Part 330

Population growth rate: 1.77% (1996 est.)

Birth rate: 10.5 births/1,000 population (1996 est.)

Death rate: 5.23 deaths/1,000 population (1996 est.)

Net migration rate: 12.42 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1996 est.)

Sex ratio: at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.03 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.1 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.79 male(s)/female all ages: 1.05 male(s)/female (1996 est.)

Infant mortality rate: 5.1 deaths/1,000 live births (1996 est.)

Life expectancy at birth: total population: 82.19 years male: 78.88 years female: 85.71 years (1996 est.)

Total fertility rate: 1.3 children born/woman (1996 est.)

Nationality: noun: Chinese adjective: Chinese

Ethnic divisions: Chinese 95%, other 5%

Religions: eclectic mixture of local religions 90%, Christian 10%

Languages: Chinese (Cantonese), English

Literacy: age 15 and over has ever attended school (1995 est.) total population: 92.2% male: 96% female: 88.2%

Government ----------

Name of country: conventional long form: none conventional short form: Hong Kong abbreviation: HK

Data code: HK

Type of government: dependent territory of the UK scheduled to revert to China on 1 July 1997

Capital: Victoria

Administrative divisions: none (dependent territory of the UK)

Independence: none (dependent territory of the UK; the UK signed an agreement with China on 19 December 1984 to return Hong Kong to China on 1 July 1997; in the joint declaration, China promises to respect Hong Kong's existing social and economic systems and lifestyle)

National holiday: Liberation Day, 29 August (1945)

Constitution: unwritten; partly statutes, partly common law and practice; new Basic Law approved in March 1990 in preparation for 1997

Legal system: based on English common law

Suffrage: direct election 18 years of age; universal for permanent residents living in the territory of Hong Kong for the past seven years; indirect election limited to about 100,000 professionals of electoral college and functional constituencies

Executive branch: chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (of the United Kingdom since 6 February 1952) is a hereditary monarch head of government: Governor and President of the Executive Council Christopher Francis PATTEN (since 9 July 1992) was appointed by the Queen; Chief Secretary Anson CHAN Fang On-Sang (since 29 November 1993) cabinet: Executive Council was appointed by the Governor

Legislative branch: unicameral Legislative Council: indirect and direct elections last held 17 September 1995 (next to be held NA 1999); results - percent of vote by party NA; seats - (60 total, 30 indirectly elected by functional constituencies, 20 directly elected, 10 elected by election committee) Democratic Party 21, Liberal Party 10, Democratic Alliance for the Betterment of Hong Kong 6, other parties and independents 23

Judicial branch: Supreme Court

Political parties and leaders: Democratic Party, Martin LEE, chairman; Liberal Party, Allen LEE, chairman; Democratic Alliance for the Betterment of Hong Kong, TSANG Yuk-shing, chairman; Hong Kong Democratic Foundation, Dr. Patrick SHIU Kin-ying, chairman