Hong Kong

The Hong Kong SAR is bilingual, as its residents speak English and Cantonese which are both official languages of Hong Kong under the Hong Kong Basic Law (Article 9) and the Official Languages Ordinance (Chapter 5). The British colonized Hong Kong in 1840 as a free port to serve as an entrepôt of the British Empire, so the British Authorities and businessmen would have spoken English. The white Hong Kongers (or Hongkongese) remained the ethnic and linguistic majority until the early 1900s when Chinese immigration began to outnumber the British. The British, who were still in control of the colony, continued to use English as an official language and added Chinese as an official language of the colony. Following the handover of the colony, English is still used in law and business, and it is still taught in school and spoken by over 30% of the population. The British have also left their language on place names within Hong Kong, particularly on Hong Kong Island, where the British... full article at wikipedia