Hong Kong: Difference between revisions
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[[Image:HongKong CIA.gif|right|thumb|300px|{{#ifexist:Template:HongKong CIA.gif/credit|{{HongKong CIA.gif/credit}}<br/>|}}Hong Kong.]] | [[Image:HongKong CIA.gif|right|thumb|300px|{{#ifexist:Template:HongKong CIA.gif/credit|{{HongKong CIA.gif/credit}}<br/>|}}Hong Kong.]] | ||
==History== | ==History== | ||
The island of Hong Kong was taken from the Chinese, initially by the Dutch, and then by the British, during the 18th | The island of Hong Kong was taken from the Chinese, initially by the Dutch, and then by the British, during the 18th century. The opium wars between Britain and China resulted in Britain obtaining a lease to expand Hong Kong, deeper into the [[New Territories]] of the Kowloon Peninsula. In 1997, at the end of the 99 year lease, the whole of the Hong Kong territory was returned to China. The Chinese instituted a system of "One Country, Two Systems." This created China's first Special Administration Region in Hong Kong. As a result, Hong Kong is partially autonomous with its own government and laws, distinct from that of the rest of the People's Republic. All final decisions, however, are made by the government of China.<ref>Willy Lam, "Beijing's hand in Hong Kong politics," ''Association for Asian Research'' [http://www.asianresearch.org/articles/2153.html June 14, 2004, online]</ref> | ||
Revision as of 19:26, 22 April 2008
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World-famous urban center Hong Kong is the metropolitan part of the Hong Kong Special Administration Region (HKSAR), with 6.9 million people. HKSAR is located in the south of the People's Republic of China in the Pearl River delta area of the South China Sea. The SAR consists of a number of islands and of the mainlanmajd Kowloon peninsula. Hong Kong has a single land border on its north with Guandong Province. It is only a short distance by sea to Macau, China's only other Special Administration Region.
Hong Kong maintains its own Immigration and Custom controls and travel between the SAR and the mainland requires similar documentation, checks and procedures as travelling to a foreign country.
Name
Hong Kong literally means "fragrant harbor", and is written in Chinese as 香港.
Language
The main language for 95% of the population is Cantonese, one of the many varieties of Chinese. It is related to but not mutually intelligible with Mandarin. Although a dialect of Mandarin forms 'standard Chinese', Cantonese has its own standard dialect, with a written form using Chinese characters. This is quite different from written Mandarin. English is also widely spoken, due to the region's prior status as a British colony. Signs in Chinese and English are commonplace. Cantonese includes vocabulary derived from English, due to extensive contact between the two languages.
Geography
History
The island of Hong Kong was taken from the Chinese, initially by the Dutch, and then by the British, during the 18th century. The opium wars between Britain and China resulted in Britain obtaining a lease to expand Hong Kong, deeper into the New Territories of the Kowloon Peninsula. In 1997, at the end of the 99 year lease, the whole of the Hong Kong territory was returned to China. The Chinese instituted a system of "One Country, Two Systems." This created China's first Special Administration Region in Hong Kong. As a result, Hong Kong is partially autonomous with its own government and laws, distinct from that of the rest of the People's Republic. All final decisions, however, are made by the government of China.[1]
Further reading
- [Hong Kong Yearbook 2006 official publication with back issues 1997-2005
- DK. Eyewitness Top 10 Travel Guides: Hong Kong (2002) excerpt and text search
- Reiber, Beth. Frommer's Hong Kong (2007) excerpt and text search
- Stone, Andrew. Lonely Planet Hong Kong & Macau City Guide (2008) excerpt and text search
- Tsang, Steve. A Modern History of Hong Kong (2007) excerpt and text search
- Vickers, Claire. Hong Kong - Culture Smart!: a quick guide to customs and etiquette (2006) excerpt and text search
- Wright, Rachel. Living and Working in Hong Kong: The Complete Practical Guide to Expatriate Life in China's Gateway (2008) excerpt and text search
External links
- ↑ Willy Lam, "Beijing's hand in Hong Kong politics," Association for Asian Research June 14, 2004, online