Hong Kong
Hong Kong 香港 | |||||||
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| Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China Other official names
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Location of Hong Kong (red) within China (beige) | |||||||
| Sovereign state | China | ||||||
| British possession | 26 January 1841 | ||||||
| Treaty of Nanking | 29 August 1842 | ||||||
| Convention of Peking | 24 October 1860 | ||||||
| New Territories lease | 9 June 1898 | ||||||
| Imperial Japanese occupation | 25 December 1941 to 30 August 1945 | ||||||
| Re-designated as a British Dependent Territory | 1 January 1981 | ||||||
| Sino-British Joint Declaration | 19 December 1984 | ||||||
| Handover to China | 1 July 1997 | ||||||
| Administrative centre | Tamar | ||||||
| Largest district by population | Sha Tin | ||||||
| Official languages |
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| Traditional Chinese English alphabet | |||||||
| Ethnic groups (2021) | 91.6% Chinese 2.7% Filipino 1.9% Indonesian 0.8% White 0.6% Indian 0.4% Nepalese 2% other | ||||||
| Demonym(s) |
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| Government | Devolved presidential government within a unitary communist state | ||||||
| John Lee | |||||||
| Eric Chan | |||||||
| Starry Lee | |||||||
| Andrew Cheung | |||||||
| Legislature | Legislative Council | ||||||
| National representation | |||||||
| 36 deputies | |||||||
| 203 delegates | |||||||
| Area | |||||||
• Total | 2,754.97 km2 (1,063.70 sq mi) (168th) | ||||||
• Water (%) | 59.70 (1,640.62 km2; 633.45 sq mi) | ||||||
• Land | 1,114.35 km2 (430.25 sq mi) | ||||||
| Highest elevation | 957 m (3,140 ft) | ||||||
| Lowest elevation | 0 m (0 ft) | ||||||
| Population | |||||||
• 2023 estimate | 7,498,100 | ||||||
• 2021 census | 7,413,070 | ||||||
• Density | 6,801/km2 (17,614.5/sq mi) (4th) | ||||||
| GDP (PPP) | 2025 estimate | ||||||
• Total | $594.533 billion (50th) | ||||||
• Per capita | $78,919 (18th) | ||||||
| GDP (nominal) | 2025 estimate | ||||||
• Total | $428.233 billion (39th) | ||||||
• Per capita | $56,844 (20th) | ||||||
| Gini (2024) | 45.7 medium | ||||||
| HDI (2023) | 0.955 very high · 8th | ||||||
| Currency | Hong Kong dollar (HK$) (HKD) | ||||||
| Time zone | UTC+08:00 (HKT) | ||||||
| Date format | dd/mm/yyyy yyyy年mm月dd日 | ||||||
| Mains electricity | 220 V–50 Hz | ||||||
| Driving side | Left | ||||||
| Calling code | +852 | ||||||
| ISO 3166 code | |||||||
| Internet TLD | |||||||
| Number plate prefixes | None for local vehicles, 粤Z for cross-boundary vehicles | ||||||
| Climate | Monsoon-influenced humid subtropical climate (Cwa) | ||||||
Hong Kong is a special administrative region of China. Situated on China's southern coast just south of Shenzhen, it consists of Hong Kong Island, Kowloon, and the New Territories. With 7.5 million residents in a 1,114-square-kilometre (430 sq mi) territory, Hong Kong is the fourth-most densely populated region in the world.
Hong Kong was established as a colony of the British Empire after the Qing dynasty ceded Hong Kong Island in 1841–1842 as a result of losing the First Opium War. The colony expanded to the Kowloon Peninsula in 1860 and was further extended when the United Kingdom obtained a 99-year lease of the New Territories in 1898. Hong Kong was occupied by Japan from 1941 to 1945 during World War II. The territory was handed over from the United Kingdom to China in 1997. Hong Kong maintains separate governing and economic systems from those of mainland China under the principle of one country, two systems.
Originally a sparsely populated area of farming and fishing villages, Hong Kong is now one of the world's most significant financial centres and commercial ports. Hong Kong is the world's third-ranked global financial centre behind New York City and London, ninth-largest exporter, and eighth-largest importer. Its currency, the Hong Kong dollar, is the ninth-most traded currency in the world. Home to the third-highest number of billionaires of any city in the world, Hong Kong has the second largest number of ultra high-net-worth individuals. The city has one of the highest per capita incomes in the world, although severe income inequality still exists among the population.
Hong Kong is the city with the most skyscrapers in the world, even though its housing is consistently in high demand. Hong Kong is the second most expensive residential property market in the world and is one of the most expensive cities in the world. Hong Kong is also one of the most visited cities in the world.
Hong Kong is a highly developed territory and has a Human Development Index (HDI) of 0.955, ranking eighth in the world, and is currently the only place in Asia to be in the top ten. Hong Kong is categorized as an Alpha+ city by the Globalization and World Cities Research Network. The city has the highest life expectancy in the world, and has a public transport usage exceeding 90 per cent.