HISTORY


According to archaeological studies, human activity in Hong Kong dates back over five millenia. Excavated neolithic artifacts suggest an influence from northern Chinese stone-age cultures. The territory was settled by Han Chinese during the seventh century, A.D., evidence by the discovery of an ancient tomb at Lei Cheung Uk in Kowloon. The first major migration from northern China to Hong Kong occurred during the Sung dinasty (960-1279). The British east India Company made the first successful sea venture to China in 1699, and Hong Kong's trade with British merchants developed rapidly soon after. After the Chinese defeat in the First Opium War (1839-42), Hong Kong was ceded to Britain in 1842 under the Treaty of Nanking. Britain was granted a perpetual lease on the Kowloon Peninsulaunder the 1860 Convention of Beijing, which formally ended hostilities in the Second Opium War (1856-58). The United Kingdom, concerned that Hong Kong could not be defended unless surrounding areas also were under British control, a 99-year lease of the New Territories in 1898, significantly expanding the size of the Hong Kong colony. In the late 19th century and early 20th centuries, Hong Kong developed as a warehousing and distribution center for U.K. trade with southern China. After the end of World War II and the communist takeover of Mainland China in 1949, hundreds of thousands of people fled from China to Hong Kong. Hong Kong became an economic success and a manufacturing, commercial, finance, and tourism center. High life expectancy, literacy, per capita income, and other socioeconomic measures attest to Hong Kongs achievements over the last five decades. On July 1, 1997, China resumed the exercise of sovereignty over Hong Kong, ending more than 150 years of British colonial rule. Hong Kong is a Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China with a high degree of autonomy in all matters except foreign and defense affairs. According to the Sino-British Joint Declaration (1984) and the Basic Law, Hong Kong will retain its political, economic, and judicial systemts and unique way of life for 50 years after reversion and will continue to participate in international agreements and organizations under the name, "Hong Kong, China".




LOCATION OF THE COUNTRY IN THE WORLD

Hong Kong is situated in Eastern Asia, on the Southeast coast of the People's Republic of China, facing the South China Sea. It's located at 22º 15' North, 114º 10' East.


AREA OF THE COUNTRY


Situated in the southeast corner of China, Hong Kong occupies an area of 1,104 square kilometers (about 426 square miles) Hong Kong is made up of four parts: Hong Kong Island, Kowloon Peninsula, the New territories and the Outlying Islands. Hong kong Island is the center of economy, politics, entertainment and shopping. Northern Hong Kong Island is the main commercial, shopping and entertainment area; the residential area is located in Eastern Hong Kong Island: and Southern Hong Kong Island known for its sea shores and bays.

Terrain: Hilly to mountainous, with step slopes and natural harbor.

Climate: Tropical monsoon. Cool and humid in winter, hot and rainy from spring through summer, warm and sunny in fall.




POPULATION


Population (end of 2008): 7,0 million.

Hong Kong's population has increased steadily over the past decade, reaching 7.0 million in 2008. Hong Kong is one the most densely populated areas in the world, with an overall density of some 6,339 people per square kilometer. 7,055,071 (July 2009 est.).

Population growth rate (2008): 0,8%. 0.504% (2009 est.)

Ethnic groups: Chinese 95%; other 5%.

Religions: About 43% participate in some form of religious practice. Christian, about 9,6%.

Hong Kong is home to various races and religions. The different ethnic groups that reside in this city are Chinese, Christians, Muslims, Hindus, Jews, and so on. The multicultural ambiance has created a diverse religious atmosphere in Hong Kong. Each race has its own individual beliefs and faiths. To talk about religion in Hong Kong, there are almost 100 million followers of various different religions. However, there are three prominent religions in Hong Kong. These are Buddhism, Taoism and Confucianism. Buddhism originally came from India and Confucianism originated in China. Besides these three major religions some other minor religions also exist in Hong Kong. These are Islam, Christianity, Shamanism, Dongba religion of the Maxi people and also the Eastern Orthodox Christianity. The tribes that follow Islam in Hong Kong are mainly the Kazak, Kirgiz, Dongxiang, Hui, Tatar, Ozbek, Tajik, Uygur, Bonan, Salar etc. On the other hand, Buddhism is primarily followed by the Tibetan people and the followers of Theravada Buddhism are the Dai, Blang and Deang people. Hong Kong can be termed as a religious city in China. You can see various temples, monasteries and shrines of various religions spread out in all over the city of Hong Kong. Among the 600 temples in Hong Kong, most are Buddhist or Taoist temples. These temples are really beautiful and full of activities all the time. People in this city also have faith in various Chinese Deities along with Buddha. You should also not be shocked if you see shrines in the stores and offices in Hong Kong. Kitchen God is another very famous Deity worshipped in Hong Kong. The Chinese people have also faith in the conciliation of the dead and also the spirits. They believe that human beings can seek and achieve the hidden knowledge by which the unknown future can be known. Sometimes superstition get also involved in the religion and traditional practices. Feng Sui is the example of this fact. Chinese people believe that they must appease the Deities along with drifting away the evil spirits and soothe the sleeping dragons, so that good luck can be achieved.

Education: Literacy--97,1% (98,7% male, 95,4% female).

All children re required by law to be in full-time education between the ages of 6 and 15. Preschool education for most children begins at age 3. Primary school begins normally at the age of 6 and lasts for 6 years. At about age 12, children progress to a 3-year course of junior secondary. Most stay on on for 2-year senior secondary school, while others join full-time vocational trainning. More than 90% of children complete upper secondary education or equivalent vocational education.

Health (2008): Infant mortality rate--1.8/1,000.

Life expectancy--82,5 years (overall); 79,4 years in man and 85,5 years in women.


CAPITAL


Victoria City, or the City of Victoria, was one of the first urban settlements in Hong Kong after it became a British colony in 1842. It was initially named Queenstown but was soon known as Victoria. The name "Victoria" is rarely used today except to refer to the Victoria Park, The Peak, the harbour and a number of roads and streets. It was often said to be the "capital" of Hong Kong during its time as a colony of the United Kingdom, as almost all government departments have their head offices located there.




















LANGUAGE


In Hong Kong, English and Chinese are the official languages as defined in the Basic Law of hong Kong. English is a major working language in Hong kong, and is widely used in commercial activities and legal matters. Although the sovereignty of Hong Kong was transferred to the PRC of United Kingdom in 1997, English remains one of the official languages of Hong Kong as enshrined in the Basic Law. So almost everything written is translated into both languages. For most of the population who are ethnically Chinese, it is a foreign language acquired from school education, taught since the kindergarten level. About 25% of secondary schools use English from Form 1 to Form 3 in all subjects except Chinese language and Chinese history. The percentage of English used is increased starting with Form 4. On average, it is rare for a Hongkonger of Chinese ethnicity to achieve a fluent command of English, and Chinese (Cantonese and Mandarin) is required for most daily communication purposes outside districts frequented by tourists. Cantonese, the official Chinese language in Hong Kong, is spoken by most of the population. English, also an official language, is widely understood, being spoken by more than one-third of the population.


MAIN CHARACTERISTICS OF THE PEOPLE


The city never sleeps; its streets constantly kept busy by "nocturnal" beings. To the Hong Kong people, time is money, and a minute lost is a step away from fortune. Life there is addictive, and no matter how stressful and assiduous it may be, people will return to that small yet captivating island. Rush hour is the time when you get to experience the real hustle and bustle of the city's lifestyle. Relentless crowds of people, both students and workers alike, crush themselves into trains and buses. At noon when it is time for lunch, thousands of working people will aggressively race to restaurants, noodle houses, and fast food joints to have their one-hour break. For the most part, Asians have a strong work ethic: they work hard thus putting a lot of energy into what they do. As a result, Hong Kong has benefited by becoming a tremendous economic force in the world. In spite of the fact that many wealthy Chinese have taken on Western ways, they still uphold their traditional beliefs, and Confucianism's role in societal relationships. In China, all mainland Chinese have a stereotype of Hong Kongers people as being very rich, or in some case extremely rich. Local Hong Kongers are discerning eaters, so shoddy restaurants don't last for long.