Special administrative region facts for kids

Quick facts for kids 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)
National flag of the People's Republic of China
Regional flags of Hong Kong and of Macau
Macau and Hong Kong in Pearl River Delta in southeastern China
Largest SAR/city	Hong Kong
Languages	Standard 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 Hong Kong Macau
Government	One country, two systems
• Party leader & Head of State	Xi Jinping
• Head of Central government	Li Keqiang
• Head of National congress	Li Zhanshu
Area
• Total	1,135.7 km2 (438.5 sq mi)
Population
• 2014 estimate	7,858,800
• Density	6,920/km2 (17,922.7/sq mi)
Currency	Hong Kong dollar Macanese pataca
Date format	yyyy年m月d日 or yyyy-mm-dd or dd/mm/yyyy (CE; CE-1949)

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.

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

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.