Hong Kong is one of the greatest cities in the world was described as a 'barren rock' over 150 years ago, which has now become a world-class financial, trading and business centre.

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 became a Special Administrative Region (SAR) of the People's Republic of China on July 1, 1997, after a century and a half of British administration. Under Hong Kong's constitutional document, the Basic Law, the existing economic, legal and social systems will be maintained for 50 years. The SAR enjoys a high degree of autonomy except in defense and foreign affairs.

Location
Situated at the south-eastern tip of China, Hong Kong is ideally positioned at the centre of rapidly developing East Asia. With a total area of 1 104 square kilometres, it covers Hong Kong Island, Kowloon Peninsula(九龙半岛) just opposite, and the New Territories(新界) — the more rural section of Hong Kong, which also includes 262 outlying islands.

Population
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 About Hong Kong the Philippines (129 760), Indonesia (105 710) and the USA (29 900).

Language
Chinese and English are the official languages. English is widely used in the Government and by the legal, professional and business sectors. People are well-educated, competent and can speak two to three languages professionally namely English, Cantonese and Putonghua. These are vital staff for any enterprise trading in Hong Kong or doing business with the Mainland and Taiwan.

Climate
Hong Kong's climate is sub-tropical, tending towards the temperate for nearly half the year. Temperatures can drop below 10 degrees Celsius in winter and exceed 31 degrees Celsius in summer. About 90 per cent of the rainfall occurs between April and September.

Major International Trading Centre
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.

Global Services Centre
Hong Kong was the world's 10th largest exporter of services in 2004. Civil aviation, shipping, travel and tourism, trade-related services, and financial and banking services are the main components of trade in services. The prices of many services are among the lowest in the world.

International Corporate Base
More than 3 800 international corporations have established regional headquarters or offices in Hong Kong. The major types of business include the wholesale/retail and import/export trades, other business services (e.g. accounting, advertising and legal services), finance and banking, manufacturing, transport and related services.

Free Trade and Free Market
Hong Kong advocates and practises free trade — a free and liberal investment regime, the absence of trade barriers, no discrimination against overseas investors, freedom of capital movement, well-established rule of law, transparent regulations, and low and predictable taxation.