Hong Kong

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)

Internet country code

.hk

Internet users

total: 6.066 million | percent of population: 85% (July 2016 est.) | country comparison to the world: 61

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 (2015)

Telephones - fixed lines

total subscriptions: 4,323,291 | subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 60 (July 2016 est.) | country comparison to the world: 36

Telephones - mobile cellular

total: 16.736 million | subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 234 (July 2016 est.) | country comparison to the world: 60

Agriculture - products

fresh vegetables and fruit; poultry, pork; fish

Budget

revenues: $68.56 billion | expenditures: $60.14 billion (2016 est.)

Budget surplus (+) or deficit (-)

2.6% of GDP (2016 est.) | country comparison to the world: 12

Central bank discount rate

0.5% (31 December 2013) | 0.5% (31 December 2012) | country comparison to the world: 132

Commercial bank prime lending rate

5% (31 December 2016 est.) | 5% (31 December 2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 144

Current account balance

$14.88 billion (2016 est.) | $10.26 billion (2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 18

Debt - external

$505.9 billion (31 December 2016 est.) | $491.9 billion (31 December 2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 23

Distribution of family income - Gini index

53.7 (2011) | 53.3 (2007) | country comparison to the world: 9

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 reexports, 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 continues to link its currency closely to the US dollar, maintaining an arrangement established in 1983. | 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 aided a more rapid initial recovery 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 9.4% of total system deposits in Hong Kong by the end of 2015. 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. Mainland visitors to Hong Kong declined 3% in 2015 to approximately 45.7 million, reflecting an overall drop of 2.5% in total visitors to Hong Kong. Hong Kong has also established itself as the premier stock market for Chinese firms seeking to list abroad. In 2015, mainland Chinese companies constituted about 51% of the firms listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange and accounted for about 62.1% 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. 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 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. | Credit expansion and a tight housing supply have caused Hong Kong property prices to rise rapidly; consumer prices increased 4.4% in 2014, but slowed to 2.9% in 2015. Lower- and middle-income segments of the population are increasingly unable to afford adequate housing. | Hong Kong’s economic integration with the mainland continues to be most evident in the banking and finance sector. Initiatives like the Hong Kong-Shanghai Stock Connect, the Mutual Recognition of Funds, and The Hong Kong Shanghai Gold Connect are all important steps towards opening up the Mainland’s capital markets and has reinforced Hong Kong’s leading role as China’s offshore RMB market. Additional connect schemes from bonds to commodities and other investment products are also under exploration by Hong Kong authorities.

Exchange rates

Hong Kong dollars (HKD) per US dollar - | 7.7623 (2016 est.) | 7.762 (2015 est.) | 7.752 (2014 est.) | 7.754 (2013 est.) | 7.756 (2012 est.)

Exports

$502.5 billion (2016 est.) | $501.7 billion (2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 8

Exports - commodities

electrical machinery and appliances, textiles, apparel, footwear, watches and clocks, toys, plastics, precious stones, printed material

Exports - partners

China 54.2%, US 9% (2016)

Fiscal year

1 April - 31 March

GDP (official exchange rate)

$320.9 billion (2016 est.)

GDP (purchasing power parity)

$430.1 billion (2016 est.) | $416.1 billion (2015 est.) | $402 billion (2014 est.) | note: data are in 2016 dollars | country comparison to the world: 45

GDP - composition, by end use

household consumption: 66.2% | government consumption: 10% | investment in fixed capital: 21.5% | investment in inventories: 0.2% | exports of goods and services: 187.4% | imports of goods and services: -185.2% (2016 est.)

GDP - composition, by sector of origin

agriculture: 0.1% | industry: 7.2% | services: 92.8% (2016 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP)

$58,400 (2016 est.) | $57,700 (2015 est.) | $56,700 (2014 est.) | note: data are in 2016 dollars | country comparison to the world: 19

GDP - real growth rate

2% (2016 est.) | 2.4% (2015 est.) | 2.8% (2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 140

Gross national saving

26.4% of GDP (2016 est.) | 24.9% of GDP (2015 est.) | 25.2% of GDP (2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 45

Household income or consumption by percentage share

lowest 10%: NA% | highest 10%: NA%

Imports

$520.1 billion (2016 est.) | $524.6 billion (2015 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%, Singapore 6.5%, Japan 6.2%, US 5.2%, South Korea 4.9% (2016)

Industrial production growth rate

1.7% (2016 est.) | country comparison to the world: 121

Industries

textiles, clothing, tourism, banking, shipping, electronics, plastics, toys, watches, clocks

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

2.6% (2016 est.) | 3% (2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 131

Labor force

3.915 million (2016 est.) | country comparison to the world: 95

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.)

Market value of publicly traded shares

$3.185 trillion (31 December 2015 est.) | $3.233 trillion (31 December 2014 est.) | $3.101 trillion (31 December 2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 5

Population below poverty line

19.6% (2012 est.)

Public debt

0.1% of GDP (2016 est.) | 0.1% of GDP (2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 204

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

$386.3 billion (31 December 2016 est.) | $358.8 billion (31 December 2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 7

Stock of broad money

$1.613 trillion (31 December 2016 est.) | $1.499 trillion (31 December 2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 10

Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad

$1.723 trillion (31 December 2016 est.) | $1.707 trillion (31 December 2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 5

Stock of direct foreign investment - at home

$1.786 trillion (31 December 2016 est.) | $1.767 trillion (31 December 2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 5

Stock of domestic credit

$676.5 billion (31 December 2016 est.) | $655.6 billion (31 December 2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 21

Stock of narrow money

$285.5 billion (31 December 2016 est.) | $254.3 billion (31 December 2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 16

Taxes and other revenues

21.4% of GDP (2016 est.) | country comparison to the world: 137

Unemployment rate

2.7% (2016 est.) | 3.3% (2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 36

Carbon dioxide emissions from consumption of energy

90 million Mt (2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 43

Crude oil - exports

0 bbl/day (2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 136

Crude oil - imports

0 bbl/day (2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 140

Crude oil - production

0 bbl/day (2016 est.) | country comparison to the world: 148

Crude oil - proved reserves

0 bbl (1 January 2017 es) | country comparison to the world: 147

Electricity - consumption

41.74 billion kWh (2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 55

Electricity - exports

1.205 billion kWh (2016 est.) | country comparison to the world: 55

Electricity - from fossil fuels

100% of total installed capacity (2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 9

Electricity - from hydroelectric plants

0% of total installed capacity (2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 180

Electricity - from nuclear fuels

0% of total installed capacity (2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 107

Electricity - from other renewable sources

0% of total installed capacity (2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 186

Electricity - imports

11.62 billion kWh (2016 est.) | country comparison to the world: 23

Electricity - installed generating capacity

12.63 million kW (2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 55

Electricity - production

35.75 billion kWh (2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 61

Electricity access

electrification - total population: 100% (2016)

Natural gas - consumption

4.49 billion cu m (2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 69

Natural gas - exports

0 cu m (2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 120

Natural gas - imports

3.243 billion cu m (2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 42

Natural gas - production

0 cu m (2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 148

Natural gas - proved reserves

0 cu m (1 January 2014 es) | country comparison to the world: 151

Refined petroleum products - consumption

388,500 bbl/day (2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 39

Refined petroleum products - exports

9,625 bbl/day (2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 84

Refined petroleum products - imports

332,000 bbl/day (2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 25

Refined petroleum products - production

0 bbl/day (2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 156

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

Climate

subtropical monsoon; cool and humid in winter, hot and rainy from spring through summer, warm and sunny in fall

Coastline

733 km

Elevation

mean elevation: NA | elevation extremes: lowest point: South China Sea 0 m | highest point: Tai Mo Shan 958 m

Environment - current issues

air and water pollution from rapid urbanization

Environment - international agreements

party to: Marine Dumping (associate member), Ship Pollution (associate member)

Geographic coordinates

22 15 N, 114 10 E

Geography - note

consists of a mainland area (the New Territories) and more than 200 islands

Irrigated land

10 sq km (2012)

Land boundaries

total: 33 km | regional border(s) (1): China 33 km

Land use

agricultural land: 5% | arable land 3.2%; permanent crops 0.9%; permanent pasture 0.9% | forest: 0% | other: 95% (2011 est.)

Location

Eastern Asia, bordering the South China Sea and China

Map references

Southeast Asia

Maritime claims

territorial sea: 12 nm

Natural hazards

occasional typhoons

Natural resources

outstanding deepwater harbor, feldspar

Population - distribution

population fairly evenly distributed

Terrain

hilly to mountainous with steep slopes; lowlands in north

Administrative divisions

none (special administrative region of the People's Republic of China)

Citizenship

see China

Constitution

several previous (governance documents while under British authority); latest drafted April 1988 to February 1989, approved March 1990, effective 1 July 1997 (Basic Law of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China serves as the constitution); note - since 1990, the PRC National People's Congress has interpreted specific articles of the Basic Law (2016)

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 | etymology: probably an imprecise phonetic rendering of the Cantonese name meaning "fragrant harbor"

Dependency status

special administrative region of the People's Republic of China

Diplomatic representation from the US

chief of mission: Consul General Kurt W. TONG (since 27 August 2016); 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

Diplomatic representation in the US

none (Special Administrative Region of China); Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office (HKETO) carries out normal liaison activities 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

Executive branch

chief of state: President of China XI Jinping (since 14 March 2013) | head of government: Chief Executive Carrie LAM (since 1 July 2017) | 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 PRC Government for a 5-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held on 26 March 2017 (next to be held in 2022) | election results: Carrie LAM elected chief executive; Election Committee vote - Carrie LAM 777, John TSANG 365, WOO Kwok-hing 21, invalid 23 | note: the Legislative Council voted in June 2010 to expand the Election Committee to 1,200 members

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

Government type

presidential limited democracy; a special administrative region of the People's Republic of China

Independence

none (special administrative region of China)

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

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 judges and 1 non-permanent judge | 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, other judges, and 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

Legal system

mixed legal system of common law based on the English model and Chinese customary law (in matters of family and land tenure)

Legislative branch

description: unicameral Legislative Council or LegCo (70 seats; 35 members directly elected in multi-seat constituencies by party-list proportional representation vote; 30 members indirectly elected by the approximately 220,000 members of various functional constituencies based on a variety of methods; five at large “super-seat” members directed elected by all of Hong Kong’s eligible voters who do not participate in a functional constituency; members serve 4-year terms) | elections: last held on 4 September 2016; (next to be held in September 2020); note - by-election to be held on 11 March 2018 to fill 4 seats left vacant after 4 legislators were removed from office | election results: percent of vote by block - pro-democracy 36.0%; pro-Beijing 40.2%, localist 19.0%, other 4.8%; seats by block/party - pro-Beijing 40 (DAB 12, BPA 7, FTU 5, Liberal Party 4, NPP 3, other 9); pro-democracy 23 (Democratic Party 7, Civic Party 6, PP-LSD 2, Professional Commons 2, Labor 1, NWSC 1, PTU 1, other democrats 3), localists 6 (ALLin HK 2, CP-PPI-HKRO 1, Demosisto 1, Democracy Groundwork 1, other localist 1), non-aligned independent 1; note - 2 localists were barred from taking office in November 2016 and 4 pro-democracy legislators were removed in July 2017

National anthem

note: as a Special Administrative Region of China, "Yiyongjun Jinxingqu" is the official anthem (see 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

National symbol(s)

orchid tree flower; national colors: red, white

Political parties and leaders

ALLinHK (alliance of 6 localist groups) | Business and Professional Alliance or BPA [Andrew LEUNG Kwan-yuen] | Civic Party [Alan LEONG Kah-kit] | Civic Passion or CP [CHENG Chung-tai] (part of Civic Passion-Proletariat Political Institute-Hong Kong Resurgence Order alliance or CP-PPI-HKRO that dissolved after the 2016 election) | Democracy Groundwork [LAU Siu-lai] | Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong or DAB [Starry LEE Wai-king] | Democratic Party [WU Chi-wai] | Demosisto [Nathan LAW] | Federation of Trade Unions or FTU [Stanley NG Chau-pei] | Labor Party [Acting Chairman CHIU Shi-shun] | League of Social Democrats or LSD [Avery NG Man-yuen] | Liberal Party [Felix CHUNG Kwok-pan] | Neighborhood and Workers Service Center or NWSC [LEUNG Yui-chung] | New People's Party or NPP [Regina IP Lau Su-yee] | People Power or PP [Erica YUEN Mi-ming] | Youngspiration [Sixtus "Baggio" LEUNG Chung-hang] | Professional Commons (think tank) [Charles Peter MOK] | Professional Teachers Union or PTU | note: political blocks include: pro-democracy - Civic Party, Democratic Party, Labor Party, LSD, NWSC, PP, Professional Commons, PTU; pro-Beijing - DAB, FTU, Liberal Party, NPP, BPA; localist - ALLinHK, CP, Democracy Groundwork, Demosisto; 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 (pro-democracy) | Federation of Hong Kong Industries | Hong Kong Alliance in Support of the Patriotic Democratic Movement in China [Albert HO] (pro-China) | Hong Kong and Kowloon Trade Union Council or HKTUC (pro-democracy) | Hong Kong General Chamber of Commerce or HKGCC | Hong Kong Professional Teachers' Union or HKPTU [FUNG Wai-wah]

Suffrage

18 years of age in direct elections for half of the Legislative Council seats and all of the seats in 18 district councils; universal for permanent residents living in the territory of Hong Kong for the past 7 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

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.

Military - note

defense is the responsibility of China

Military branches

no regular indigenous military forces; Hong Kong garrison of China's People's Liberation Army (PLA) includes elements of the PLA Army, 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 Southern Command (2016)

Age structure

0-14 years: 12.19% (male 462,748/female 414,023) | 15-24 years: 10.43% (male 392,167/female 357,821) | 25-54 years: 44.68% (male 1,370,206/female 1,842,825) | 55-64 years: 16.17% (male 559,421/female 603,771) | 65 years and over: 16.53% (male 559,512/female 629,009) (2017 est.)

Birth rate

8.9 births/1,000 population (2017 est.) | country comparison to the world: 208

Contraceptive prevalence rate

74.8% (2012)

Death rate

7.4 deaths/1,000 population (2017 est.) | country comparison to the world: 117

Dependency ratios

total dependency ratio: 35.9 | youth dependency ratio: 15.2 | elderly dependency ratio: 20.7 | potential support ratio: 4.8 (2015 est.)

Education expenditures

3.3% of GDP (2015) | country comparison to the world: 124

Ethnic groups

Chinese 93.1%, Indonesian 1.9%, Filipino 1.9%, other 3% (2011 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths

NA

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS

NA

Infant mortality rate

total: 2.7 deaths/1,000 live births | male: 3 deaths/1,000 live births | female: 2.5 deaths/1,000 live births (2017 est.) | country comparison to the world: 216

Languages

Cantonese (official) 89.5%, English (official) 3.5%, Mandarin (official) 1.4%, other Chinese dialects 4%, other 1.6% (2011 est.)

Life expectancy at birth

total population: 83 years | male: 80.4 years | female: 85.9 years (2017 est.) | country comparison to the world: 7

Major urban areas - population

Hong Kong 7.26 million (2014)

Median age

total: 44.4 years | male: 43.5 years | female: 45 years (2017 est.) | country comparison to the world: 10

Mother's mean age at first birth

29.8 years (2008 est.)

Nationality

noun: Chinese/Hong Konger | adjective: Chinese/Hong Kong

Net migration rate

1.7 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2017 est.) | country comparison to the world: 53

Physicians density

1.78 physicians/1,000 population WHO, Western Pacific Region, Health Information and Intelligence Platform, accessed 3/7/17 (2010)

Population

7,191,503 (July 2017 est.) | country comparison to the world: 100

Population distribution

population fairly evenly distributed

Population growth rate

0.32% (2017 est.) | country comparison to the world: 173

Religions

eclectic mixture of local religions 90%, Christian 10%

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education)

total: 16 years | male: 16 years | female: 16 years (2014)

Sex ratio

at birth: 1.12 male(s)/female | 0-14 years: 1.12 male(s)/female | 15-24 years: 1.08 male(s)/female | 25-54 years: 0.74 male(s)/female | 55-64 years: 0.94 male(s)/female | 65 years and over: 0.89 male(s)/female | total population: 0.87 male(s)/female (2016 est.)

Total fertility rate

1.19 children born/woman (2017 est.) | country comparison to the world: 221

Unemployment, youth ages 15-24

total: 9.9% | male: 10.9% | female: 8.5% (2016 est.) | country comparison to the world: 106

Urbanization

urban population: 100% of total population (2017) | rate of urbanization: 0.64% annual rate of change (2015-20 est.)

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

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 (2017)

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix

B-H (2016)

Heliports

9 (2013)

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

National air transport system

number of registered air carriers: 7 (registered in China) | inventory of registered aircraft operated by air carriers: 253 (registered in China) | annual passenger traffic on registered air carriers: 41,867,157 | annual freight traffic on registered air carriers: 11.294 billion mt-km (2015)

Ports and terminals

major seaport(s): Hong Kong

Roadways

total: 2,100 km | paved: 2,100 km (2015) | country comparison to the world: 174