1986 Edition
CIA World Factbook 1986 (Internet Archive)
Geography
Agriculture
agriculture occupies a minor position in the economy; main products rice, vegetables, dairy products; less than 20% self-sufficient; shortages — rice, wheat, water
Area
1,060 km2; about one and one-third times the size of New York City; 14% arable, 10% forest, 76% other (mainly grass, shrub, steep hill country)
Branches
Governor assisted by advisory Executive Council, legislates with advice and consent of Legislative Council; Executive Council composed of governor, four ex-officio senior officials, and 1 1 nominated members; Legislative Council composed of governor, three ex-officio members, 10 official members, 22 appointed unofficial members and 24 unofficial members elected indirectly by functional constituencies and by an electoral college; Urban Council, consisting of 15 elected members and 15 appointed by Governor, responsible for health, recreation, and resettlement in urban areas; Regional Council (established 1 April 1986), comprising 12 directly elected members, 9 indirectly elected, 12 appointed, and 3 ex officio, has similar responsibilities in nonurban areas; independent judiciary
Budget
(1984/85) $4.7 billion
Capital
Victoria
Coastline
733 km People
Communists
an estimated 4,000 cadres affiliated with Communist Party of China
Elections
on threeyear cycle for Urban and Regional Councils; last held March 1986; indirect elections for Legislative Council held for first time in September 1985 and planned for three-year intervals
Electric power
6,142,000 kW capacity (1985); 17.830 billion kWh produced (1985), 3,290 kWh per capita
Ethnic divisions
98% Chinese, 2% other
Exports
$28.4 billion (f.o.b., 1984), including $10.7 billion reexports; principal products— clothing, plastic articles, textiles, electrical goods, wigs, footwear, light metal manufactures
Fiscal year
1 April-31 March
GDP
(1985 est.) $33.3 billion, $6,064 per capita; real growth, 4.0%
Government leader
Sir Edward YOUDE, Governor and Commander in Chief (since May 1982); Chief Secretary Sir David AKERS-JONES (since 1985)
Imports
$28.6 billion (c.i.f., 1984)
Infant mortality rate
9.9/1,000(1983)
Labor force
(June 1985) 2.64 million; 37.3% manufacturing; 22.1% commerce; 18.4% services; 7.6% construction; 7.6% transport and communications; 6.8% financing, insurance, and real estate; 1.2% agriculture, fishing, mining, and quarrying; 0.4% other; unemployment (seasonally adjusted) 3.0%
Land boundaries
24 km Water
Language
Chinese (Cantonese), English
Legal system
English common law
Life expectancy
75
Limits of territorial waters (claimed)
3 nm
Literacy
75%
Major industries
textiles and clothing, tourism, electronics, plastics, toys, watches, and clocks
Major trade partners
(1984) exports— 32% US, 18% China, 8% Japan, 5% UK, 5% FRG; imports— 25% China, 24% Japan, 1 1% US
Member of
ADB, ESCAP (associate member), IMO, INTERPOL, Multifiber Arrangement, WMO Economy
Monetary conversion rate
7.76 Hong Kong dollars=US$l (July 1985)
Nationality
adjective — Hong Kong
Official name
Hong Kong
Organized labor
15.2% of 1984 labor force Government
Other political or pressure groups
Federation of Trade Unions (Communist controlled), Hong Kong and Kowloon Trade Union Council (Nationalist Chinese dominated), Hong Kong General Chamber of Commerce, Chinese General Chamber of Commerce (Communist controlled), Federation of Hong Kong Industries, Chinese Manufacturers' Association of Hong Kong, Hong Kong Professional Teachers' Union
Political parties
no significant parties
Political subdivisions
Hong Kong, Kowloon, and New Territories
Population
5,465,000 (July 1986), average annual growth rate 0.9%
Religion
90% eclectic mixture of local religions, 10% Christian
Shortages
industrial raw materials
Suffrage
limited to 450,000 to 550,000 professional or skilled persons
Type
British dependent territory; scheduled to revert to China in 1997