Hong
Kong, described as a 'barren rock' over 150 years
ago, has become a world-class financial, trading
and business centre and, indeed, a great world city.
Hong
Kong has no natural resources, except one of the
finest deep-water ports in the world. A hardworking,
adaptable and well-educated workforce of about 3.56
million, coupled with entrepreneurial flair, is
the bedrock of Hong Kong's productivity and creativity.
Hong
Kong's population was about 6.88 million in mid-2004.
The population density was 6 380 people per square
kilometre. Hong Kong had a large foreign population
of about 524 200. The top three nationalities came
from the Philippines (129 760), Indonesia (105 710)
and the USA (29 900).
Hong
Kong is the world's 11th largest trading economy,
the world's sixth largest foreign exchange market,
the world's 13th largest banking centre, and Asia's
second biggest stock market. Hong Kong is one of
the world's top exporters of garments, watches and
clocks, toys, games, electronic products and certain
light industrial products.
A
Free Economy
Hong Kong has for the 11th consecutive year retained
its rating as the freest economy in the world in
the 2005 Index of Economic Freedom released by The
Heritage Foundation. The Cato Institute in the United
States, in conjunction with more than 50 economic
institutes worldwide, also ranks Hong Kong as the
world’s freest economy. The International Monetary
Fund classifies Hong Kong as an advanced economy.
Other highly regarded institutions — like the World
Economic Forum, the International Institute of Management
Development and the Economist Intelligence Unit
— also identify Hong Kong as one of the world’s
most competitive business environments. And Hong
Kong was the second best-performing host economy
for foreign direct investment (FDI) in Asia, according
to the World Investment Report 2004 published by
the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development
(UNCTAD).
Gross
Domestic Product (GDP) Growth
Over the past two decades, the Hong Kong economy
has more than doubled in size, with GDP growing
at an average annual rate of 4.8 per cent in real
terms. This means Hong Kong has outperformed the
growth of the world economy as well as that of the
Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development
economies. Per capita GDP in Hong Kong has also
more than doubled over the same period, with an
average annual growth rate of about 3.6 per cent
in real terms. In 2004, it reached US$23,684, second
only to that of Japan in Asia and higher than that
of many Western countries.
Source:
Info.gov.hk
The
Economist Hong
Kong Country Briefing and City
Guide
Centamap
(Searchable Map of Building and Roads in Hong Kong)
Hong
Kong SAR Government Information Centre
Hong
Kong in Figures (2007 Government Report; PDF
file)
Hong
Kong Tourist Association
Hong
Kong SAR Immigration Department
Hong
Kong SAR Education & Manpower Bureau
Lonely
Planet World Guide, Destination Hong Kong
