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Hong Kong

History Overview

700BCAboriginal fisherpeople establish floating communities.
50 BCChina absorbs entire region.
960 - 1500sClans settle area. Pirates roam the territory; clans construct walled villages to protect themselves.
1514Portuguese traders make base in Tuen Mun.
Early 1800sBritish merchants trade opium for China's silk, silver, spices and tea.
1840 - 1842Opium Wars result in China ceding Hong Kong Island in perpetuity to Britain; Crown Colony of Hong Kong established.
1860Kowloon Peninsula, Stonecutters Island ceded to Britain.
1898New Territories leased to Britain for 99 years; colony now an important trading port.
1910Kowloon Canton Railway to border with China is completed.
1911Overthrow of Manchu Empire (Qing Dynesty) in China sends flood of people to Hong Kong.
1949500,000 refugees arrive fleeing war in China.
1941-45Japanese occupation during World War II.
1950-1970sImmigrants from China create booming textile and light manufacturing industries; "Made in Hong Kong" goods exported all over the world.
1972Cross-Harbour Tunnel opens.
1979Mass Transit Railway opens
1980sHong Kong becomes international financial centre and joins the world's top 10 economies.
1984China and Britain sign the Sino-British Joint Declaration on the future of Hong Kong after June 30, 1997, when the lease on the new Territories expires.
1991Hogn Kong Park, Hong Kong Science Museum and Museum of Art open.
1996Windsurfer Lee Lai Shan wins Hong Kong's first Olympic gold medal.
1997 May 22Tsing Ma Bridge, the world's longest road/rail span suspension bridge, opens.
1997 July 1Hong Kong becomes a Special Administrative Region (SAR) within the People's Republic of China.
1998 July 6The Hong Kong International Airport at Chek Lap Kok opens.
1999 MarchThe Hong Kong International Airport is named one of the Top Ten Construction Achievements in the 20th Century.
2000 MayDiscovery Bay Tunnel Link Opens.
2001 AugustHong Kong Museum of History Opens.
2002 AugustMTR Tseung Kwan O Line Commences.
2003 December 20KCR West Rail opens
2004 October 24KCR Tsim Sha Tsui extension opens.
2004 December 21KCR Ma On Shan Rail opens.
2005 September 12Hong Kong Disneyland opens.

Regions

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General information

Full name
Hong Kong

Area
1,098 sq km
424 sq miles

Population
6,890,000

Time Zone
GMT/UTC +8 (Hong Kong Standard Time)

Daylight Saving Start
not in use

Daylight Saving End
not in use

Languages
Cantonese (official)
Mandarin (official)

Currency
Hong Kong Dollar ($)