest life expectancy in the world (2nd to only Andorra) at 81.6 years.