Introduction
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 (SAR) of China on 1 July 1997. In this agreement, China has promised that, under its "one country, two systems" formula, China's socialist economic system will not be imposed on Hong Kong and that Hong Kong will enjoy a high degree of autonomy in all matters except foreign and defense affairs for the next 50 years.
Location
Eastern Asia, bordering the South China Sea and China
Geographic coordinates
22 15 N, 114 10 E
Area
total: 1,092 sq km
water: 50 sq km
land: 1,042 sq km
Area - comparative
six times the size of Washington, DC
Maritime claims
territorial sea: 3 NM
Climate
tropical monsoon; cool and humid in winter, hot and rainy from spring through summer, warm and sunny in fall
Natural resources
outstanding deepwater harbor, feldspar
Irrigated land
20 sq km (1998 est.)
Natural hazards
occasional typhoons
Geography - note
more than 200 islands
Population
6,855,125 (July 2004 est.)