GEOGRAPHY AND POPULATION
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to apply restrictions on its use during dry seasons for some part of every year since 1934. At the same time a programme of reservoir construction has raised storage capacity to 15,858 million gallons. A new source of supply from the East River in Kwangtung has been negotiated with the authorities there. This supply is due to begin in 1965.
Hong Kong lies in the frost-free double cropping rice zone of east Asia. Market garden cropping, including the cultivation of cut- flowers for the urban and suburban markets, is becoming increasingly important. Vegetables are grown throughout the year, but most particularly during the cooler months which form the main vegetable season. The upland areas, which are predominantly grass covered and in several places severely eroded, tend to have highly leached acid soils. Land utilization of these areas is principally through afforestation, vigorously pursued since 1945.
POPULATION
The total population at the end of 1964 was estimated to be 3,739,900. On the basis of language and place of origin, about 98 per cent could be described as Chinese. This estimate is based on a census of population taken in 1961 and subsequently adjusted for births, deaths, and migration.
The 1961 census found the total population to be 3,133,131, including 3,483 transients. It had increased by over 21 millions since the last census taken in 1931. The plan to hold a census in 1941 was abandoned. An unofficial count by air-raid wardens in that year, before the Japanese attack on Hong Kong, put the population at about 1,600,000. This number was greatly reduced during the occupation and the total population was estimated to be less than 600,000 when the Colony was liberated in August 1945. The population grew rapidly with the end of hostilities and an assessment in September 1949 put the total at 1,857,000.
During 1964, the population increased by 97,400 to reach the estimated total of 3,739,900. Of this increase, 90,406 was due to the excess of registered births over registered deaths and 6,994 represented the estimated net balance of migration. The number of registered births was 108,519 in 1964 compared with 115,263 in 1963 and registered deaths numbered 18,113 compared with