East & Southeast Asia :: HONG KONG

- ## Introduction :: HONG KONG

- Background:
  Occupied by the UK in 1841, Hong Kong was formally ceded by China the following year; various adjacent lands were added later in the 19th century. Pursuant to an agreement signed by China and the UK on 19 December 1984, Hong Kong became the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China on 1 July 1997. In this agreement, China promised that, under its "one country, two systems" formula, China's socialist economic system would not be imposed on Hong Kong and that Hong Kong would enjoy a "high degree of autonomy" in all matters except foreign and defense affairs for the subsequent 50 years.

- ## Geography :: HONG KONG

- Location:
  Eastern Asia, bordering the South China Sea and China
  Geographic coordinates:
  22 15 N, 114 10 E
  Map references:
  Southeast Asia
  Area:
  total: 1,108 sq km
  land: 1,073 sq km
  water: 35 sq km
  country comparison to the world: 184
  Area - comparative:
  six times the size of Washington, DC
  Land boundaries:
  total: 33 km
  regional border: China 33 km
  Coastline:
  733 km
  Maritime claims:
  territorial sea: 3 nm
  Climate:
  subtropical monsoon; cool and humid in winter, hot and rainy from spring through summer, warm and sunny in fall
  Terrain:
  hilly to mountainous with steep slopes; lowlands in north
  Elevation extremes:
  lowest point: South China Sea 0 m
  highest point: Tai Mo Shan 958 m
  Natural resources:
  outstanding deepwater harbor, feldspar
  Land use:
  agricultural land: 5%
  arable land 3.2%; permanent crops 0.9%; permanent pasture 0.9%
  forest: 0%
  other: 95% (2011 est.)
  Irrigated land:
  NA; note - included in the total for China
  Natural hazards:
  occasional typhoons
  Environment - current issues:
  air and water pollution from rapid urbanization
  Environment - international agreements:
  party to: Marine Dumping (associate member), Ship Pollution (associate member)
  Geography - note:
  composed of more than 200 islands

- ## People and Society :: HONG KONG

- Nationality:
  noun: Chinese/Hong Konger
  adjective: Chinese/Hong Kong
  Ethnic groups:
  Chinese 93.1%, Indonesian 1.9%, Filipino 1.9%, other 3% (2011 est.)
  Languages:
  Cantonese (official) 89.5%, English (official) 3.5%, Putonghua (Mandarin) 1.4%, other Chinese dialects 4%, other 1.6% (2011 est.)
  Religions:
  eclectic mixture of local religions 90%, Christian 10%
  Population:
  7,141,106 (July 2015 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 102
  Age structure:
  0-14 years: 12.11% (male 458,458/female 406,506)
  15-24 years: 11.13% (male 410,701/female 383,902)
  25-54 years: 46.16% (male 1,408,524/female 1,887,927)
  55-64 years: 15.26% (male 531,684/female 557,904)
  65 years and over: 15.34% (male 516,255/female 579,245) (2015 est.)
  Dependency ratios:
  total dependency ratio: 37%
  youth dependency ratio: 16.4%
  elderly dependency ratio: 20.6%
  potential support ratio: 4.8% (2015 est.)
  Median age:
  total: 43.2 years
  male: 42.8 years
  female: 43.4 years (2014 est.)
  Population growth rate:
  0.38% (2015 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 162
  Birth rate:
  9.23 births/1,000 population (2015 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 204
  Death rate:
  7.07 deaths/1,000 population (2015 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 136
  Net migration rate:
  1.68 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2015 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 52
  Urbanization:
  urban population: 100% of total population (2015)
  rate of urbanization: 0.74% annual rate of change (2010-15 est.)
  Major urban areas - population:
  Hong Kong 7.26 million (2014)
  Sex ratio:
  at birth: 1.12 male(s)/female
  0-14 years: 1.13 male(s)/female
  15-24 years: 1.07 male(s)/female
  25-54 years: 0.75 male(s)/female
  55-64 years: 0.95 male(s)/female
  65 years and over: 0.89 male(s)/female
  total population: 0.87 male(s)/female (2015 est.)
  Infant mortality rate:
  total: 2.73 deaths/1,000 live births
  male: 2.96 deaths/1,000 live births
  female: 2.46 deaths/1,000 live births (2015 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 217
  Life expectancy at birth:
  total population: 82.86 years
  male: 80.24 years
  female: 85.78 years (2015 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 6
  Total fertility rate:
  1.18 children born/woman (2015 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 221
  Contraceptive prevalence rate:
  79.5% (2007)
  HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
  NA
  HIV/AIDS - deaths:
  NA
  Education expenditures:
  3.8% of GDP (2013)
  country comparison to the world: 124
  School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):
  total: 16 years
  male: 16 years
  female: 16 years (2013)
  Unemployment, youth ages 15-24:
  total: 9.3%
  male: 10.9%
  female: 7.8% (2012 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 106

- ## Government :: HONG KONG

- Country name:
  conventional long form: Hong Kong Special Administrative Region
  conventional short form: Hong Kong
  local long form: Heung Kong Takpit Hangching Ku (Eitel/Dyer-Ball); Xianggang Tebie Xingzhengqu (Hanyu Pinyin)
  local short form: Heung Kong (Eitel/Dyer-Ball); Xianggang (Hanyu Pinyin)
  abbreviation: HK
  Dependency status:
  special administrative region of China
  Government type:
  limited democracy
  Administrative divisions:
  none (special administrative region of China)
  Independence:
  none (special administrative region of China)
  National holiday:
  National Day (Anniversary of the Founding of the People's Republic of China), 1 October (1949); note - 1 July 1997 is celebrated as Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Establishment Day
  Constitution:
  several previous (governance documents while under British authority); latest drafted April 1988 to February 1989, approved March 1990, promulgated 4 April 1990 (Basic Law of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China serves as the constitution); note - since 1990, China's National People's Congress has interpreted specific articles of the Basic Law (2013)
  Legal system:
  mixed legal system of common law based on the English model and Chinese customary law (in matters of family and land tenure)
  Suffrage:
  18 years of age in direct elections for half the legislature and a majority of seats in 18 district councils; universal for permanent residents living in the territory of Hong Kong for the past seven years; note - in indirect elections, suffrage is limited to about 220,000 members of functional constituencies for the other half of the legislature and a 1,200-member election committee for the chief executive drawn from broad sectoral groupings, central government bodies, municipal organizations, and elected Hong Kong officials
  Executive branch:
  chief of state: President of China XI Jinping (since 14 March 2013)
  head of government: Chief Executive LEUNG Chun-ying [C.Y. LEUNG] (since 1 July 2012)
  cabinet: Executive Council or ExCo appointed by the chief executive
  elections/appointments: president indirectly elected by National People's Congress for a 5-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held on 5-17 March 2013 (next to be held in March 2018); chief executive indirectly elected by the Election Committee and appointed by the Central People's Government for a 5-year term (eligible for a second term) ; LEUNG Chun-ying [C.Y.LEUNG] elected chief executive on 25 March 2012 and took office on 1 July 2012 (next to be held in March 2017)
  election results: LEUNG Chun-ying elected chief executive; Election Committee vote - LEUNG Chun-ying 689, Henry TANG 285, Albert HO 76
  note: the Legislative Council voted in June 2010 to expand the electoral committee to 1,200 seats for the 2012 election
  Legislative branch:
  description: unicameral Legislative Council or LegCo (70 seats; members directly elected in single- and multi-seat constituencies by several majority vote methods based on the rules of the individual constituencies; members serve 4-year terms)
  elections: last held on 9 September 2012 (next to be held in September 2016)
  election results: percent of vote by block - pro-democracy 56%; pro-Beijing 41%, independent 3%; seats by block/party - pro-Beijing 43 (DAB 13, BPA 7, FTU 6, Liberal Party 5, NPP 2, other 10); pro-democracy 27 (Democratic Party 6, Civic Party 6, Labor Party 4, People Power 3, Professional Commons 2, League of Social Democrats 1, ADPL 1, PTU 1, Neo Democrats 1, NWSC 1); independent 2
  Judicial branch:
  highest court(s): Court of Final Appeal (consists of the chief justice, 3 permanent judges and 20 non-permanent judges); note - a sitting bench consists of the chief justice and 3 permanent and 1 non-permanent judges
  judge selection and term of office: all judges appointed by the Hong Kong Chief Executive upon the recommendation of the Judicial Officers Recommendation Commission, an independent body consisting of the Secretary for Justice and other judges, judicial and legal professionals; permanent judges appointed until normal retirement at age 65, but can be extended; non-permanent judges appointed for renewable 3-year terms without age limit
  subordinate courts: High Court (consists of the Court of Appeal and Court of First Instance); District Courts (includes Family and Land Courts); magistrates' courts; specialized tribunals
  Political parties and leaders:
  parties:
  Association for Democracy and People's Livelihood or ADPL [Bruce LIU Sing-lee]
  Business and Professional Alliance or BPA [Andrew LEUNG]
  Civic Party [EU Audrey]
  Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong or DAB [TAM Yiu-chung]
  Democratic Party [Emily LAU]
  Labor Party [LEE Cheuk-yan]
  League of Social Democrats or LSD [LEUNG Kwok-hung]
  Liberal Party [Felix CHUNG Kwok-pan]
  Neo Democrats [joint leaders]
  New People's Party [Regina IP Lau Su-yee]
  People Power [Erica YUEN Mi-ming]
  others:
  Confederation of Trade Unions or CTU
  Federation of Trade Unions or FTU
  Neighborhood and Workers Service Center or NWSC
  Professional Commons (think tank) [Charles Peter MOK]
  Professional Teachers Union or PTU
  note: political blocs include: pro-democracy - ADPL, Civic Party, Democratic Party, Labor Party, LSD, People Power, Professional Commons; pro-Beijing - DAB, FTU, Liberal Party, New People's Party, BPA; there is no political party ordinance, so there are no registered political parties; politically active groups register as societies or companies
  Political pressure groups and leaders:
  Chinese General Chamber of Commerce (pro-China)
  Chinese Manufacturers' Association of Hong Kong
  Civic Act-up [Cyd HO Sau-lan, Legislative Council of Hong Kong member] (pro-democracy)
  Confederation of Trade Unions or CTU [LEE Cheuk-yan, general secretary] (pro-democracy)
  Federation of Hong Kong Industries
  Federation of Trade Unions or FTU [LAM Shuk-yee, President] (pro-China)
  Hong Kong Alliance in Support of the Patriotic Democratic Movement in China [LEE Cheuk-yan, chairman]
  Hong Kong and Kowloon Trade Union Council (pro-Taiwan)
  Hong Kong General Chamber of Commerce
  Hong Kong Professional Teachers' Union [FUNG Wai-wah, president]
  Neighborhood and Workers' Service Center or NWSC [LEUNG Yui-chung, Legislative Council of Hong Kong member] (pro-democracy)
  International organization participation:
  ADB, APEC, BIS, FATF, ICC (national committees), IHO, IMF, IMO (associate), Interpol (subbureau), IOC, ISO (correspondent), ITUC (NGOs), UNWTO (associate), UPU, WCO, WMO, WTO
  Diplomatic representation in the US:
  none (Special Administrative Region of China); Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office (HKETO) carries out normal liaison and communication with the US Government and other US entities
  commissioner: Clement C.M. LEUNG
  office: 1520 18th Street NW, Washington, DC 20036
  telephone: [1] 202 331-8947
  FAX: [1] 202 331-8958
  HKETO offices: New York, San Francisco
  Diplomatic representation from the US:
  chief of mission: Consul General Clifford A. HART Jr. (since 30 July 2013); note - also accredited to Macau
  consulate(s) general: 26 Garden Road, Hong Kong
  mailing address: Unit 8000, Box 1, DPO AP 96521-0006
  telephone: [852] 2523-9011
  FAX: [852] 2845-1598
  Flag description:
  red with a stylized, white, five-petal Bauhinia flower in the center; each petal contains a small, red, five-pointed star in its middle; the red color is the same as that on the Chinese flag and represents the motherland; the fragrant Bauhinia - developed in Hong Kong the late 19th century - has come to symbolize the region; the five stars echo those on the flag of China
  National symbol(s):
  orchid tree flower; national colors: red, white
  National anthem:
  note: as a Special Administrative Region of China, "Yiyongjun Jinxingqu" is the official anthem (see China)

- ## Economy :: HONG KONG

- Economy - overview:
  Hong Kong has a free market economy, highly dependent on international trade and finance - the value of goods and services trade, including the sizable share of re-exports, is about four times GDP. Hong Kong has no tariffs on imported goods, and it levies excise duties on only four commodities, whether imported or produced locally: hard alcohol, tobacco, hydrocarbon oil, and methyl alcohol. There are no quotas or dumping laws. Hong Kong's open economy left it exposed to the global economic slowdown that began in 2008. Although increasing integration with China, through trade, tourism, and financial links, helped it to make an initial recovery more quickly than many observers anticipated, its continued reliance on foreign trade and investment leaves it vulnerable to renewed global financial market volatility or a slowdown in the global economy. The Hong Kong government is promoting the Special Administrative Region (SAR) as the site for Chinese renminbi (RMB) internationalization. Hong Kong residents are allowed to establish RMB-denominated savings accounts; RMB-denominated corporate and Chinese government bonds have been issued in Hong Kong; and RMB trade settlement is allowed. The territory far exceeded the RMB conversion quota set by Beijing for trade settlements in 2010 due to the growth of earnings from exports to the mainland. RMB deposits grew to roughly 12.5% of total system deposits in Hong Kong by the end of 2014. The government is pursuing efforts to introduce additional use of RMB in Hong Kong financial markets and is seeking to expand the RMB quota. The mainland has long been Hong Kong's largest trading partner, accounting for about half of Hong Kong's total trade by value. Hong Kong's natural resources are limited, and food and raw materials must be imported. As a result of China's easing of travel restrictions, the number of mainland tourists to the territory has surged from 4.5 million in 2001 to 47.3 million in 2014, outnumbering visitors from all other countries combined. Hong Kong has also established itself as the premier stock market for Chinese firms seeking to list abroad. In 2014 mainland Chinese companies constituted about 50% of the firms listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange and accounted for about 60.1% of the Exchange's market capitalization. During the past decade, as Hong Kong's manufacturing industry moved to the mainland, its service industry has grown rapidly. Credit expansion and tight housing supply conditions have caused Hong Kong property prices to rise rapidly; consumer prices increased by more than 4.4% in 2014. Lower and middle income segments of the population are increasingly unable to afford adequate housing. Hong Kong continues to link its currency closely to the US dollar, maintaining an arrangement established in 1983. In 2014, Hong Kong and China signed a new agreement on achieving basic liberalization of trade in services in Guangdong Province under the Closer Economic Partnership Agreement, adopted in 2003 to forge closer ties between Hong Kong and the mainland. The new measures, effective from March 2015, cover a negative list and a most-favored treatment provision, and will improve access to the mainland's service sector for Hong Kong-based companies.
  GDP (purchasing power parity):
  $397.5 billion (2014 est.)
  $388.5 billion (2013 est.)
  $377.6 billion (2012 est.)
  note: data are in 2014 US dollars
  country comparison to the world: 45
  GDP (official exchange rate):
  $289.6 billion (2014 est.)
  GDP - real growth rate:
  2.3% (2014 est.)
  2.9% (2013 est.)
  1.7% (2012 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 108
  GDP - per capita (PPP):
  $54,700 (2014 est.)
  $53,500 (2013 est.)
  $52,000 (2012 est.)
  note: data are in 2014 US dollars
  country comparison to the world: 17
  Gross national saving:
  25.3% of GDP (2014 est.)
  25.3% of GDP (2013 est.)
  26.8% of GDP (2012 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 44
  GDP - composition, by end use:
  household consumption: 66.1%
  government consumption: 9.5%
  investment in fixed capital: 22.2%
  investment in inventories: 0.4%
  exports of goods and services: 226.1%
  imports of goods and services: -224.4%
  (2014 est.)
  GDP - composition, by sector of origin:
  agriculture: 0.1%
  industry: 6.6%
  services: 93.3% (2014 est.)
  Agriculture - products:
  fresh vegetables and fruit; poultry, pork; fish
  Industries:
  textiles, clothing, tourism, banking, shipping, electronics, plastics, toys, watches, clocks
  Industrial production growth rate:
  0.2% (2014 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 169
  Labor force:
  3.871 million (2014 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 94
  Labor force - by occupation:
  manufacturing: 3.8%
  construction: 2.8%
  wholesale and retail trade, restaurants, and hotels: 53.3%
  financing, insurance, and real estate: 12.5%
  transport and communications: 10.1%
  community and social services: 17.1%
  note: above data exclude public sector (2013 est.)
  Unemployment rate:
  3.1% (2014 est.)
  3.1% (2013 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 24
  Population below poverty line:
  19.6% (2012 est.)
  Household income or consumption by percentage share:
  lowest 10%: NA%
  highest 10%: NA%
  Distribution of family income - Gini index:
  53.7 (2011)
  53.3 (2007)
  country comparison to the world: 11
  Budget:
  revenues: $57.78 billion
  expenditures: $55.84 billion (2014 est.)
  Taxes and other revenues:
  19.7% of GDP (2014 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 166
  Budget surplus (+) or deficit (-):
  0.7% of GDP (2014 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 27
  Public debt:
  37% of GDP (2014 est.)
  37.2% of GDP (2013 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 105
  Fiscal year:
  1 April - 31 March
  Inflation rate (consumer prices):
  4.4% (2014 est.)
  4.3% (2013 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 163
  Central bank discount rate:
  0.5% (31 December 2013)
  0.5% (31 December 2012)
  country comparison to the world: 143
  Commercial bank prime lending rate:
  5% (31 December 2014 est.)
  5% (31 December 2013 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 154
  Stock of narrow money:
  $204.8 billion (31 December 2014 est.)
  $194.9 billion (31 December 2013 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 22
  Stock of broad money:
  $1.414 trillion (31 December 2014 est.)
  $1.297 trillion (31 December 2013 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 14
  Stock of domestic credit:
  $827.9 billion (31 December 2013 est.)
  $714 billion (31 December 2012 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 18
  Market value of publicly traded shares:
  $3.082 trillion (31 December 2013 est.)
  $2.814 trillion (31 December 2012)
  $2.248 trillion (31 December 2011 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 5
  Current account balance:
  $4.544 billion (2014 est.)
  $5.095 billion (2013 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 90
  Exports:
  $528.2 billion (2014 est.)
  $535 billion (2013 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 9
  Exports - commodities:
  electrical machinery and appliances, textiles, apparel, footwear, watches and clocks, toys, plastics, precious stones, printed material
  Exports - partners:
  China 54.8%, US 9.3% (2013)
  Imports:
  $560.2 billion (2014 est.)
  $622 billion (2013 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 8
  Imports - commodities:
  raw materials and semi-manufactures, consumer goods, capital goods, foodstuffs, fuel (most is reexported)
  Imports - partners:
  China 47.8%, Japan 7.1%, Singapore 6.1%, US 5.5% (2013)
  Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
  $324 billion (31 December 2014 est.)
  $311.2 billion (31 December 2013 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 10
  Debt - external:
  $171.3 billion (31 December 2014 est.)
  $165.6 billion (31 December 2013 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 34
  Stock of direct foreign investment - at home:
  $1.523 trillion (31 December 2014 est.)
  $1.444 trillion (31 December 2013 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 2
  Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad:
  $1.439 trillion (31 December 2014 est.)
  $1.352 trillion (31 December 2013 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 6
  Exchange rates:
  Hong Kong dollars (HKD) per US dollar -
  7.753 (2014 est.)
  7.756 (2013 est.)
  7.756 (2012 est.)
  7.784 (2011 est.)
  7.77 (2010 est.)

- ## Energy :: HONG KONG

- Electricity - production:
  39.97 billion kWh (2013 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 58
  Electricity - consumption:
  44.21 billion kWh (2013 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 52
  Electricity - exports:
  1.65 billion kWh (2013 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 48
  Electricity - imports:
  10.71 billion kWh (2013 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 18
  Electricity - installed generating capacity:
  10.67 million kW (2013 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 54
  Electricity - from fossil fuels:
  100% of total installed capacity (2013 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 17
  Electricity - from nuclear fuels:
  0% of total installed capacity (2013 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 105
  Electricity - from hydroelectric plants:
  0% of total installed capacity (2013 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 176
  Electricity - from other renewable sources:
  0% of total installed capacity (2013 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 185
  Crude oil - production:
  100 bbl/day (2013 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 116
  Crude oil - exports:
  0 bbl/day (2013 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 126
  Crude oil - imports:
  0 bbl/day (2013 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 199
  Crude oil - proved reserves:
  0 bbl (1 January 2014 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 145
  Refined petroleum products - production:
  0 bbl/day (2013 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 155
  Refined petroleum products - consumption:
  354,000 bbl/day (2013 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 38
  Refined petroleum products - exports:
  12,010 bbl/day (2013 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 82
  Refined petroleum products - imports:
  345,900 bbl/day (2013 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 20
  Natural gas - production:
  0 cu m (2013 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 144
  Natural gas - consumption:
  2.6 billion cu m (2013 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 78
  Natural gas - exports:
  0 cu m (2013 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 113
  Natural gas - imports:
  2.8 billion cu m (2013 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 45
  Natural gas - proved reserves:
  0 cu m (1 January 2014 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 149
  Carbon dioxide emissions from consumption of energy:
  88.63 million Mt (2012 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 43

- ## Communications :: HONG KONG

- Telephones - fixed lines:
  total subscriptions: 4.43 million
  subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 62 (2014 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 36
  Telephones - mobile cellular:
  total: 17.4 million
  subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 244 (2014 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 60
  Telephone system:
  general assessment: modern facilities provide excellent domestic and international services
  domestic: microwave radio relay links and extensive fiber-optic network
  international: country code - 852; multiple international submarine cables provide connections to Asia, US, Australia, the Middle East, and Western Europe; satellite earth stations - 3 Intelsat (1 Pacific Ocean and 2 Indian Ocean); coaxial cable to Guangzhou, China (2012)
  Broadcast media:
  2 commercial terrestrial TV networks each with multiple stations; multi-channel satellite and cable TV systems available; 3 radio networks, one of which is government funded, operate about 15 radio stations (2012)
  Radio broadcast stations:
  AM 6, FM 10, shortwave 0 (2009)
  Television broadcast stations:
  2 (2 TV networks, each broadcasting on 2 channels) (2009)
  Internet country code:
  .hk
  Internet users:
  total: 5.6 million
  percent of population: 79.2% (2014 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 61

- ## Transportation :: HONG KONG

- Airports:
  2 (2013)
  country comparison to the world: 201
  Airports - with paved runways:
  total: 2
  over 3,047 m: 1
  1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2013)
  Heliports:
  9 (2013)
  Roadways:
  total: 2,099 km
  paved: 2,099 km (2014)
  country comparison to the world: 175
  Merchant marine:
  total: 1,644
  by type: barge carrier 2, bulk carrier 785, cargo 198, carrier 10, chemical tanker 149, container 288, liquefied gas 31, passenger 4, passenger/cargo 9, petroleum tanker 156, roll on/roll off 5, vehicle carrier 7
  foreign-owned: 976 (Bangladesh 1, Belgium 26, Bermuda 20, Canada 77, China 500, Cyprus 3, Denmark 42, France 4, Germany 10, Greece 27, Indonesia 10, Iran 3, Japan 79, Libya 1, Norway 48, Russia 1, Singapore 13, South Korea 3, Switzerland 5, Taiwan 25, UAE 1, UK 33, US 44)
  registered in other countries: 341 (Bahamas 3, Bermuda 4, Cambodia 10, China 18, Curacao 1, Cyprus 2, Georgia 3, India 2, Kiribati 2, Liberia 48, Malaysia 8, Malta 4, Marshall Islands 3, NZ 1, Panama 144, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 5, Seychelles 1, Sierra Leone 7, Singapore 46, Thailand 1, UK 12, unknown 16) (2010)
  country comparison to the world: 5
  Ports and terminals:
  major seaport(s): Hong Kong

- ## Military :: HONG KONG

- Military branches:
  no regular indigenous military forces; Hong Kong garrison of China's People's Liberation Army (PLA) includes elements of the PLA Ground Forces, PLA Navy, and PLA Air Force; these forces are under the direct leadership of the Central Military Commission in Beijing and under administrative control of the adjacent Guangzhou Military Region (2012)
  Manpower available for military service:
  males age 16-49: 1,704,090
  females age 16-49: 1,873,175 (2010 est.)
  Manpower fit for military service:
  males age 16-49: 1,387,213
  females age 16-49: 1,505,875 (2010 est.)
  Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:
  male: 39,579
  female: 36,554 (2010 est.)
  Military - note:
  defense is the responsibility of China

- ## Transnational Issues :: HONG KONG

- Disputes - international:
  Hong Kong plans to reduce its 2,800-hectare Frontier Closed Area (FCA) to 400 hectares by 2015; the FCA was established in 1951 as a buffer zone between Hong Kong and mainland China to prevent illegal migration from and the smuggling of goods
  Illicit drugs:
  despite strenuous law enforcement efforts, faces difficult challenges in controlling transit of heroin and methamphetamine to regional and world markets; modern banking system provides conduit for money laundering; rising indigenous use of synthetic drugs, especially among young people