Hong Kong At A Glance

“One Country, Two Systems”
The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) was formally established on 1 July 1997.

“One country, two systems” is the bedrock of Hong Kong’s stability and continued success since the establishment of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) on 1 July 1997. The Basic Law, a constitutional document and a national law of China, is the legal foundation for the establishment of the HKSAR under Article 31 of the PRC Constitution and the “one country, two systems” principle. Under “one country, two systems”, Hong Kong exercises a high degree of autonomy while preserving its own economic and social systems and common law system. Since 1997, the HKSAR has continued to prosper and thrive as an international financial and trading centre and Asia’s world city.

Economy
Hong Kong’s economy is characterised by free trade, low taxation and minimum government intervention. With the Mainland China as its most significant trading partner, it serves as the gateway to the Mainland for overseas investors as well as a platform for Mainland enterprises to go global. Hong Kong is also an international business, trade and financial hub, as well as a renowned tourist city, providing high value-added and knowledge-intensive services.
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Geography
At the south-eastern tip of China, Hong Kong covers Hong Kong Island, Lantau Island, the Kowloon Peninsula and the New Territories, including 261 outlying islands. Between Hong Kong Island and the Kowloon Peninsula lies Victoria Harbour, one of the world’s most renowned deep-water harbours.

Total land area: 1,113.76 square kilometres
Land developed: less than 25%
Country parks and nature reserves: 40%
Map

Climate
Hong Kong’s climate is sub-tropical, with temperatures dropping below 10 degrees Celsius in winter and exceeding 31 degrees Celsius in summer. It is warm, sunny and dry in autumn, cool and dry in winter, warm and humid in spring, and hot and rainy in summer.

Wettest months: June and August
Driest months: January and December
More about Hong Kong’s climate

Language
Chinese and English are the official languages of Hong Kong. English is widely used in the Government and by the legal, professional and business sectors. Trilingual professionals who speak English, Cantonese and Putonghua play a vital role in the numerous enterprises trading in Hong Kong or doing business with Mainland China and Taiwan. Proportion of population aged 5 and over by usual spoken language¹:

Cantonese: 88.2%
Putonghua: 2.3%
Other Chinese dialect: 2.8%
English: 4.6%
Other language: 2.1%
¹ Results from 2021 Population Census
Hong Kong Fact Sheets