Hong Kong 香港 | |||||||||||||
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1841–1941 1945–1997 1941–1945: Japanese occupation | |||||||||||||
Anthem: God Save the Queen (1841–1901; 1952–1997) God Save the King (1901–1941; 1945–1952) | |||||||||||||
Status |
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Capital | Victoria (de facto) | ||||||||||||
Official languages | |||||||||||||
Religion | |||||||||||||
Demonym(s) | Hongkonger[note 2] | ||||||||||||
Government | Constitutional monarchy | ||||||||||||
Monarch | |||||||||||||
• 1841–1901 | Victoria | ||||||||||||
• 1901–1910 | Edward VII | ||||||||||||
• 1910–1936 | George V | ||||||||||||
• 1936 | Edward VIII | ||||||||||||
• 1936–1941, 1945–1952 | George VI | ||||||||||||
• 1952–1997 | Elizabeth II | ||||||||||||
Governor | |||||||||||||
• 1843–1844 | Sir Henry Pottinger (first) | ||||||||||||
• 1992–1997 | Chris Patten (last) | ||||||||||||
Chief Secretary[note 3] | |||||||||||||
• 1843 | George Malcolm (first) | ||||||||||||
• 1993–1997 | Anson Chan (last) | ||||||||||||
Legislature | Legislative Council | ||||||||||||
Historical era | Victorian era to 20th century | ||||||||||||
26 January 1841 | |||||||||||||
29 August 1842 | |||||||||||||
18 October 1860 | |||||||||||||
9 June 1898 | |||||||||||||
25 December 1941 – 30 August 1945 | |||||||||||||
1 July 1997 | |||||||||||||
Population | |||||||||||||
• 1996 estimate | 6,217,556[1] | ||||||||||||
• Density | 5,796/km2 (15,011.6/sq mi) | ||||||||||||
GDP (PPP) | 1996[2] estimate | ||||||||||||
• Total | $154 billion | ||||||||||||
• Per capita | $23,843 | ||||||||||||
GDP (nominal) | 1996[2] estimate | ||||||||||||
• Total | $160 billion | ||||||||||||
• Per capita | $24,698 | ||||||||||||
Gini (1996) | 51.8[3] high inequality | ||||||||||||
HDI (1995) | 0.808[4] very high | ||||||||||||
Currency |
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ISO 3166 code | HK | ||||||||||||
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British Hong Kong | |||||||||||||||||||||||
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Traditional Chinese | 英屬香港 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Simplified Chinese | 英属香港 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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From 1841 to 1997, except for a brief period of Japanese occupation during World War II between 1941 and 1945, Hong Kong was a British crown colony and, from 1981 until its handover, a dependent territory of the United Kingdom. The colonial period began with the British occupation of Hong Kong Island under the Convention of Chuenpi in 1841 of the Victorian era and ended with the handover of Hong Kong in July 1997.
In accordance with Art. III of the Treaty of Nanking of 1842, signed in the aftermath of the First Opium War, the island of Hong Kong was ceded in perpetuity to Great Britain. It was established as a Crown colony in 1843.[5] In 1860, the British expanded the colony with the addition of the Kowloon Peninsula and was further extended in 1898 when the British obtained a 99-year lease of the New Territories. Although the Qing had to cede Hong Kong Island and Kowloon in perpetuity as per the treaty, the leased New Territories comprised 86.2% of the colony and more than half of the entire colony's population. With the lease nearing its end during the late 20th century, Britain did not see any viable way to administer the colony by dividing it, whilst the People's Republic of China would not consider extending the lease or allow continued British administration thereafter.
With the signing of the Sino-British Joint Declaration in 1984, which stated that the economic and social systems in Hong Kong would remain relatively unchanged for 50 years, the British government agreed to transfer the entire territory to China upon the expiration of the New Territories lease in 1997 – with Hong Kong becoming a special administrative region (SAR) until at least 2047.[6][7]
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Given the fact that Hong Kong received a Crown Colony form of constitution in 1843 and still retains it in 1965, there must be something which explains its tranquillity in the midst of a continent of upheaval.