HONG
KONG - CHINA |
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The Hong Kong
Special
Administrative
Region of the
People's
Republic of
China or Hong
Kong (pinyin:
Xianggang, WG:
Hsiang-kang,
Cantonese IPA,
Jyutping or
Penkyamp: hoeng1
gong2, meaning
Fragrant Harbour),
is one of two
Special
Administrative
Regions (SARs)
of the People's
Republic of
China (the other
is Macau),
consisting of a
small peninsula
attached to
China's southern
coast and 236
islands in the
South China Sea,
of which Hong
Kong Island is
the second
largest and
Lantau the
largest.
Under the policy
of the 'One
Country, Two
Systems', Hong
Kong enjoys a
considerable
degree of
autonomy from
the Mainland,
continues to
have its own
currency,
customs and
immigration,
legal system,
and even its own
rule of the road,
with traffic
continuing to
drive on the
left.
Residents may be called Hongkongers or Hong
Kong people.
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Politics
The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region is headed by Chief Executive
Tung Chee Hwa as head of government. Mr. Tung assumed office on July 1,
1997, following his election by a 400-member Selection Committee appointed
by the People's Republic of China, whose president serves as head of state
for the Hong Kong SAR. He was nominated by the majority of members of a
broadly representative Election Committee in February 2002 and was returned
unopposed for a second term which began in July 2002.
Legislative Council elections were held in May 1998 and again in September
2000. According to the Basic Law, Hong Kong's "Mini-constitution", the
second Legislative Council has 24 directly elected members; the other 30
members are either appointed or chosen by occupational constituencies, with
six being elected by a special Election Committee. The composition of every
Legislative Council, in terms of the number of seats for geographical
constituencies, functional constituencies and election committee, is not
fixed once and for all, in particular, the 2004 election marked the end of
election committee.
The 1998 and 2000 Legislative Council elections were seen as free, open, and
widely contested, despite discontent among mainly pro-democracy politicians
that the Functional Constituencies and Election Committee elections are
essentially undemocratic because so few voters are eligible to vote. The
Civil Service maintains its quality and neutrality, operating without
discernible direction from Beijing.
The Right of abode issue sparked debates in 1999, while the controversy over
Hong Kong Basic Law Article 23 was the focus of politics in Hong Kong
between 2002-2003, and the focus of controversies shifted to the issue of
universal suffrage towards the end of 2003 and in 2004. Two peaceful mass
demonstrations were organized in 2003 and 2004 with hundreds of thousands of
participants.
Districts
Hong Kong consists of 21 districts:
Central and Western
Eastern
Islands
Kowloon City
Kwai Tsing
Kwun Tong
Mong Kok
North District
Sai Kung
Sham Shui Po
Sha Tin
Shau Kei Wan
Southern
Tai Po
Tsuen Wan
Tuen Mun
Wan Chai
Wong Tai Sin
Yau Tsim Mong
Yau Ma Tei
Yuen Long
Demographics
Hong Kong is by population the fourth largest metropolitan area of the PRC
(see List of cities in China). Considered as a "dependency", Hong Kong is
one of the most densely populated countries/dependencies in the world, with
an overall density of nearly 6,700 people per km˛.
Despite the population density, Hong Kong was reported to be one of the
greenest cities in Asia. The majority of people live in flats in high-rise
buildings. The rest of the open spaces are often covered with parks, woods
and shrubs. About 60% of the land is designated as Country Parks and Nature
Reserves. Hiking and camping are popular outdoor activities in Hong Kong's
hilly country parks. The irregular and long coastline of Hong Kong also
provides many bays and fine beaches for its inhabitants. The vertical
placement of the population explains why densely populated, green city is
not an oxymoronic phrase.
Cantonese, the Chinese dialect used in Hong Kong government matters, is
spoken by most of the population at home and in the office. English, also an
official language, is quite widely understood; it is spoken, mostly at work,
by more than one-third of the population. Every major religion is practiced
in Hong Kong; ancestor worship is predominant due to the strong Confucian
influence, whereas Christianity is practised by a minority of 10%.
Culture
Cantonese cuisine
Cinema of China
Chinese mythology
Hong Kong tea culture
Hong Kong Jockey Club
Hong Kong Disneyland
Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra
Hong Kong Sevens |
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