Special administrative region

class of administrative territorial entities in China, North Korea, Indonesia, and East Timor

Special administrative regions (SARs) are regions within Mainland China that have their own governments separate from the rest of China. As a result of this, they enjoy a high degree of freedom. The two SARs are Hong Kong and Macau, both were European colonies that got transferred to China during the 1990s.

Special administrative regions of the People's Republic of China
中華人民共和國特別行政區 (Chinese)
中华人民共和国特别行政区 (Chinese)
Zhōnghuá Rénmín Gònghéguó tèbié xíngzhèngqū (Pinyin)
Jūngwàh Yàhnmàhn Guhngwòhgwok dahkbiht hàngjingkēui (Cantonese Yale romanisation)
Regiões administrativas especiais da República Popular da China  (Portuguese)
Flag of Special administrative region

Regional flags of Hong Kong and of Macau
Macau and Hong Kong in Pearl River Delta in southeastern China
Largest SAR/cityHong Kong
LanguagesStandard Chinese (in Traditional characters), English (in HK), Cantonese (de facto in HK and Macau), Portuguese (in Macau)
Demonym(s)Chinese
Special Administrative Regions
2 S.A.R.s
GovernmentOne country, two systems
Xi Jinping
Li Keqiang
Li Zhanshu
John Lee
Fernando Chui
Area
• Total
1,135.7 km2 (438.5 sq mi)
Population
• 2014[a] estimate
7,858,800[1][2]
• Density
6,920/km2 (17,922.7/sq mi)
CurrencyHong Kong dollar
Macanese pataca
Date format
  • yyyymd
  • or yyyy-mm-dd
  • or dd/mm/yyyy
  • (CE; CE-1949)
  1. Second quarter
special administrative region(s)
Chinese name
Traditional Chinese特別行政區
Simplified Chinese特别行政区
Cantonese YaleDahkbiht Hàngjingkēui
Portuguese name
Portugueseregiões administrativas especiais
pronounced: [ʁɨʒiˈõɨʃ ɐdminiʃtɾɐˈtivɐʃ (ɨ)ʃpɨsiˈaiʃ]

Due to their new addition to the territory of China, Article 31 of the Chinese Constitution forms the legal foundation for the territories, as opposed to Article 30 which establishes the rest of China's territory.

Government System change

The term used to refer to the government of Hong Kong and Macau is the phrase, "One country, two systems", coined by Deng Xiaoping in which the territories would be part of one country (China) but use two different systems of government (Hong Kong and Macau basic law) instead of the Communist system of the Chinese national government. This was done to prevent protest of the new government and a loss of freedom that citizens may attribute it to.

References change

  1. "Mid-year Population for 2014". Census and Statistics Department (Hong Kong). 12 August 2014. Archived from the original on 6 October 2014. Retrieved 5 October 2014.
  2. "Demographic Statistics for the 2nd Quarter 2014". Statistics and Census Service of the Government of Macau SAR. 11 August 2014. Archived from the original on 14 November 2014. Retrieved 5 October 2014.