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The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR), as it is officially known, comprises three main areas: Hong Kong Island, Kowloon Peninsula, and the New Territories, including the outlying islands. It covers over 1,100 square kilometres and has a population of approximately seven million. Over 95% are of Chinese descent, the majority from southern China. The non-ethnic Chinese population, while proportionally small, often plays an active and visible role in the community. This multinational group comprises British, other Europeans, Americans, Australians, South Asians born in Hong Kong, Southeast Asians, and smaller clusters of other nationals from around the world.
Hong Kong’s Chinese heritage and 150 years of British administration up to 1997 have forged a city with an idiosyncratic and appealing 24/7 East-West lifestyle. Although Hong Kong is part of China, it has been allowed to retain its common law legal system, which is similar to the UK, capitalist system, and freedom of information under the “one country, two systems” principle. There is a border with immigration controls between Hong Kong and the rest of the country, which in Hong Kong is usually referred to as Mainland China.
This special mix of history and cultures, together with its international city environment and status as one of the world’s leading financial centres, makes Hong Kong a dynamic and accessible platform for first encounters with China and Asia. Hong Kong is also surprisingly green, with dramatic mountain ranges and seascapes and some 40% of its land declared country parks and other protected areas.
The official languages are Chinese and English and the medium of instruction at public higher education institutions is English (except at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, where it is English, Cantonese and Putonghua/Mandarin). English is spoken in most shops and restaurants, business situations, and socially with those from overseas, although Cantonese is the language of interaction between Hong Kong people themselves. In Mainland China, the official language is Putonghua.
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