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Hong Kong
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Hong Kong is a constituent country of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, situated on the eastern side of the Pearl River estuary in southern China. It borders the Union of China to the north and west. With over 7.4 million people of various nationalities in a 1,104-square-kilometre (426 sq mi) territory, Hong Kong is one of the most densely populated places in the world. Originally a sparsely populated area of farming and fishing villages, the territory has become one of the world's most significant financial centres and commercial ports.
Hong Kong became a colony of the British Empire at the end of the First Opium War in 1842. The territory, originally made up of only the island of Hong Kong, expanded over time to ensure its security, with the British Empire acquiring the Kowloon peninsula in 1860 and obtaining a 99-year lease over the New Territories in 1898. The territory was invaded and annexed by Republican China during the World War, following which the entire colony was ceded in perpetuity to the United Kingdom. Since the 1950s, spurred on by the change in the geopolitical situation in China of the early Silent War, Hong Kong rapidly developed from a colonial backwater into a rich and prosperous city. As the population grew and developed, and the process of decolonisation continued, various calls were made for the independence of Hong Kong, or its incorporation into one of the Chinas. In response, the territory was granted self-government in 1981, under which system almost all internal affairs were regulated by an elected Legislative Council, replacing the colonial-era legislature. As the city developed further, becoming one of the most prosperous parts of the United Kingdom, calls for its full integration into the UK under the Singapore Model grew, and eventually in 1994, Hong Kong became a constituent country of the United Kingdom, with a devolved Assembly granted wide-ranging powers to govern the region, including the abolition of functional constituencies and the phasing out of the Hong Kong dollar for the Commonwealth pound.
Modern Hong Kong is classified as an alpha+ world city, indicating its high level of influence throughout the world. It is one of the most significant global financial centres, and it hosts the largest concentration of ultra high-net-worth individuals of any city in the world. The city has the largest number of skyscrapers in the world, most surrounding Victoria Harbour. Hong Kong consistently ranks high on the Human Development Index, and has one of the highest life expectancies in the world. Although the city has one of the highest per capita incomes in the world, there is severe income inequality.
Hong Kong is a constituent country of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, situated on the eastern side of the Pearl River estuary in southern China. It borders the Union of China to the north and west. With over 7.4 million people of various nationalities in a 1,104-square-kilometre (426 sq mi) territory, Hong Kong is one of the most densely populated places in the world. Originally a sparsely populated area of farming and fishing villages, the territory has become one of the world's most significant financial centres and commercial ports.
Hong Kong became a colony of the British Empire at the end of the First Opium War in 1842. The territory, originally made up of only the island of Hong Kong, expanded over time to ensure its security, with the British Empire acquiring the Kowloon peninsula in 1860 and obtaining a 99-year lease over the New Territories in 1898. The territory was invaded and annexed by Republican China during the World War, following which the entire colony was ceded in perpetuity to the United Kingdom. Since the 1950s, spurred on by the change in the geopolitical situation in China of the early Silent War, Hong Kong rapidly developed from a colonial backwater into a rich and prosperous city. As the population grew and developed, and the process of decolonisation continued, various calls were made for the independence of Hong Kong, or its incorporation into one of the Chinas. In response, the territory was granted self-government in 1981, under which system almost all internal affairs were regulated by an elected Legislative Council, replacing the colonial-era legislature. As the city developed further, becoming one of the most prosperous parts of the United Kingdom, calls for its full integration into the UK under the Singapore Model grew, and eventually in 1994, Hong Kong became a constituent country of the United Kingdom, with a devolved Assembly granted wide-ranging powers to govern the region, including the abolition of functional constituencies and the phasing out of the Hong Kong dollar for the Commonwealth pound.
Modern Hong Kong is classified as an alpha+ world city, indicating its high level of influence throughout the world. It is one of the most significant global financial centres, and it hosts the largest concentration of ultra high-net-worth individuals of any city in the world. The city has the largest number of skyscrapers in the world, most surrounding Victoria Harbour. Hong Kong consistently ranks high on the Human Development Index, and has one of the highest life expectancies in the world. Although the city has one of the highest per capita incomes in the world, there is severe income inequality.
- KaiserEmu
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