World Country Guide

General Information

Area
1098 sq km (424 sq miles).

Population
6,787,000 (official estimate 2002).

Population Density
6181.2 per sq km.

Geography
Hong Kong is located in East Asia, just south of the Tropic of Cancer. Hong Kong Island is 32km (20 miles) east of the mouth of Pearl River and 135km (84 miles) southeast of Canton. It is separated from the mainland by a good natural harbour. Hong Kong Island was ceded to Britain in 1842 by the Treaty of Nanking; and the Kowloon Peninsula (south of Boundary Street and Stonecutters Island) in 1860 by the Convention of Peking. The area of Boundary Street to Shenzhen River and a group of 260 islands, now known as the New Territories, were leased to Britain in 1898 for a period of 99 years. The New Territories (plus the 260 islands) comprise 891 sq km (380 sq miles). Shortage of land suitable for development has led to reclamation from the sea, principally from the seafronts of Hong Kong Island and Kowloon.

Government
Special Administrative Region of the People’s Republic of China since 1997. Head of Government: Chief Executive Tung Chee-Hwa.

Language
Chinese and English are the official languages, with Cantonese most widely spoken. English is spoken by many, particularly in business circles.

Religion
Buddhist, Confucian and Taoist, with Christian and Muslim minorities, but there are also places of worship for most other religious groups.

Time
GMT + 8.

Electricity
220 volts AC, 50Hz.

Communications

Telephone
Directory enquiries services are computerised. For directory enquiries, dial 1081 (English) or 1083 (Chinese). Full IDD is available. Country code: 852. Outgoing international code: 001. Local public telephone calls can be made either with phonecards or coins. Local calls are free from private phones.

Mobile telephone
GSM 900 and 1800 networks provide excellent coverage, even to most of the smaller outlying islands. Mobile telephones also function all over the underground network, thanks to transmitters installed in the tunnels. Main network operators include New World Mobility (website: www.nwmobility.com), Peoples Telephone Co Ltd (website: www.peoplesphone.com.hk), SmarTone Mobile Comms Ltd (website: www.smartone.com.hk) and Sunday (website: www.sunday.com).

Fax
HK Telecom International Ltd and the post office provide services. Bureaufax and international services are also available.

Internet
ISPs include ABC Net (website: www.hkabc.net), HKNet (website: www.hknet.com) and Hong Kong Internet Service (website: www.hkispa.org.hk). Internet cafes are plentiful nationwide.

Post
Regular postal services are available. Airmail to Europe takes three to five days. Poste Restante facilities are available. Post office hours: Mon-Fri 0800-1800; Sat 0800-1400.

Press
English-language dailies include Asian Wall Street Journal, International Herald Tribune and South China Morning Post.

Radio
BBC World Service (website: www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice) and Voice of America (website: www.voa.gov) can be received. From time to time the frequencies change and the most up-to-date can be found online.