Government type: NA
National 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: the Letters Patent together with the Royal Instructions form the written constitution of Hong Kong; new Basic Law approved in March 1990 in preparation for scheduled reversion to China on 1 July 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 UK (since 6 February 1952) head of government: Governor and President of the Executive Council Christopher Francis PATTEN (since 9 July 1992); Chief Secretary Anson CHAN Fang On-Sang (since 29 November 1993) cabinet: Executive Council appointed by the governor elections: none; the queen is a hereditary monarch; governor appointed by the queen
Legislative branch: unicameral Legislative Council (60 seats; 30 indirectly elected by functional constituencies, 20 elected by popular vote, and 10 elected by election committee; members serve four-year terms); note - the Legislative Council will be replaced by a provisional legislature on 1 July 1997 elections: indirect and direct elections last held 17 September 1995; note - elections for the first post-reversion Legislative Council are scheduled to be held in 1998 election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - Democratic Party 21, Liberal Party 10, Democratic Alliance for the Betterment of Hong Kong 6, other parties and independents 23; note - subsequent to the election, there has been a change in the distribution of seats; the new distribution is as follows - Democratic Party 19, Liberal Party 10, Democratic Alliance for the Betterment of Hong Kong 6, other parties and independents 25