0%
Languages:
Chinese (Cantonese), English; both are official
Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over has ever attended school
total population: 93.5%
male: 96.9%
female: 89.6% (2002)
Government Hong Kong
Country name:
conventional long form: Hong Kong Special Administrative Region
conventional short form: Hong Kong
local short form: Xianggang
local long form: Xianggang Tebie Xingzhengqu
abbreviation: HK
Dependency status:
special administrative region of China
Government type:
limited democracy
Administrative divisions:
none (special administrative region of China)
Independence:
none (special administrative region of 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
Constitution:
Basic Law approved in March 1990 by China's National People's
Congress is Hong Kong's "mini-constitution"
Legal system:
based on English common law
Suffrage:
direct election 18 years of age; universal for permanent residents
living in the territory of Hong Kong for the past seven years;
indirect election limited to about 200,000 members of functional
constituencies and an 800-member election committee drawn from broad
regional groupings, municipal organizations, and central government
bodies
Executive branch:
chief of state: President of China HU Jintao (since 15 March 2003)
head of government: Chief Executive TUNG Chee-hwa (since 1 July 1997)
cabinet: Executive Council consists of seven non-official members
and 14 official members; including Chief Secretary Donald TSANG
Yam-kuen (since 1 May 2001), Financial Secretary Henry TANG (since 2
August 2003), and Secretary of Justice Elsie LEUNG (since 1 July
1997)
elections: TUNG Chee-hwa was elected to a second term in March 2002
by an 800-member election committee dominated by pro-Beijing forces;
the next election is scheduled to be held in 2007
Legislative branch:
unicameral Legislative Council or LEGCO (60 seats; in 2004 30 seats
indirectly elected by functional constituencies, 30 elected by
popular vote; members serve four-year terms)
elections: last held 12 September 2004 (next to be held in September
2008)
election results: percent of vote by party - pro-democracy group
62%; seats by party - (pro-Be
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