Hong Kong
Hong Kong's population has increased steadily over the past decade,
reaching 6.96 million in 2007. Hong Kong is one of the most densely
populated areas in the world, with an overall density of some 6,303
people per square kilometer. Cantonese, the official Chinese
language in Hong Kong, is spoken by most of the population. English,
also an official language, is widely understood, being spoken by
more than one-third of the population. Every major religion is
practiced freely in Hong Kong. All children are required by law to
be in full-time education between the ages of 6 and 15. Preschool
education for most children begins at age 3. Primary school begins
normally at the age of 6 and lasts for 6 years. At about age 12,
children progress to a 3-year course of junior secondary education.
Most stay on for a 2-year senior secondary course, while others join
full-time vocational training. More than 90% of children complete
upper secondary education or equivalent vocational education. |
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According to archaeological studies, human activity on Hong Kong
dates back over five millennia. Excavated neolithic artifacts
suggest an influence from northern Chinese stone-age cultures. The
territory was settled by Han Chinese during the seventh century,
A.D., evidenced by the discovery of an ancient tomb at Lei Cheung Uk
in Kowloon. The first major migration from northern China to Hong
Kong occurred during the Sung Dynasty (960-1279). The British East
India Company made the first successful sea venture to China in
1699, and Hong Kong's trade with British merchants developed rapidly
soon after. After the Chinese defeat in the First Opium War
(1839-42), Hong Kong was ceded to Britain in 1842 under the Treaty
of Nanking. Britain was granted a perpetual lease on the Kowloon
Peninsula under the 1860 Convention of Beijing, which formally ended
hostilities in the Second Opium War (1856-58). The United Kingdom,
concerned that Hong Kong could not be defended unless surrounding
areas also were under British control, executed a 99-year lease of
the New Territories in 1898, significantly expanding the size of the
Hong Kong colony.
In the late 19th century and early 20th centuries, Hong Kong
developed as a warehousing and distribution center for U.K. trade
with southern China. After the end of World War II and the communist
takeover of Mainland China in 1949, hundreds of thousands of people
fled from China to Hong Kong. Hong Kong became an economic success
and a manufacturing, commercial, finance, and tourism center. High
life expectancy, literacy, per capita income, and other
socioeconomic measures attest to Hong Kong's achievements over the
last five decades.
On July 1, 1997, China resumed the exercise of sovereignty over Hong
Kong, ending more than 150 years of British colonial rule. Hong Kong
is a Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China
with a high degree of autonomy in all matters except foreign and
defense affairs. According to the Sino-British Joint Declaration
(1984) and the Basic Law, Hong Kong will retain its political,
economic, and judicial systems and unique way of life for 50 years
after reversion and will continue to participate in international
agreements and organizations under the name, "Hong Kong, China." |
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