Caltex service station in Singapore

Caltex is a petroleum brand name of Chevron Corporation used in more than 60 countries in the Asia-Pacific region, the Middle East, and southern Africa.

History[link]

Caltex began in 1936 as the California Texas Oil Company, a joint venture between the Texas Company (later named Texaco) and Standard Oil of California (later named Chevron) to market oil from newly gained concessions in Saudi Arabia. It was renamed Caltex Petroleum Corporation in 1968. The two parent companies merged in 2001 to form ChevronTexaco (renamed Chevron in 2005) and Caltex remains one of its major international brand names.

Australia[link]

Caltex Australia (ASX: CTX) is 50% owned by Chevron, and 50% by Australian shareholders.

Julian Segal has been the Chief Executive Officer CEO of Caltex Australia since July 2009.^[1]

Caltex took over the Australian companies Golden Fleece in 1981 and Ampol in 1995.

On 27 May 2009 Caltex announced a proposal to acquire 302 Mobil and Mobil Quix service stations in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Adelaide, subject to approval of the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission.^[2] The ACCC subsequently opposed the takeover on the grounds that the acquisition could result in diminished competition. Caltex subsequently abandoned the acquisition, with Mobil entering into an agreement to sell the same sites to 7-Eleven Australia.^[3]

Caltex petrol station in Wagga Wagga, New South Wales.

Caltex operates the largest oil company retail network in Australia, however the supermarkets Woolworths and Coles have a larger market share than any of the oil companies operating in Australia.

Fuels[link]

Petrol

• Regular Unleaded (91 octane unleaded petrol)
• Bio E10 Unleaded (unleaded petrol with up to 10% ethanol)
• Bio E-Flex (unleaded petrol with up to 85% ethanol)
• Vortex 95 (95 octane premium unleaded petrol)
• Vortex 98 (98 octane premium unleaded petrol)

Most sites stock all of these products, however Bio E10 Unleaded is the least common and Regular Unleaded the most common. Bio E-Flex is stocked in approximately 30 sites on the eastern seaboard.

Diesel

• Diesel
• New Generation Diesel (up to 3% biodiesel)
• Vortex Diesel (premium diesel)

Each site only sells one of these 3 products.

Autogas

Autogas is available at selected sites.

Lubricants and motor oil[link]

Caltex sells Delo, Havoline, and Revtex brands of motor oil.

Convenience stores[link]

Caltex branded sites can have any of the following types of convenience stores.

Star Mart: A large store containing a bakery, coffee and hot food as well as convenience items and an ATM. Toilets are usually located inside. Usually open 24 hours.

Star Shop: A smaller store with just convenience items and packaged foods and limited operating hours.

Woolworths: Sites that accept the 4 cpl discount offer from Woolworths. Shops are branded as Woolworths. Most are the same as a Star Mart, but some are the size of a Star Shop.

Woolworths joint venture[link]

Caltex Woolworths Wagga Wagga, New South Wales

In 2003 Caltex Australia entered into a joint venture agreement with large supermarket retailer Woolworths Limited,^[4] to counter the launch of a similar fuel discount offer launched by rival Coles Group. Woolworths' existing "Plus Petrol" service stations received Caltex branding and, similarly, Caltex service stations received Woolworths branding—the joint venture outlets became Caltex Woolworths. However this was the case only with certain Caltex service stations close to Woolworths supermarkets and many remain unassociated with the fuel discount offer. In Victoria, Woolworths Supermarkets are known as Safeway and Caltex Woolworths trades under the Caltex Safeway brand.

Korea[link]

In Korea, Chevron has operated under the brand name GS Caltex since 1967.

South Africa[link]

Chevron Oil Refinery (previously known as the Caltex Refinery) in Cape Town, South Africa.

A quarter of Caltex's service stations are located in South Africa making it one of the country's top five petroleum brands. As a subsidiary of Chevron it also indirectly owns a refinery in Milnerton, Cape Town which has a production capacity of 100,000 barrels per day and produces a range of petrochemical products which include petrol, diesel, jet fuel, liquefied petroleum gas, fuel oil and paving asphalt. The company also has a lubricants manufacturing plant and laboratory in Durban.^[5]

Caltex has received frequent criticism^[6] for its operations in South Africa during the Apartheid era.

Taiwan[link]

Some Asian operations are run by Caltex (Asia) Limited, based in Taipei.^[7]

References[link]

External links[link]

• Caltex official website
• Caltex Australia
• Caltex New Zealand
• Caltex South Africa
• Caltex SG

This article uses bare URLs for citations. Please consider adding full citations so that the article remains verifiable. Several templates and the Reflinks tool are available to assist in formatting. (Reflinks documentation) (August 2011)

Charles William "Bud" Tingwell, AM (3 January 1923 – 15 May 2009)^[2][3] was an Australian film, television, theatre and radio actor. Tingwell was one of the veterans of Australian film. He acted in his first motion picture in 1946 and appeared in over 100 films and numerous television programs in both the United Kingdom and Australia.

Early life and military service[link]

Tingwell was born in the Sydney suburb of Coogee, the son of William Harvey Tingwell and Enid (née Green). As an adolescent he was encouraged by his father to be an accountant but failed the entrance exam. While still at school Tingwell became a cadet at Sydney radio station 2CH, soon becoming the youngest radio announcer in Australia.^[2]

In 1941, aged 18, he volunteered for war service overseas with the Royal Australian Air Force. Under the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan, personnel from Commonwealth air forces were part of a joint training and assignment system. Consequently, Tingwell trained as a pilot in Canada during 1942. Despite damaging a Harvard training aircraft in August 1942, he qualified as a pilot and was commissioned as a pilot officer that December.

Tingwell was posted to the Mediterranean Theatre and underwent operational training with No. 74 OTU RAF, in British Palestine, and qualified to fly the Hawker Hurricane and Supermarine Spitfire.

He was posted to a photo reconnaissance unit, No. 680 Squadron RAF and flew 75 sorties in Mosquitos and Spitfires during the North African Campaign and Allied invasion of Sicily. Tingwell was also qualified on the Bristol Blenheim, Martin Baltimore, Bristol Beaufighter, de Havilland Mosquito and Airspeed Oxford.

He was promoted to Flying Officer in June 1943 and Flight Lieutenant in December 1944.^[5]

Towards the end of the war, Tingwell was transferred back to Australia. He was then posted to 5 Operational Training Unit (OTU) as a flying instructor and then to No. 87 Squadron RAAF, flying photo reconnaissance Mosquitoes over the Dutch East Indies (Indonesia).

On demobilisation in 1946, he was awarded the 1939-45 Star, Italy Star and Defence Medal. Tingwell remained a reservist into the 1950s.

Post-war life and acting career[link]

After returning to Australia, Tingwell married his childhood sweetheart, Audrey May Wilson.^[6] They had two children together.

In 1946, Tingwell won his first film role, as a control tower officer in the film Smithy. He took on several roles over the next few years, increasing in stature, until he caught the attention of Hollywood in 1952, and won the part of Lt. Harry Carstairs in The Desert Rats, alongside Chips Rafferty, James Mason and Richard Burton.

After filming The Desert Rats, Tingwell stayed in Australia for three years, making three films, including King of the Coral Sea, which also featured Rafferty. In 1954 he co-starred with Gordon Chater in Top of the Bill, the first of the famous satirical revues staged at Sydney's Phillip Street Theatre. In 1956, Tingwell moved to England. The following year, he took on his first recurring television role, playing Australian surgeon Alan Dawson in the live television serial Emergency – Ward 10 and its film spin-off Life in Emergency Ward 10 (1959). He also played the role of Inspector Craddock in all four of the Miss Marple series of films starring Margaret Rutherford, between 1961 and 1964.

In the later 1960s, he performed various minor voice roles for the Gerry Anderson television shows Thunderbirds and Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons as well as appearing in the first series of Catweazle.

Tingwell made numerous other films while in England, spending a total of 16 years as a 'London Aussie',^[7] but in 1973, returned to Australia with his wife and children, and soon after, won the role of Inspector Reg Lawson on the long-running series Homicide. This was followed by small roles in a number of major Australian films, such as Breaker Morant (1980), Puberty Blues (1981) and All the Rivers Run (1983).

His career went through a quiet period throughout the late 1980s and early 1990s, until he took on the role of 'Gramps' in recurring segment Charlie the Wonderdog, in the satirical series The Late Show in 1993. He was inducted into the Logie Hall of Fame in 1994. His role in The Late Show was later to win him a major role as lawyer Lawrence Hammill in the major 1997 film The Castle. He later said that this role helped him recover from the death of his wife not long before.

After the success of The Castle, Tingwell's career underwent a revival during the late 1990s and early 2000s. This saw him take on small roles in commercial films The Craic (1999) and The Dish (2000), the mini-series Changi, as well as the lead in the romance Innocence.

Tingwell had a recurring guest role in the soap opera Neighbours in 2000 and 2003, playing Henry O'Rourke. He appeared as John Conroy in the musical theatre production The Man from Snowy River: Arena Spectacular, which toured Australian capital cities twice during 2002.

In 2006, he launched his own website, with over 500 registered users in just over a week. On 5 October 2006, he launched his first blog. Bud encouraged fans to visit the site and share their thoughts on his life and career.

Up until his death, Tingwell was still acting regularly, in a number of films and television programs that are in production. Most recently, he hosted ratings winners Celebrity Circus, and 20 to 1. He appeared on a celebrity special of Temptation with his daughter, Virginia.

Honours[link]

Bud Tingwell was named a Member of the Order of Australia in the Queen's Birthday Honours of June 1999.^[8]

Tingwell was inducted into Australian Film Walk of Fame in 2008 in honour of his career and achievements in film and television.^[9]

Death[link]

Tingwell died in Melbourne from prostate cancer, at the age of 86, on 15 May 2009.^[10][11] He was given a state funeral, held at St Paul's Cathedral in Melbourne on 20 May 2009.^{[3][12][13][14][15][16][17][18]}

Selected filmography[link]

• Smithy (1946) .... Control Tower Officer
• Bitter Springs (1950) .... John King
• Kangaroo (1952) .... Matt
• I Found Joe Barton (1952) .... Al Munch
• The Desert Rats (1953) .... Lieutenant Harry Carstairs
• King of the Coral Sea (1953) .... Peter Merriman
• The Shiralee (1957) .... Jim Muldoon
• Dunkirk (1958) .... Sergeant in Cookhouse
• Life in Emergency Ward 10 (1959) .... Dr. Alan Dawson
• Bobbikins (1959) .... Luke Parker
• Cone of Silence (1960) .... Captain Braddock
• Tarzan the Magnificent (1960) . . .Conway
• Murder, She Said (1961) .... Inspector Craddock
• Murder at the Gallop (1963) .... Inspector Craddock
• Murder Most Foul (1964) .... Inspector Craddock
• Murder Ahoy! (1964) .... Inspector Craddock
• The Secret of Blood Island (1964) .... Major Dryden
• Dracula: Prince of Darkness (1966) .... Alan Kent
• Thunderbirds Are Go (1966) .... Dr. Tony Grant (voice)
• Nobody Runs Forever (1968) .... Jacko
• Petersen (1974) .... Reverend Petersen
• End Play (1975) .... Dr. Fairburn
• Eliza Fraser (1976) .... Duncan Fraser
• Summerfield (1977) .... Dr. Miller
• Breaker Morant (1980) .... Lieutenant Colonel Denny (President of Court Martial)
• Puberty Blues (1981) .... The Headmaster
• Malcolm (1986) .... Tram Factory Boss
• Windrider (1986) .... Stewart Simpson Senior
• Evil Angels (released in the USA as A Cry in the Dark; 1988) .... Justice James Muirhead
• The Castle (1997) .... Lawrence Hammill QC
• Amy (1997) .... Country Doctor
• The Craic (1999) .... Farmer
• The Wog Boy (2000) .... Mr. Walker
• Innocence (2000) .... Andreas Borg
• The Dish (2000) .... Reverend Loftus
• Irresistible (2006) .... Sam
• Menzies and Churchill at War (Docu-drama) (2008) .... Sir Winston Churchill^[19]
• Three Blind Mice

Bushfire Moon 1987

Selected television roles[link]

• Emergency – Ward 10 (1957) .... Dr. Alan Dawson
• An Enemy of the State (1965) .... Harry Sutton
• The Avengers (1967) .... Dr. Neville
• A Man of our Times (1968) .... David Soames
• Catweazle (1970) .... Mr. Bennet
• Homicide (1973–1976) .... Inspector Reg Lawson
• The Sullivans (1976) .... Dr. Hammond
• All the Rivers Run (1983) (miniseries) .... Uncle Charles
• All the Rivers Run 2 (1989) (miniseries) ... Uncle Charles
• The Late Show (1993) .... Gramps in "Charlie the Wonder Dog"
• Mother and Son (1994) .... The Judge
• Neighbours (2000, 2003) .... Henry O'Rourke
• Changi (2001) .... David Colins (in old age)

Memoir[link]

• Bud: A Life (2004)

References[link]

External links[link]

• Official website
• Bud Tingwell at the Internet Movie Database
• Tingwell takes off, Royal Australian Air Force news
• Charles 'Bud' Tingwell at the National Film and Sound Archive
• Obituary in The Daily Telegraph
• Obituary in The Independent

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This biographical article needs additional citations for verification. Please help by adding reliable sources. Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately, especially if potentially libelous or harmful. (August 2009)

Marc Nelson (born on January 23, 1971 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) is an American singer. His mother was the late R&B/Dance singer Phyllis Nelson, known for the songs 'I Like You' and 'Move Closer'. He was an original member of Boyz II Men while still attending Philadelphia's High School of Performing Arts. However, Nelson left the group before they released their first album to pursue his own solo career.

Early career[link]

After signing a solo deal with Capitol Records, Marc Nelson scored a hit with a cover of Marvin Gaye's "I Want You", which hit #26 on the R&B charts. His follow-up, "Count On Me", reached #48 on the R&B charts. Nelson released his solo album, I Want You. in 1991.

Following the release of his solo album, Nelson began to concentrate his talents as a songwriter. Drawing the attention of Babyface, Nelson wrote for artists like Toni Braxton, Brandy, Tamia, Tyrese and Jon B. Through Babyface, Nelson met the four members of the group Az Yet and was added to the line-up as second lead vocalist and the group was signed to LaFace Records.

Successful Breakthrough[link]

As a member of Az Yet, Nelson saw a great deal of success. The group's self-titled debut album was released in 1996 and went platinum. It had a great deal of success with the single "Last Night" going gold and topping the R&B charts. In addition, it reached #9 on the Hot 100. Their second single, "Hard To Say I'm Sorry" did even better, going platinum and reaching #8 on the Hot 100. He also featured on the duet After All Is Said And Done with Beyonce on the soundtrack to the motion picture The Best Man.

Nelson left the group after being driven away by the business end of things. He began writing intensely and then, when satisfied with what he'd produced, returned to his solo career once more. He released a second album, Chocolate Mood, in 1999. The album featured Nelson's biggest solo hit, 15 Minutes, which reached #4 on the R&B charts and #27 on the Hot 100.

On January 9, 2007, Nelson was honored by SESAC at their third Jazz Awards Luncheon for his authorship on "It's On Tonight" by Brian Culbertson. The event honored jazz writers whose works achieved Top 5 status on the jazz charts from January 1, 2006 through December 31, 2006.^[1]

Nelson released his first independent project, "Marc: My Words" (Lyric Masters 911) on July 24, 2007. Nelson wrote or co-wrote the lyrics on all 15 tracks of the album. He also produced all of the tracks on the album with several of the tracks co-produced by others. Nelson extracted the material for the release from his existing catalog of songs written between 2001 and 2007 and began recording the material in 2006. The album features the original version of "I Don't Wanna Be In Love" (co-written by jazz artist Brian Culbertson) which also appears on the 2007 release "Crystal City" by Andre Ward.

Recent Times[link]

Nelson was also a founding member of the R&B super-group Blayse with fellow R&B veterans Tony Grant of Az Yet, Gary "Lil G" Jenkins of Silk and Terrell Phillips of Blackstreet. Although the group managed to record several songs, the recordings were never publicly released, the album was never completed, and the group disbanded in December 2007. Lil G left Blayse to return to Silk and Nelson left to return to Az Yet. Tony Grant toured in the Tyler Perry stage production "The Marriage Counselor" from January 2008 through May 2008.

Discography[link]

• 1991: I Want You
• 1999: Chocolate Mood
• 2007: Marc My Words

Stage play appearances[link]

• Love Ain't Supposed to Hurt - Part II: The Wedding
• Tell Hell I Ain't Coming
• King Solomon Lives
• Men Cry in the Dark

References[link]

This article includes a list of references, but its sources remain unclear because it has insufficient inline citations. Please help to improve this article by introducing more precise citations. (August 2009)

External links/Sources[link]

• Marc Nelson Bio^{[dead link]}
• www.marcnelson15.com^{[dead link]}

Coordinates: 22°16′42″N 114°09′32″E / 22.27833°N 114.15889°E / 22.27833; 114.15889

Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China[note 1] 中華人民共和國香港特別行政區
Flag Emblem
Anthem: March of the Volunteers 《義勇軍進行曲》
View at night from Victoria Peak
Official language(s)		Chinese, English[note 2]
Spoken languages		Cantonese, English
Writing systems		Traditional Chinese, English alphabet
Demonym		Hong Konger
Government		Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China
-	Chief Executive	Donald Tsang
-	Chief Executive-elect	CY Leung
-	Chief Justice	Geoffrey Ma
-	President of the Legislative Council	Jasper Tsang
Legislature		Legislative Council
Establishment
-	Treaty of Nanking	29 August 1842
-	Japanese occupation	25 December 1941 – 15 August 1945
-	Conveyance from British sovereignty to Chinese sovereignty	1 July 1997
Area
-	Total	1,104 km2 (179th) 426 sq mi
-	Water (%)	4.58 (50 km²; 19 mi²)[3]
Population
-	2010 census	7,061,200[4]
-	Density	6,480[5]/km2 (4th) 16,576/sq mi
GDP (PPP)		2011 estimate
-	Total	$351.119 billion[6]
-	Per capita	$49,137[6]
GDP (nominal)		2011 estimate
-	Total	$243.302 billion[6]
-	Per capita	$34,049[6]
Gini (2007)		43.4[7]
HDI (2011)		0.898[8] (very high) (13th)
Currency		Hong Kong dollar (HKD)
Time zone		HKT (UTC+8)
Date formats		yyyy年m月d日 (Chinese) dd-mm-yyyy (English)
Drives on the		left
ISO 3166 code		HK
Internet TLD		.hk and .香港
Calling code		+852

Hong Kong
Chinese	香港
Cantonese Jyutping	Hoeng1gong2
Cantonese Yale	Hēunggóng
Hanyu Pinyin	Xiānggǎng
Literal meaning	Fragrant harbour
Transcriptions Hakka - Romanization Hiông-kóng Mandarin - Hanyu Pinyin Xiānggǎng - Wade–Giles Hsiang1-kang3 - IPA [ɕjáŋkàŋ] Min - Hokkien POJ Hiong-kang Wu - Romanization shian平kaon上 Cantonese (Yue) - Jyutping Hoeng1gong2 - IPA [hœ̂ːŋkɔ̌ːŋ] - Yale Romanization Hēunggóng
Hong Kong Special Administrative Region
Traditional Chinese	香港特別行政區 (or 香港特區)
Simplified Chinese	香港特别行政区 (or 香港特区)
Transcriptions Hakka - Romanization Hiông-kóng Thi̍t-phe̍t Hàng-tsṳn-khî Mandarin - Hanyu Pinyin Xiānggǎng Tèbié Xíngzhèngqū Min - Hokkien POJ Hiong-kang Te̍k-pia̍t Hêng-chèng-khu Wu - Romanization shian平kaon上 deh入bih入 ghan平tsen去chiu平 Cantonese (Yue) - Jyutping Hoeng1gong2 Dak6bit6 Hang4zing3 Keoi1

This article contains Chinese text. Without proper rendering support, you may see question marks, boxes, or other symbols instead of Chinese characters.

Full view of Kowloon and Hong Kong. The old Kai Tak Airport can be seen on the left.

The Lei Cheng Uk Han Tomb Museum located in northwest Kowloon was built in 1969 after the tomb's discovery in 1955.

Hong Kong^{[note 3]} (Chinese: 香港) is one of two special administrative regions (SARs) of the People's Republic of China (PRC), the other being Macau. A city-state^[9] situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea,^[10] it is known for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour. With a land mass of 1,104 km² (426 sq mi) and a population of seven million people, Hong Kong is one of the most densely populated areas in the world.^[11] Hong Kong's population is 95 percent ethnic Chinese and 5 percent from other groups.^[12] Hong Kong's Han Chinese majority originate mainly from the cities of Guangzhou and Taishan in the neighbouring Guangdong province.^[13]

Hong Kong became a colony of the British Empire after the First Opium War (1839–42). Originally confined to Hong Kong Island, the colony's boundaries were extended in stages to the Kowloon Peninsula in 1860 and then the New Territories in 1898. It was occupied by Japan during the Pacific War, after which the British resumed control until 1997, when China resumed sovereignty.^[14][15] The region espoused minimum government intervention under the ethos of positive non-interventionism during the colonial era.^[16] The time period greatly influenced the current culture of Hong Kong, often described as "East meets West",^[17] and the educational system, which used to loosely follow the system in England^[18] until reforms implemented in 2009.^[19]

Under the principle of "one country, two systems", Hong Kong has a different political system from mainland China.^[20] Hong Kong's independent judiciary functions under the common law framework.^[21][22] Hong Kong Basic Law, its constitutional document, stipulates that Hong Kong shall have a "high degree of autonomy" in all matters except foreign relations and military defence, governs its political system.^[23][24] Although it has a burgeoning multi-party system, a small-circle electorate^{[clarification needed]} controls half of its legislature. The Chief Executive of Hong Kong, the head of government, is selected by a Selection Committee / Election Committee with 400 to 1200 members, during the first 20 years.^{[25] [26][27] [28]}

As one of the world's leading international financial centres, Hong Kong has a major capitalist service economy characterised by low taxation and free trade, and the currency, Hong Kong dollar, is the eighth most traded currency in the world.^[29] The lack of space caused demand for denser constructions, which developed the city to a centre for modern architecture and the world's most vertical city.^[30][31] Hong Kong has one of the highest per capita income in the world.^[6] The dense space also led to a highly developed transportation network with public transport travelling rate exceeding 90 percent,^[32] the highest in the world.^[33] Hong Kong has numerous high international rankings in various aspects. For instance, its economic freedom, financial and economic competitiveness, quality of life, corruption perception, Human Development Index, etc., are all ranked highly.^{[34][35][36][37][38][39][40]} According to both UN and WHO estimates, Hong Kong has the second longest life expectancy of any country in the world. ^[41][42]

Etymology[link]

The name "Hong Kong" is an approximate phonetic rendering of the pronunciation of the spoken Cantonese or Hakka name "香港", meaning "fragrant harbour".^[43] Before 1842, the name referred to a small inlet – now Aberdeen Harbour or 香港仔 hoeng¹ gong² zai² "Little Hong Kong" – between the Aberdeen Island and the south side of Hong Kong Island, which was one of the first points of contact between British sailors and local fishermen.^[44]

The reference to fragrance may refer to the harbour waters sweetened by the fresh water estuarine influx of the Pearl River, or to the incense from factories lining the coast to the north of Kowloon, which was stored around Aberdeen Harbour for export before the development of Victoria Harbour.^[43] In 1842, the Treaty of Nanking was signed, and the name Hong Kong was first recorded on official documents to encompass the entirety of the island.^[45]

History[link]

Pre-colonial[link]

Archaeological studies support a human presence in the Chek Lap Kok area from 35,000 to 39,000 years ago, and in Sai Kung Peninsula from 6,000 years ago.^[46][47][48] Wong Tei Tung and Three Fathoms Cove are the two earliest sites of human habitation in the Paleolithic period. It is believed the Three Fathom Cove was a river valley settlement and Wong Tei Tung was a lithic manufacturing site. Excavated Neolithic artefacts suggest cultural differences from the Longshan culture in northern China and settlement by the Che people prior to the migration of the Baiyue.^[49][50] Eight petroglyphs were discovered on surrounding islands, which dated to the Shang Dynasty in China.^[51]

In 214 BC, Qin Shi Huang, the first emperor of China, conquered the Baiyue tribes in Jiaozhi (modern Liangguang region) and incorporated the territory into imperial China for the first time. Modern Hong Kong is located in Nanhai commandery (modern Nanhai District) and near the ancient capital city Pun Yue.^[52][53][54] The area was consolidated under the kingdom of Nanyue, founded by general Zhao Tuo in 204 BC after the Qin Dynasty collapsed.^[55] When the kingdom was conquered by Emperor Wu of Han in 111 BC, the land was assigned to the Jiaozhi commandery under the Han Dynasty. Archaeological evidence indicates the population increased and early salt production flourished in this time period. Lei Cheng Uk Han Tomb in the Kowloon Peninsula is believed to have been built during the Han Dynasty.^[56]

During the Tang Dynasty period, the Guangdong region flourished as a regional trading center. In 736, Emperor Xuanzong of Tang established a military town in Tuen Mun to defend the coastal area in the region.^[57] The first village school, Li Ying College, was established around 1075 in the New Territories under the Northern Song Dynasty.^[58] During the Mongol invasion in 1276, the Southern Song Dynasty court moved to Fujian, then to Lantau Island and later to Sung Wong Toi (modern Kowloon City), but the child Emperor Bing of Song committed suicide by drowning with his officials after being defeated in the Battle of Yamen. Hau Wong, an official of the emperor is still worshipped in Hong Kong today.^[59]

The earliest recorded European visitor was Jorge Álvares, a Portuguese explorer who arrived in 1513.^[60][61] After establishing settlements in the region, Portuguese merchants began trading in southern China. At the same time, they invaded and built up military fortifications in Tuen Mun. Military clashes between China and Portugal led to the expulsion of the Portuguese. In the mid-16th century, the Haijin order banned maritime activities and prevented contact with foreigners; it also restricted local sea activity.^[59] In 1661–69, the territory was affected by the Great Clearance ordered by Kangxi Emperor, which required the evacuation of the coastal areas of Guangdong. It is recorded that about 16,000 persons from Xin'an County were driven inland, and 1,648 of those who left are said to have returned when the evacuation was rescinded in 1669.^[62] What is now the territory of Hong Kong became largely wasteland during the ban.^[63] In 1685, Kangxi became the first emperor to open limited trading with foreigners, which started with the Canton territory. He also imposed strict terms for trades such as requiring foreign traders to live in restricted areas, staying only for the trading seasons, banning firearms, and trading with silver only.^[64] The East India Company made the first sea venture to China in 1699, and the region's trade with British merchants developed rapidly soon after. In 1711, the company established its first trading post in Canton. By 1773, the British reached a landmark 1,000 chests of opium in Canton with China consuming 2,000 chests annually by 1799.^[64]

British colonial era[link]

• 

  Flag of the British colony of Hong Kong(used in between 1870-1876)

• 

  Flag of the British colony of Hong Kong(used in between 1876-1910)

• 

  Flag of the British colony of Hong Kong(used in between 1910-1959)

• 

  Flag of the British colony of Hong Kong (Unofficial Red ensign for Hong Kong used in between 1959 to prior the Handover of Hong Kong to the PRC in 1997)

General Post Office in Central,City of Victoria, 1911

The Queen's Pier in front of City Hall in Edinburgh Place.

Victoria City in the 1890s.

View of Hong Kong Island from Kowloon (published 1843)

In 1839, the refusal by Qing Dynasty authorities to import opium resulted in the First Opium War between China and Britain. Hong Kong Island was occupied by British forces on 20 January 1841 and was initially ceded under the Convention of Chuenpee as part of a ceasefire agreement between Captain Charles Elliot and Governor Qishan, but the agreement was never ratified due to a dispute between high ranking officials in both governments.^[65] It was not until 29 August 1842 that the island was formally ceded in perpetuity to the United Kingdom under the Treaty of Nanking. The British established a crown colony with the founding of Victoria City the following year.^[66]

Under British rule, the population of Hong Kong island had increased from 7,450 Chinese residents, mostly fishermen, in 1841 to over 115,000 Chinese and 8,754 Europeans in Hong Kong (including Kowloon) in 1870.^[67]

In 1860, after China's defeat in the Second Opium War, the Kowloon Peninsula and Stonecutter's Island were ceded in perpetuity to Britain under the Convention of Peking.

In 1894, the deadly Third Pandemic of bubonic plague spread from China to Hong Kong, causing 50,000–100,000 deaths.^[68]

In 1898, under the terms of the Convention for the Extension of Hong Kong Territory, Britain obtained a 99-year lease of Lantau Island and the adjacent northern lands, which became known as the New Territories.^[69] Hong Kong's territory has remained unchanged to the present.^[70][71]

During the first half of the 20th century, Hong Kong was a free port, serving as an entrepôt of the British Empire. The British introduced an education system based on their own model, while the local Chinese population had little contact with the European community of wealthy tai-pans settled near Victoria Peak.^[69]

Japanese invasion[link]

In conjunction with its military campaign, the Empire of Japan invaded Hong Kong on 8 December 1941.^[72] The Battle of Hong Kong ended with British and Canadian defenders surrendering control of the colony to Japan on 25 December.^[73] During the Japanese occupation of Hong Kong, civilians suffered widespread food shortages, rationing, and hyper-inflation due to forced exchange of currency for military notes. Through a policy of enforced repatriation of the unemployed to the mainland throughout the period, because of the scarcity of food, the population of Hong Kong had dwindled from 1.6 million in 1941 to 600,000 in 1945, when the United Kingdom resumed control of the colony.^[74]

Cold war era[link]

Granted by the College of Arms on 21 January 1959, the Blue Ensign colonial flag and coat of arms of Hong Kong were used by British Hong Kong during 1959–1997.

Hong Kong's population recovered quickly as a wave of migrants from China arrived for refuge from the ongoing Chinese Civil War. When the PRC was proclaimed in 1949, more migrants fled to Hong Kong for fear of persecution by the Communist Party.^[69] Many corporations in Shanghai and Guangzhou shifted their operations to Hong Kong.^[69]

In the 1950s, Hong Kong's rapid industrialization was driven by textile exports and other expanded manufacturing industries. As the population grew and labour costs remained low, living standards rose steadily. ^[75] The construction of Shek Kip Mei Estate in 1953 followed a massive slum fire, and marked the beginning of the public housing estate programme designed to cope with the huge influx of immigrants. Trade in Hong Kong accelerated even further when Shenzhen, immediately north of Hong Kong, became a special economic zone of the PRC, and Hong Kong was established as the main source of foreign investment in China.^[76] The manufacturing competitiveness gradually declined in Hong Kong due to the development of the manufacturing industry in southern China beginning in the early 1980s. By contrast, the service industry in Hong Kong experienced high rates of growth in the 1980s and 1990s after absorbing workers released from the manufacturing industry.^[77]

Development of Hong Kong Island in 1986

Throughout the British colonial era, Hong Kong was industrialized and improved in all aspects from its economy to its health care system. Many health facilities were built for its citizens, for example the Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Hong Kong, the Queen Mary Hospital, Hong Kong, the Princess Margaret Hospital, Hong Kong and the Prince of Wales Hospital. Many changes happened during this era shaped the future of Hong Kong. In the year 1983, when the United Kingdom reclassified Hong Kong from a British crown colony to a dependent territory, the governments of the United Kingdom and China were already discussing the issue of Hong Kong's sovereignty due to the impending expiry (within two decades) of the lease of the New Territories. In 1984, the Sino-British Joint Declaration – an agreement to transfer sovereignty to the People's Republic of China in 1997 – was signed.^[69] It stipulated that Hong Kong would be governed as a special administrative region, retaining its laws and a high degree of autonomy for at least 50 years after the transfer. The Hong Kong Basic Law, which is based on the English law would serve as the constitutional document after the transfer, was ratified in 1990.^[69]

Since 1997[link]

File:British new style passport.jpg

Left:Old British passports issued to Hong Kong citizens. Right:The British National (Overseas) passport issued to residents of Hong Kong prior 1997, holders are British nationals and Commonwealth citizens, but not British Citizens.

On 1 July 1997, the transfer of sovereignty from United Kingdom to the PRC occurred, officially ending 156 years of British colonial rule. Hong Kong became China's first special administrative region, and Tung Chee Hwa took office as the first Chief Executive of Hong Kong. That same year, Hong Kong suffered an economic double blow from the Asian financial crisis and the H5N1 avian influenza.^[69] In 2003, Hong Kong was gravely affected by the outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS).^[78][79] The World Health Organization reported 1,755 infected and 299 deaths in Hong Kong.^[80] An estimated 380 million Hong Kong dollars (US$48.9 million) in contracts were lost as a result of the epidemic.^[81]

On 10 March 2005, Tung Chee Hwa announced his resignation as Chief Executive due to "health problems".^[82] Donald Tsang, the Chief Secretary for Administration at the time, entered the 2005 election unopposed and became the second Chief Executive of Hong Kong on 21 June 2005.^[83] In 2007, Tsang won the Chief Executive election and continued his second term in office.^[84]

In 2009, Hong Kong hosted the fifth East Asian Games, in which nine national teams competed. It was the first and largest international multi-sport event ever held in the territory.^[85] Today, Hong Kong continues to serve as an important global financial centre, but faces uncertainty over its future due to the growing mainland China economy, and its relationship with the PRC government in areas such as democratic reform and universal suffrage.^[86]

Governance[link]

The Legislative Council Building in Central became the home to Legislative Council of Hong Kong in 1985.

In accordance with the Sino-British Joint Declaration, and the underlying principle of one country, two systems, Hong Kong has a "high degree of autonomy as a special administrative region in all areas except defence and foreign affairs."^{[note 4]} The declaration stipulates that the region maintain its capitalist economic system and guarantees the rights and freedoms of its people for at least 50 years beyond the 1997 handover.^{[note 5]} The guarantees over the territory's autonomy and the individual rights and freedoms are enshrined in a constitution, the Hong Kong Basic Law(formed based on the Common law of England), which outlines the system of governance of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, but which is subject to the interpretation of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress (NPCSC).^[87][88]

The primary pillars of government are the Executive Council, the civil service, the Legislative Council, and the Judiciary. The Executive Council is headed by the Chief Executive who is elected by the Election Committee and then appointed by the Central People's Government.^[89][90] The civil service is a politically neutral body that implements policies and provides government services, where public servants are appointed based on meritocracy.^[26][91] The Legislative Council has 60 members, half of whom are directly elected by universal suffrage by permanent residents of Hong Kong according to five geographical constituencies. The other half, known as functional constituencies, are directly elected by a smaller electorate, which consists of corporate bodies and persons from various stipulated functional sectors. The entire council is headed by the President of the Legislative Council who serves as the speaker.^[92][93] Judges are appointed by the Chief Executive on the recommendation of an independent commission.^[21][94]

Government House is the official residence of the Chief Executive.

The implementation of the Basic Law, including how and when the universal suffrage promised therein is to be achieved, has been a major issue of political debate since the transfer of sovereignty. In 2002, the government's proposed anti-subversion bill pursuant to Article 23 of the Basic Law, which required the enactment of laws prohibiting acts of treason and subversion against the Chinese government, was met with fierce opposition, and eventually shelved.^[23][95][96] Debate between pro-Beijing groups, which tend to support the Executive branch, and the Pan-democracy camp characterises Hong Kong's political scene, with the latter supporting a faster pace of democratisation, and the principle of one man, one vote.^[97]

In 2004, the government failed to gain pan-democrat support to pass its so-called "district council model" for political reform.^[98] In 2009, the government reissued the proposals as the "Consultation Document on the Methods for Selecting the Chief Executive and for Forming the LegCo in 2012". The document proposed the enlargement of the Election Committee, Hong Kong's electoral college, from 800 members to 1,200 in 2012 and expansion of the legislature from 60 to 70 seats. The 10 new legislative seats would consist of five geographical constituency seats and five functional constituency seats, to be voted in by elected district council members from among themselves.^[99] The proposals were destined for rejection by pan-democrats once again, but a significant breakthrough occurred after the Central People's Government accepted a counter-proposal by the Democratic Party. In particular, the Pan-democracy camp was split when the proposal to directly elect five newly created functional seats was not acceptable to two constituent parties. The Democratic Party sided with the government for the first time since the handover and passed the proposals with a vote of 46–12.^[100]

Legal system and judiciary[link]

• 

  Statue of Themis on the Legislative Council Building.

• 

  The Court of Final Appeal in Central is the supreme court of Hong Kong.

Hong Kong's legal system is completely independent from the legal system of Mainland China. In contrast to mainland China's civil law system, Hong Kong continues to follow the English Common Law tradition established under British rule.^[101] Hong Kong's courts may refer to decisions rendered by courts of other common law jurisdictions as precedents,^[21][102] and judges from other common law jurisdictions are allowed to sit as non-permanent judges of the Court of Final Appeal.^[21][102]

Structurally, the court system consists of the Court of Final Appeal, the High Court, which is made up of the Court of Appeal and the Court of First Instance, and the District Court, which includes the Family Court.^[103] Other adjudicative bodies include the Lands Tribunal, the Magistrates' Courts, the Juvenile Court, the Coroner's Court, the Labour Tribunal, the Small Claims Tribunal, and the Obscene Articles Tribunal.^[103] Justices of the Court of Final Appeal are appointed by Hong Kong's Chief Executive.^[21][102]

The Department of Justice is responsible for handling legal matters for the government. Its responsibilities include providing legal advice, criminal prosecution, civil representation, legal and policy drafting and reform, and international legal cooperation between different jurisdictions.^[101] Apart from prosecuting criminal cases, lawyers of the Department of Justice act on behalf of the government in all civil and administrative lawsuits against the government.^[101] As protector of the public interest, the department may apply for judicial reviews and may intervene in any cases involving the greater public interest.^[104] The Basic Law protects the Department of Justice from any interference by the government when exercising its control over criminal prosecution.^[105][106]

Human rights[link]

Hong Kong 1 July march with British Hong Kong flag.

Hong Kong's Basic law is based on the English law and so in general, Hong Kong is perceived to enjoy a high level of civil liberties.^[107] The Hong Kong government generally respect the human rights of the citizens, although core issues remain.^[108] There are concerns over the freedom of assembly which is restricted by the Public Order Ordinance. The police has been occasionally accused of using heavy-handed tactics towards protestors^[109] and questions are asked towards the extensive powers of the police.^[110] As to the right of privacy, covert surveillance remains the major concern.^[111] There is a lack of protection for gay men and lesbians due to the absence of a sexual orientation discrimination law, though there are currently no laws that criminalize homosexuality per se.^[112] There are also comments regarding a lack of protection for labour rights.^[108]

Internet censorship in Hong Kong operates under different principles and regulations than under the rest of China.^[113]

Administrative districts[link]

 Statistics

New Territories
No.	District	Population[114]	Area[115]
1.	Islands	138,900	175.03 km2 (67.58 sq mi)
2.	Kwai Tsing	510,300	21.82 km2 (8.42 sq mi)
3.	North	287,700	137.31 km2 (53.02 sq mi)
4.	Sai Kung	407,300	136.39 km2 (52.66 sq mi)
5.	Sha Tin	606,700	69.46 km2 (26.82 sq mi)
6.	Tai Po	292,700	147.42 km2 (56.92 sq mi)
7.	Tsuen Wan	292,300	60.7 km2 (23.44 sq mi)
8.	Tuen Mun	493,800	84.45 km2 (32.61 sq mi)
9.	Yuen Long	533,300	138.43 km2 (53.45 sq mi)
Kowloon
No.	District	Population	Area
10.	Kowloon City	359,400	9.97 km2 (3.85 sq mi)
11.	Kwun Tong	579,400	11.05 km2 (4.27 sq mi)
12.	Sham Shui Po	365,600	9.48 km2 (3.66 sq mi)
13.	Wong Tai Sin	421,900	9.36 km2 (3.61 sq mi)
14.	Yau Tsim Mong	285,300	6.85 km2 (2.64 sq mi)
Hong Kong Island
No.	District	Population	Area
15.	Central and Western	253,100	12.52 km2 (4.83 sq mi)
16.	Eastern	588,700	18.81 km2 (7.26 sq mi)
17.	Southern	275,700	38.95 km2 (15.04 sq mi)
18.	Wan Chai	155,700	10.02 km2 (3.87 sq mi)

Hong Kong has a unitary system of government; no local government has existed since the two municipal councils were abolished in 2000. As such there is no formal definition for its cities and towns. Administratively, Hong Kong is subdivided into 18 geographic districts, each represented by a district council which advises the government on local matters such as public facilities, community programmes, cultural activities, and environmental improvements.^[116]

There are a total of 534 district council seats, 405 of which are elected; the rest are appointed by the Chief Executive and 27 ex officio chairmen of rural committees.^[116] The Home Affairs Department communicates government policies and plans to the public through the district offices.^[117]

Military[link]

• 

  Coat of Arms of the Royal Hong Kong Regiment(UK)

• Badge of the Royal Hong Kong Auxiliary Air Force.gif

  Royal Hong Kong Auxiliary Air Force(UK)

• HKMSC.jpg

  Hong Kong Military Service Corps(UK)

• 

  The Cenotaph of Hong Kong.Constructed in 1923 and located between Statue Square and the City Hall in Central, Hong Kong,[1] commemorates the dead in the First and Second World War[2] that served in Hong Kong in the Royal Navy, British Army and Royal Air Force.

When Hong Kong was a British colony and later, a dependent territory, defence was provided by the British military under the command of the Governor of Hong Kong who was ex officio Commander-in-chief.^[118] Most of the members of the British Forces in Hong Kong were from Britain but there were locally enlisted personnel (LEP) who served as regular British Forces members in the Hong Kong Squadron of the Royal Navy as well as the Hong Kong Military Service Corps. The Royal Hong Kong Regiment a military unit part of the Hong Kong Government, trained and organised along timelines of British Territorial Army and supported by British Army personnel holding key positions. These British Army personnel, for their duration of service to the Royal Hong Kong Regiment, are seconded to the Hong Kong Government. In the post-WWII era, the majority of the regiment's members have been local citizens of Chinese descent. The Hong Kong Military Service Corps maintained its reputation for loyalty and military skill at the highest level, often outshining British and Gurkha troops based in Hong Kong. The HKMSC Shooting Team won the Team and Individual champion pistol shot a number of times at RASAAM (the Regular Army Skill at Arms Meeting) at Bisley, in the UK, and in 1992 a Training Company team representing the HQ and Depot HKMSC won the Dragon Cup for military skills (outperforming the Queen's Gurkha Signals in signalling and the British Military Hospital team in first aid); the competition was not held again.

The HKMSC reached a peak strength of 1,200 men, providing the British garrison in Hong Kong with supporting personnel. All HKMSC soldiers were basically trained in Hong Kong and from time to time attended upgrading and trade courses in the United Kingdom. HKMSC soldiers who were posted to and served with other non-HKMSC units, wore the other units' cap badge. Unit personnel were enlisted as officers and drivers in 29 Squadron, Royal Corps of Transport (RCT) based in Gun Club Hill Barracks. It provided crews for 415 Maritime Troop based on Stonecutters' Island, dog handlers in the Defence Animal Support Unit (DASU) of the Royal Army Veterinary Corps (RAVC) based in Sek Kong, officer instructors in the Royal Army Educational Corps (RAEC), officers and clerks in the Royal Army Pay Corps (RAPC), technicians in the Royal Signals (R Sigs) of the Queen's Gurkha Signals (QGS) and engineers and armourers in the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers (REME). The HKMC trained physical training instructors (PTI) in the Army Physical Training Corps (APTC), medics in the Royal Army Medical Corps (RAMC) based in the British Military Hospital (BMH), military police in the Royal Military Police (RMP), helicopter support crews in 660 Squadron Army Air Corps (AAC) based at Sek Kong Airfield, cooks in the Army Catering Corps (ACC), Weapons and Supplies Storekeepers in the Royal Army Ordnance Corps (RAOC) and intelligence staff in the Intelligence Corps. They also provided interpreters, clerks, Regimental Police and light-infantry personnel in Dragon Company of the General Service Corps (GSC) headquartered in Osborn Baracks, Kowloon Tong. The HKMSC offered Hong Kong Chinese soldiers the opportunity to pursue a full career in the British Regular Army up to and including a Queen's Commissioned officer rank of the General List (HKMSC). As all members of the HKMSC were British Regular Army soldiers, they received a Regular Army Service Record Book when they left the army. Many of them had also been awarded the Long Service and Good Conduct Medal (LS&GC) after 15 years of good and loyal service. British gallantry awards, Orders, Decorations and Medal Ribbons had also been presented to some HKMSC soldiers; such as the Queen's Gallantry Medal (QGM), the British Empire Medal (BEM), Members of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) and the Officers of the Order of the British Empire (OBE).

When the PRC assumed sovereignty in 1997, the British barracks were replaced by a garrison of the People's Liberation Army, comprising ground, naval, and air forces, and under the command of the Chinese Central Military Commission.

The Hong Kong Basic Law is formed based on the Common law of England and it protects local civil affairs against interference by the garrison, and members of the garrison are subject to Hong Kong laws. The Hong Kong Government remains responsible for the maintenance of public order; however, it may ask the PRC government for help from the garrison in maintaining public order and in disaster relief. The PRC government is responsible for the costs of maintaining the garrison.^[23][119]

Geography and climate[link]

Areas of urban development and vegetation are visible in this false-colour satellite image.

Hong Kong is located on China's south coast, 60 km (37 mi) east of Macau on the opposite side of the Pearl River Delta. It is surrounded by the South China Sea on the east, south, and west, and borders the Guangdong city of Shenzhen to the north over the Shenzhen River. The territory's 1,104 km² (426 sq mi) area consists of Hong Kong Island, the Kowloon Peninsula, the New Territories, and over 200 offshore islands, of which the largest is Lantau Island. Of the total area, 1,054 km² (407 sq mi) is land and 50 km² (19 sq mi) is inland water. Hong Kong claims territorial waters to a distance of 3 nautical miles (5.6 km). Its land area makes Hong Kong the 179th largest inhabited territory in the world.^[3][10]

As much of Hong Kong's terrain is hilly to mountainous with steep slopes, less than 25% of the territory's landmass is developed, and about 40% of the remaining land area is reserved as country parks and nature reserves.^[120] Most of the territory's urban development exists on Kowloon peninsula, along the northern edge of Hong Kong Island, and in scattered settlements throughout the New Territories.^[121] The highest elevation in the territory is at Tai Mo Shan, 957 metres (3,140 ft) above sea level.^[122] Hong Kong's long and irregular coast provides it with many bays, rivers and beaches.^[123] On September 18, 2011, UNESCO listed the Hong Kong National Geopark as part of its Global Geoparks Network. Hong Kong Geopark is made up of eight Geo-Areas distributed across the Sai Kung Volcanic Rock Region and Northeast New Territories Sedimentary Rock Region.^[124]

Despite Hong Kong's reputation of being intensely urbanised, the territory has tried to promote a green environment,^[125] and recent growing public concern has prompted the severe restriction of further land reclamation from Victoria Harbour.^[126] Awareness of the environment is growing as Hong Kong suffers from increasing pollution compounded by its geography and tall buildings. Approximately 80% of the city's smog originates from other parts of the Pearl River Delta.^[127]

Though it is situated just south of the Tropic of Cancer, Hong Kong has a humid subtropical climate (Köppen Cwa). Summer is hot and humid with occasional showers and thunderstorms, and warm air coming from the southwest. Summer is when typhoons are most likely, sometimes resulting in flooding or landslides. Winters are mild and usually start sunny, becoming cloudier towards February; the occasional cold front brings strong, cooling winds from the north. The most temperate seasons are spring, which can be changeable, and autumn, which is generally sunny and dry.^[128] Hong Kong averages 1,948 hours of sunshine per year,^[129] while the highest and lowest ever recorded temperatures at the Hong Kong Observatory are 36.1 °C (97.0 °F) and 0.0 °C (32.0 °F), respectively.^[130]

Economy[link]

The International Finance Centre in Central

As one of the world's leading international financial centres, Hong Kong has a major capitalist service economy characterised by low taxation and free trade. The currency, Hong Kong dollar, is the eighth most traded currency in the world as of 2010.^[29] Hong Kong was once described by Milton Friedman as the world’s greatest experiment in laissez-faire capitalism.^[132] It maintains a highly developed capitalist economy, ranked the freest in the world by the Index of Economic Freedom every year since 1995.^{[133][134][135]} It is an important centre for international finance and trade, with one of the greatest concentrations of corporate headquarters in the Asia-Pacific region,^[136] and is known as one of the Four Asian Tigers for its high growth rates and rapid development from the 1960s to the 1990s. Between 1961 and 1997 Hong Kong's gross domestic product grew 180 times while per-capita GDP increased 87 times over.^{[137][138][139]}

The Hong Kong Stock Exchange is the seventh largest in the world, with a market capitalisation of US$2.3 trillion as of December 2009.^[140] In that year, Hong Kong raised 22 percent of worldwide initial public offering (IPO) capital, making it the largest centre of IPOs in the world ^[141] and the easiest place to raise capital.^[142] Hong Kong's currency is the Hong Kong dollar, which has been pegged to the U.S. dollar since 1983.^[143]

The Hong Kong Government has traditionally played a mostly passive role in the economy, with little by way of industrial policy and almost no import or export controls. Market forces and the private sector were allowed to determine practical development. Under the official policy of "positive non-interventionism", Hong Kong is often cited as an example of laissez-faire capitalism. Following the Second World War, Hong Kong industrialised rapidly as a manufacturing centre driven by exports, and then underwent a rapid transition to a service-based economy in the 1980s.^[144] Since then, it has grown to become a leading center for management, financial, IT, business consultation and professional services.^[142]

Hong Kong matured to become a financial centre in the 1990s, but was greatly affected by the Asian financial crisis in 1998, and again in 2003 by the SARS outbreak. A revival of external and domestic demand has led to a strong recovery, as cost decreases strengthened the competitiveness of Hong Kong exports and a long deflationary period ended.^[145][146] Government intervention, initiated by the later colonial governments and continued since 1997, has steadily increased, with the introduction of export credit guarantees, a compulsory pension scheme, a minimum wage, anti-discrimination laws, and a state mortgage backer.^[132]

The territory has little arable land and few natural resources, so it imports most of its food and raw materials. Agricultural activity—relatively unimportant to Hong Kong’s economy and contributing just 0.1% of its GDP—primarily consists of growing premium food and flower varieties.^[142] Hong Kong is the world's eleventh largest trading entity,^[147] with the total value of imports and exports exceeding its gross domestic product. It is the world's largest re-export centre.^[148] Much of Hong Kong's exports consist of re-exports,^[149] which are products made outside of the territory, especially in mainland China, and distributed via Hong Kong. Its physical location has allowed the city to establish a transportation and logistics infrastructure that includes the world’s second busiest container port and the world’s busiest airport for international cargo.^[142] Even before the transfer of sovereignty, Hong Kong had established extensive trade and investment ties with the mainland, which now enable it to serve as a point of entry for investment flowing into the mainland. At the end of 2007, there were 3.46 million people employed full-time, with the unemployment rate averaging 4.1% for the fourth straight year of decline.^[150] Hong Kong's economy is dominated by the service sector, which accounts for over 90% of its GDP, while industry constitutes 9%. Inflation was at 2.5% in 2007.^[151] Hong Kong's largest export markets are mainland China, the United States, and Japan.^[3]

As of 2010, Hong Kong is the eighth most expensive city for expatriates, falling from fifth position in the previous year.^[152] Hong Kong is ranked fourth in terms of the highest percentage of millionaire households, behind Switzerland, Qatar, and Singapore with 8.5 percent of all households owning at least one million US dollars.^[153] In 2011, Hong Kong was ranked second in the Ease of Doing Business Index, behind Singapore.^[154] General principle No. 5 of the Basic Law of the SAR suggests that the CPC expects that it shall have brought the economic system of the Mainland and Hong Kong into harmony by 2047, by which time the Chinese economy is predicted by Businessweek to have been the largest by any measure of GDP for decades.^[155]