Hong Kong

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Special administrative region directly under the central government in the southeast of China, comprising Hong Kong Island, the mainland Kowloon Peninsula and New Territories, and many small islands, of which the largest is Lantau; area 1,070 sq km/413 sq mi; population (2001 est) 6,708,400 (57% Hong Kong Chinese, most of the remainder are refugees from the mainland). A long-established and continuing policy of free trade has helped the rise of Hong Kong as one of the world's major commercial and financial centres. The capital buildings are located in Victoria (Hong Kong City), and other towns and cities include Kowloon and Tsuen Wan (in the New Territories). A former British crown colony, it reverted to Chinese control in July 1997.

From 1997 an enclave of Guangdong province, China, Hong Kong has one of the world's finest natural harbours. Hong Kong Island is connected with Kowloon by undersea railway and ferries. A world financial centre, its stock market has four exchanges. Main exports are textiles, clothing, electronic goods, office machinery, clocks, watches, cameras, and plastic products; tourism is also important to the economy. Entrepôt trade is very significant: a large proportion of the exports and imports (mainly consumer goods, raw materials and semi-manufactured goods) of southern China are transshipped here. The currency used is the Hong Kong dollar; the languages spoken are English and Chinese; religions include Confucianism, Buddhism, and Taoism, with Muslim and Christian minorities.