Hong Kong S.A.R., a former British Colony, is situated at the moth of the Canton of Pearl River 90 miles (145 km.) southeast of Canton, has an area of 409 sq. mi. (1,091 sq. km.) and an estimated population of nearly 7 million. Capital: Central (formally Victoria). The port of Hong Kong had developed as the commercial center of the Far East, a transshipment point for goods destined for China and the countries of the Pacific rim. Light Manufacturing and tourism are important components of the country. ,Long a haven for fishermen-pirates and opium smuggles, the island of Hong Kong was ceded to Britain at the conclusion of the first Opium War (1839-1842). At the time, the acquisition of ?a barren rock? was ridiculed by London and English merchants operating in the Far East. The Kowloon Peninsula and Stonecutter?s Island were ceded in 1860 and the so-called Territories, comprising most of the mainland of the colony, were leased to Britain for 99 years in 1898.,, ,When the Japanese opened hostilities in World War II, on Dec. 7, 1941, they immediately attacked Hong Kong which fell, after some bitter fighting, on Christmas Day. The colony was liberated by British troops on Aug. 30, 1945, when it was found that the population was no more than 600,000, of whom 80 percent were suffering from malnutrition. Hong Kong?s economic life was dead. A brief period of military administration was followed by the formal re-establishment of civil government in May 1946. Hong Kong made a dramatic recovery and at the close of 1947 the population had reached 1,800,000. With the disintegration of the Nationalist Chinese forces and the establishment of the Central Peoples government, from 1948 to April 1950, an unprecedented influx of refugees took place, raising the population to about 2,360,000. It is currently near 7 million. ,, ,Hong Kong was returned to the Peoples Republic of China on July 1, 1997 and was made a Special Administration Region, enjoying a high degree of autonomy and vested with executive, legislative and independent judicial power.,, Rulers:,,, ,British (1842-1997),, Monetary System:,,, ,1 Dollar = 100 Cents,,