Hong Kong is an independent city-state in East Asia that ultimately falls under China’s rule. Its official name is the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People’s Republic of China. Historically, Hong Kong has operated with a high degree of autonomy given its own currency, legal system and parliament.
Hong Kong means “fragrance harbor” in Cantonese. Nicknames for Hong Kong include HK, Pearl of the Orient and the City of Skyscrapers. The latter nickname reflects the fact that Hong Kong has more skyscrapers over 14 storeys than any other city in the world.
Hong Kong is also one of the world’s wealthiest cities, home to the most luxury Rolls Royce cars per person compared to other metropolitans.
The Port of Hong Kong specializes in container shipments while Hong Kong International Airport is among the world’s busiest airports for international cargo.
Hong Kong exported US$535.7 billion worth of products around the globe in 2019. The most valuable goods exported from Hong Kong are electronic integrated circuits (25.1% of its global total), mobile phones (13.9%), gold (4.7%), computer parts and accessories (4.5%), computers (3.9%), unmounted diamonds (2.6%), semiconductor diodes and transistors (also 2.6%), electrical transformers and static converters (1.8%), printed circuits (also 1.8%), electrical circuit switches or protectors (1.6%) then turbo-jets (1.5%). Those percentages were calculated based on statistics from the International Trade Centre. Note that Hong Kong re-exports many items originally sourced from mainland China.
Capital Facts for Hong Kong: Quick Reference
Geography
Capital landmarks: Lion’s Pavilion at Victoria Peak, Tian Tan Buddha, Chi Lin Nunnery, Po Lin (Precious Lotus) Monastery, Sky100 Hong Kong Observation Deck, Peak Tower and Times Square
Famous People
Below, you will find 10 of the most famous people born in Hong Kong.
- Jackie Chan, actor & martial artist (born Apr. 7, 1954)
- Chow Yun-fat (Donald Chow), actor (born May 18, 1955)
- Romola Garai, actress, writer & director (born Aug. 6, 1982)
- Andy Lau, actor, singer & producer (born Sep. 27, 1961)
- Nicholas Tse, actor, singer-songwriter & martial artist (born Aug. 29, 1980)
- William Hung, singer, actor & TV personality (born Jan. 13, 1983)
- Gigi Leung, singer, actress & model (born Mar. 25, 1976)
- Gloria Yip, actress & singer (born Jan. 13, 1973)
- Agnes Chan, singer, TV personality & professor (born Aug. 20, 1955 )
- William So, actor & singer (born Sep. 24, 1967)
Note: Data for our Famous People tab was sourced from Google searches mostly targeting published Wikipedia articles specific to each person’s name.
Population
Demonym for a resident of Hong Kong: Hongkonger
Population: 7,497,202 (Hong Kong) at July 1, 2020
Density: 18,492 people per square mile (7,140 per square kilometer)
Median age for all Hong Kong: 44.8 years old
Financial
GDP: US$490.9 billion for 2019 (Hong Kong)
GDP per person: $64,928
Note: The above country-level GDP metrics are on a Purchasing Power Parity basis and are in U.S. dollars. Credible city GDP statistics for Hong Kong were unavailable.
Official currency used in Hong Kong: Hong Kong dollar
Research
Research Sources:
Brookings Institution, Global Metro Monitor Report (includes GDP data).
Central Intelligence Agency, The World FactbookEast & Southeast Asia: Hong Kong.
CityMetric, Where are largest cities in the world? 2015 edition.
Demographia, World Urban Area, 12th Annual Edition.
International Monetary Fund, World Economic Outlook Databases.
International Trade Centre, Trade Map.
Mercer, 2016 Worldwide Cost of Living Survey City Rankings, News Release.
Official Government Website, GovHK: Homepage (residents).
Wikimedia Commons, City Flags.
Note: Some city flags were unavailable. If so, attribution belongs to Wikimedia Commons for pertinent country flags.
Wikipedia, Hong Kong.
WorldOMeter, Hong Kong Population.
As China’s special administrative region, Hong Kongers celebrate National Day each October 1 as the anniversary of the Founding of the People’s Republic of China. Since July 1, 1997 Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Establishment Day is treated as a public holiday each July 1.
Hong Kong’s total land area measures 405 square miles (1,050 square kilometers). The city-state’s estimated population was 7.5 million residents as of July 2020.
Located along mainland China’s south coast and is enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and the South China Sea, Hong Kong is the world’s most densely populated city according to Uniglobe Direct travel. And indeed, population density is extremely concentrated within the Hong Kong capital city-state given its average 18,492 inhabitants per square mile (7,140 per square kilometer).
Nevertheless almost three-quarters of Hong Kong is rural, consisting of two dozen parks easily accessible from the city core. In addition, Hong Kong boasts woodlands, reservoirs plus hills not to mention its coastline.
