Hong Kong Article

Hong Kong summary

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Below is the article summary. For the full article, see Hong Kong.

Hong Kong, Chinese Xianggang or Hsiang-kang, Special administrative region of China. Area: 430 sq mi (1,114 sq km). Population: (2024 est.) 7,541,000. Located on China’s southern coast, it consists of the island of Hong Kong and adjacent islets in the South China Sea (ceded by China to the British in 1842), the Kowloon Peninsula (ceded in 1860), and the New Territories (leased by the British from China from 1898 to 1997). The entire territory was returned to China in 1997. The New Territories, lying north of the Kowloon Peninsula and constituting an enclave in China’s Guangdong province, are more than nine-tenths of the total area. The administrative center of Victoria on Hong Kong island’s northwestern coast is also the center of economic activities. Hong Kong has an excellent natural harbor and is one of the world’s major trade and financial centers. It has many educational institutions, including the University of Hong Kong (1911). While under Chinese control, Hong Kong has experienced political unrest when its citizens have pursued democratic reform or felt that their autonomy was being threatened. Notable periods of widespread public protest occurred in 2019 and 2020.