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The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China is a city and a Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China (PRC), located on the southeastern coast of China.
A former British colony, Hong Kong is one of the world's freest economies and a major international center for finance and trade.
Hong Kong consists of Hong Kong Island, Kowloon, and the New Territories. Hong Kong has 236 islands in the South China Sea.
The name "Hong Kong", literally meaning "fragrant harbour", is derived from the area around present-day Aberdeen and Wong Chuk Hang on Hong Kong Island, where fragrant trees were once abundant and exported from. The body of water between Hong Kong Island and Kowloon Peninsula is Victoria Harbour, one of the deepest maritime ports in the world.
Hong Kong has one of the least restricted economies in world and is basically duty-free. It is the world's 10th largest trading entity and 11th largest banking centre. The dominant presence of international trade is reflected in the number of consulates located in the territory:
As of June 2005, Hong Kong had 107 consulates and consulates-general, more than any other city in the world. Even New York City, host of the United Nations, only has 93 consulates.
About 96 percent of Hong Kong's population is Chinese, the majority of which are Cantonese. The remaining four percent of the population is composed of non-Chinese, who form a highly visible group, despite their small numbers. These include many Europeans, North Americans, Japanese, and Koreans working in Hong Kong's financial sector.
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