Hong Kong is officially known as the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. It is located on the Pearl River Delta in China, bordering the province of Guangdong to the north and facing the South China Sea to the east, west and south. Population of Hong Kong is 6.9 million. It comes among the most densely populated cities in the world.
Hong Kong became a special administrative region On 1 July 1997. In China, Special Administrative Regions follow a ‘one country, two systems’ policy. As a result of this, Hong Kong is largely self-governing. It has its own currency and its own legal, social, economic and political systems. The official languages are Chinese and English.
Hong Kong maintains a highly capitalist economy. The city is well-known for its expansive skyline and natural setting. Hong Kong is a main business and cultural hub, and one of the world’s leading financial capitals. Hong Kong is a key centre for international finance and trade. The Hong Kong Stock Exchange is the sixth largest in the world. As of October 2007, it has a market capitalization of US$2.97 trillion. Hong Kong’s currency is Hong Kong dollar. Since Hong Kong’s natural resources are limited, food and raw materials are imported. Service sector dominates the economy of Hong Kong and accounts over 90% of GDP.
Hong Kong is identified as a place where east meets west. Once it was a British colony. So, Hong Kong’s culture is heavily westernized. However, the signs of many historic influences are still visible. Actually, Hong Kong culture combines the modern life with traditional superstitious Chinese practices. For example, Hong Kong people still follow concepts like “Feng shui” for construction projects.
Hong Kong has the world’s greatest number (6,439) of skyscrapers. In addition to modern skyscrapers, Hong Kong is a place of colonial buildings and traditional temples. There are further development plans such as construction of new government buildings, waterfront redevelopment in Central in addition to a number of other projects.
Hong Kong is a very popular tourist destination. It is one of the world’s greatest shopping cities. There are around 260 outlying islands around Hong Kong, most of them infertile and deserted. These islands offer a great opportunity to see a little of rustic Chinese life. They are easy-to-reach as well. Cheung Chau, Lantau and Lamma are some popular islands.
