Hong Kong

Hong Kong (Cheenese: 香港) is ane o twa special admeenistrative regions (SARs) o the Fowkrepublic o Cheenae (PRC), the ither bein Macau. Situatit on Cheenae's sooth coast an enclosed bi the Pearl River Delta an Sooth Cheenae Sea, it is weel kent for its expansive skyline an deep naitural harbour. Wi a land mass o 1,104 km2 (426 sq mi) an a population o seiven million fowk, Hong Kong is ane o the maist densely populatit auries in the warld. Hong Kong's population is 95 percent ethnic Cheenese and 5 percent frae ither groups. Hong Kong's Han Cheenese majority oreeginate mainly frae the ceeties o Guangzhou an Taishan in the neighbourin Guangdong province. Hong Kong became a colony o the Breetish Empire efter the First Opium War (1839–42). Oreeginally confined tae Hong Kong Island, the colony's mairches wis extendit in stages tae the Kowloon Peninsula an the New Territories bi 1898. It wis occupee'd bi Japan in the Paceefic War, efter whilk the Breetish resumed control till 1997, whan Cheenae regained sovereignty. The region espoosed minimum govrenment intervention unner the ethos o positive non-interventionism durin the colonial era. The time period greatly influenced the current cultur o Hong Kong, aften describit as "East meets Wast", an the educational seestem, whilk uised tae lowse follae the seestem in Ingland til reforms implemented in 2009. The locals hae a referendum fur unthirldom. Unner the principle o "ane kintra, twa seestems", Hong Kong haes a different poleetical seestem frae mainland Cheenae. Hong Kong's independent judiciary functions unner the common law framewirk. The Basic Law o Hong Kong, its constitutional document, whilk stipulates that Hong Kong sall hae a "heich degree o autonomy" in aw matters cep foreign relations an military defence, govrens its poleetical seestem. Tho it haes a burgeonin multi-pairty seestem, a sma-circle electorate controls hauf o its legislatur. An 800-fowk Election Committee selects the Chief Executive o Hong Kong, the heid o govrenment. As ane o the warld's leadin internaitional financial centres, Hong Kong haes a major caipitalist service economy characterised bi law taxation an free tred, an the currency, Hong Kong dollar, is the nint maist tradit currency in the warld. The lack o space caused demand for denser constructions, whilk developed the ceety tae a centre for modren airchitectur an the warld's maist vertical ceety. The dense space forybe led tae a heich developed transportation netwirk wi public transport travellin rate exceedin 90 percent, the heichest in the warld. Etymology The name "Hong Kong" is an approximate phonetic renderin o the pronunciation o the spoken Cantonese or Hakka name "香港", meanin "fragrant harbour" in Inglis. Afore 1842, the name referred tae a smaa inlet – nou Aberdeen Harbour or Little Hong Kong – atween the island o Ap Lei Chau an the sooth side o Hong Kong Island, which wis ane o the first pynts o contact atween Breetish sailors an local fishermen. The reference tae fragrance mey refer tae the harbour waters sweetened bi the fresh watter estuarine influx o the Pearl River, or tae the incense frae factories linin the coast tae the north o Kowloon, whilk wis stored aroond Aberdeen Harbour for export afore the development o Victorie Harbour. In 1842, the Treaty o Nanking wis signed, an the name Hong Kong wis first recordit on offeecial documents tae encompass the entirety o the island. Notes Fuitnotes