1.Overview

Hong Kong is a vibrant city, and a major gateway to China. This page  will give you the facts about Hong Kong – from the form of government to  the languages used.
   Government
Hong Kong is a Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic  of China. Following British rule from 1842 to 1997, China assumed  sovereignty under the 'one country, two systems' principle. The Hong  Kong Special Administrative Region's constitutional document, the Basic  Law, ensures that the current political situation will remain in effect  for 50 years. The rights and freedoms of people in Hong Kong are based  on the impartial rule of law and an independent judiciary.
Head of Government: Chief Executive
Cabinet: Executive Council
Legislature: Legislative Council, 60 seats
Highest Court: Court of Final Appeal
   Economy
Hong Kong's economy is characterised by free trade, low taxation and  minimum government intervention. It is the world's 10th largest trading  economy, with the mainland of China as its most significant trading  partner. Hong Kong is also a major service economy, with particularly  strong links to mainland China and the rest of the Asia-Pacific region.
Currency: Hong Kong dollar
GDP: HK$1,743.5 billion (2010)
GDP per capita: HK$246,677 (2010)
Real GDP growth: +5.8% (2010)
Labor force: 3.70 million (2010)  
Public Holidays
Hong Kong provides two types of public holidays: statutory and general  holidays. Statutory holidays are mandated under the Employment Ordinance  and must be provided to all employees. General holidays include every  Sunday, all statutory holidays and an additional 5 holidays.
Working week: Monday to Saturday
Statutory holidays: 12
General holidays: 17 (including the 12 statutory holidays)  
Geography
At the south-eastern tip of China, Hong Kong covers Hong Kong Island,  Lantau Island, the Kowloon Peninsula and the New Territories, including  262 outlying islands. Between Hong Kong Island and the Kowloon Peninsula  lies Victoria Harbour, one of the world's most renowned deep-water  harbours.
Total area: 1 104 square kilometres
Land developed: less than 25%
Country parks and nature reserves: 40%  
Climate
Hong Kong's climate is sub-tropical, with temperatures dropping below  10 degrees Celsius in winter and exceeding 31 degrees Celsius in summer.  It is warm, sunny and dry in autumn, cool and dry in winter, and hot,  humid and rainy from spring to summer.
Average annual rainfall: 2 371.7 mm
Wettest month: September
Driest month: January
Winter: January-March
Summer: July-September  
Population
Hong Kong's population was approximately 7.00 million in 2010. People  of Chinese descent comprise the vast majority of the population, with  foreign nationals comprising 8%.
Population density: 6 540 people per square kilometre
Crude birth rate: 12.5 per 1000
Percentage of population Chinese descent: 92%
Other significant national groups
Indonesia (156 319 total)
Philippines (144 463 total)
Thailand (28 067 total).  
Language
Chinese and English are the official languages of Hong Kong. English is  widely used in the Government and by the legal, professional and  business sectors. Trilingual professionals who speak English, Cantonese  and Putonghua play a vital role in the numerous enterprises trading in  Hong Kong or doing business with mainland China and Taiwan.
Cantonese speakers: 89.2% of population
Putonghua speakers: 0.9% of population
Other Chinese dialect speakers: 5.5% of population
English speakers: 3.2% of population
Other language speakers: 1.2% of population