ENG-2005 — Page 11

Hong Kong: The Facts

Population: 6.9359 million (as at mid-2005)

Hong Kong Island

Kowloon

New Territories

1,26 million

18.2%

Age structure

2.07 million

29.8%

Median age: 39.1

Under 15: 14.5% 65 and over: 12.1%

3.60 million

51.9%

Sex ratio

Marine

+

0.1%

Overall: 921 males per 1000 females

Under 15: 1 067

65 and over: 869

Overall density

6 420 people per square kilometre. The most densely populated District Council district is Kwun Tong with a density of 52 160 persons per square kilometre.

Housing

At the end of 2005, about 2.13 million people lived in public rental housing estates (managed by the Hong Kong Housing Authority and the Hong Kong Housing Society). The number of flats was 720 300.

In 2005, Hong Kong had 2.28 million domestic households: 53.4% occupied by the owners, 42.3% by tenants, and 4.4% by persons living in either rent-free accommodation or accommodation provided by employers.

Area: 1 104 square km

8.2 per 1 000 popn

Total foreign

passport-holders

Crude birth rate

Crude death rate 5.5# per 1 000 popn

Expectation of life at birth Male 78.8 years#

Female 84.4 years#

Nationalities Predominantly of Chinese descent

US

28 190

India

21 820

95%

Canada

21 780

Nepal

17 900

Australia

15 730

(as at end 2005): 517 560 Largest groups

Malaysia

14 190

Pakistan

14 140

Philippines

130 810

UK

13 490

Indonesia

114 020

Hong Kong Island & adjacent islands Kowloon

81 sq. km

Thailand

28 360

Japan Sub-total

11 800

432 230

47 sq. km

New Territories-mainland

748 sq. km

New Territories-islands

228 sq. km

(Lantau 146.8 sq. km; others 81.6 sq. km)

68 sq. km

Religion and Custom

Buddhists and Taoists make up the vast majority. Others (estimates): Christians 660 000; Muslims 90 000; Hindus 40 000; Sikhs 8 000; Jews 2 500.

-Reclamation since 1887

Weather

Average annual rainfall

Wettest period

Hourly

daily

monthly

Driest

2 214.3 mm

109.9 mm (May 8, 1992) 534.1 mm (July 19, 1926)

1 241.1 mm (May 1889)

10% humidity (January 16, 1959)

Employment

Total employment#: 3.39 million in 2005

Major Employment Sectors in 2005#

Wholesale, retail and import and export trades, restaurants and hotels

Community, social and personal services

Financing, insurance, real estate and business services

Transport, storage and communications

Construction

Manufacturing

Unemployment rate Average wages

(All selected industries)

1 166 500

34% of total employment

881 800

26% of total employment

508 700

15% of total employment

356 000

11% of total employment

271 600

8% of total employment

178 800

5% of total employment

5.6% in 2005 $10,797 per month

Notes: figures presented on this page refer to those released up to

end-March 2006

# provisional figures

† less than 0.005 million

Highest temperature

36.1°C (August 19, 1900 and August 18, 1990)

Lowest temperature

0.0°C (January 18, 1893)

Highest wind speed (gust)

259 km/h at HK Observatory, 284 km/h at Tate's Cairn (Typhoon Wanda, September 1, 1962)

The Economy

Economic growth

Year-on-year rate of change in GDP

(at constant (2000) market prices): 7.3% in 2005

Inflation affecting consumers

Year-on-year rate of change in Composite CPI: 1.0% in 2005

Transport

Roads

The 1 955 km of roads (as at end-2005) carry 540 641 licensed vehicles, or about 276 vehicles per kilometre

Bridges

Longest: Tsing Ma suspension bridge (main span

1 377 metres) and the cable-stayed Ting Kau Bridge

(two main spans totalling 923 metres)

Air movements

2005-263 506 flights; 39.80 million passengers; 3.40 million tonnes of freight

Shipping movements

2005-39 140 ocean vessel arrivals; 39 240 departures;

port cargo throughput 230.1 million tonnes

Container throughput

2005-22.60 million Twenty-Foot Equivalent Units