The population of Hong Kong increased markedly during the 1990s, reaching 6.86 million in 2005. About 96% of Hong Kong's population are of Chinese descent, the majority of which are Cantonese. Groups such as the Hakka and Teochew are also substantial. Cantonese, used in government matters, is spoken by most of the local Chinese population at home and at work, although English is also widely understood, spoken and used at work by more than one-third of the population. Since the British handover to China, a new group of immigrants from mainland China have increased the ethnic diversity of the Chinese population and intensified the usage of Mandarin in the territory, in addition to the indirect effects of closer communication with mainland China, where Mandarin is the official language.

The remaining 4% of the population is composed of non-ethnic Chinese, who form a highly visible group (see Lan Kwai Fong and Tai-Pan) despite their small numbers, and other foreign nationals.

Among these is a significant South Asian population. Amongst them are Indians, Pakistanis and Nepalis, some of whom were born in Hong Kong and speak fluent Cantonese even though only a rare few are also literate in Chinese. The first Filipinos arrived in the 80's to work as domestic helpers, followed by the Indonesians. Some Nepalis residing in Hong Kong are Gurkhas who, along with their families and descendants, chose to stay after their service to Britain. In July 2006, British authorities will be granting full British citizenship to all Nepalese and their dependants serving the British army during its stays in the occupied territories; namely Malaysia, Singapore and Hong Kong, as well as among other former territories. This entitles them full privilege to stay and work in the United Kingdom. According to the press secretary, there are approximately 140,000 eligible to apply under this gesture. More than 15,000 Vietnamese, who came to Hong Kong as refugees, have become permanent residents, the majority of whom survive on casual work.

Around 130,000 Filipinos work in Hong Kong as domestic helpers and housekeepers, often known locally as amahs, or feiyung, with other such workers Indonesia. On Sundays and public holidays, thousands of these non-ethnic Chinese workers, the majority of whom are female domestic helpers, gather in Central (mainly Filipinos) and Victoria Park (mainly Indonesians) to socialise. There are also a number of Europeans, North Americans, Australians, Japanese, and Koreans, largely working in Hong Kong's commercial and financial sector. The top three sources of foreigners in Hong Kong are the Philippines (132,770), Indonesia (95,460), and the United States (31,330).

Hong Kong is the fifth largest metropolitan area of the PRC by population. Considered as a dependency, Hong Kong is one of the most densely populated countries/dependencies in the world, with an overall density of more than 6,200 people per km². Hong Kong has a fertility rate of 0.95 children per woman, one of the lowest in the world, and far below the 2.1 children per woman required to maintain an even population level. However, population is continuously growing due to immigration of approximately 45,000 per year from mainland China.

Hong Kong's population is very unevenly distributed. It has an extremely dense urban core, normally associated with "the city (市區)", consisting of Kowloon and the north of Hong Kong Island, which is Central and Western District, Wan Chai District, Eastern District, Yau Tsim Mong District, Kowloon City District, Sham Shui Po District, Wong Tai Sin District, and Kwun Tong District. The rest, however, is relatively sparsely populated, although millions of residents live there.

Despite its population density, Hong Kong was reported to be one of the greenest cities in Asia. Hong Kong is as of 2006 the fourth most expensive city in the world to live in. The majority of people live in flats (apartments) in high-rise buildings. The rest of the open spaces are often covered with parks, woods and shrubs. About 40% of the land[18] is designated as Country Parks and Nature Reserves. Hiking and camping are popular outdoor activities in Hong Kong's hilly country parks. The irregular and long coastline of Hong Kong also provides many bays and fine beaches for its inhabitants. Environmental concern and awareness is growing, however, as Hong Kong also ranks as one of the most (air-)polluted cities in the world. Estimates are that 70-80% of the city's air pollution comes from other parts of the Pearl River Delta.

additional information from Wikipedia

11/29/06 by visitEarth
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