ABSTRACT
Since its founding as a British settlement in 1841, hard work, entrepreneurial energy, and a government policy of "positive nonintervention" have made Hong Kong one of the most prosperous and most productive societies in the world. Per capita income (adjusted for purchasing power) is nearly US$14,000, a figure higher than both Britain and Japan, Life expectancy in fast-paced Hong Kong averages 77.5 years, one of the highest among industrialized countries. Hong Kong is also the world's eleventh largest trading entity. With a population of 5.8 million, the city's per capita exports are almost $15,000—over ten times that of the average American per capita export and six times that of Japan. The total land area is only 1,075 square kilometers, making Hong Kong one of the most densely populated places in the world. Indeed, the density in the metropolitan areas exceeds 20,000 people per square kilometer. Carrying over 2.1 million passengers daily, the mass transit railway is, relative to the length of the system, the busiest underground railway in the world (Roberts, 1991, p. 244).
