City Report on Hong Kong and Singapore

CITY REPORT ON HONG KONG AND SINGAPORE

Xhulja Bare

Cleveland State University

The two cities that are being compared: Hong Kong and Singapore, in this city report are very much different from each other even though they are both located in Asia. These cities are going to be compared in their: population demographics, economic structure, socio-political culture, environmental stress issues, culture, and religion. Hong Kong and Singapore are different from each other in all the categories that were looked at. Culture and religion was close but Singapore has more variety of religions and a stronger culture because they are so much smaller than Hong Kong and they have not grown as much as the other country has.

The population demographics of Hong Kong are surprisingly different from those of Singapore. Many would believe that two major, Asian cities would be comparable but these two cities are different. Hong Kong has a population of 7,067,800 people, while Singapore has 4,740,737 people. The growth, birth and death rate in Hong Kong are .448%, 7.37 per 1,000 and 5.93 per 1,1000. In Singapore, they are respectfully: .817%, 8.5 per 1,000 and 4.95 per 1,000. In Hong Kong, they have a very diverse make up of ethnicities. The make-up is as follows: Chinese 95.0%, Filipino 1.6%, Indonesian 1.3%, Westerners 0.5%, Indian 0.3%, Nepalese 0.2%, Japanese 0.2%, Thai 0.2%, Pakistani 0.2%, Other Asian 0.2% and Others 0.3%. However, in Singapore, the list is much shorter. There make-up is: Chinese 74.1%, Malays 13.4% Indians 9.2% and others 3.3%. Every country has its own unique break down of ethnicities but to truly see it at a city level is more accommodating because a resident can see it first hand.

Hong Kong's economic strengths, including a sound banking system, virtually no public debt, a strong legal system, ample foreign exchange reserves, and an able and rigorously enforced anti-corruption regime, enable it to quickly respond to changing circumstances. Hong Kong is one of the world's most open and dynamic economies. In 2010 Hong Kong's real economic growth rate rose to 6.8%, recovering from the global financial turmoil. Inflation rose gradually to 2.4% in 2010 from 0.5% in 2009. The government promotes measures designed to improve its attractiveness as a commercial and trading center and is continually refining its financial architecture. The government is deepening its economic interaction with the Pearl River Delta in an effort to maintain Hong Kong's position as a gateway to China.

Singapore lived by international trade, as it had since its founding in 1819, and operated as a free port with free markets. Its small population and dependence on international markets meant that regional and world markets were larger than domestic markets, which presented both business managers and