HONGKONG

Hong Kong (Fragrant Harbour), traditionally Hongkong, officiallyHong Kong Special

Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China, is an autonomous territory on the
southern coast of China at thePearl River Estuary and the South China Sea. Hong Kong is known
for its skyline and deep natural harbour. It has an area of 1104 km2 and shares its northern border
with the Guangdong Province of Mainland China. With around 7.2 million Hongkongers of
various nationalities, Hong Kong is one of the world's most densely populated metropolises.
After the First Opium War (183942), Hong Kong became a British colony with the perpetual
cession of Hong Kong Island, followed by Kowloon Peninsula in 1860 and a 99-year lease of
the New Territories in 1898. After it was occupied by Japan in the Second World War (194145),
the British resumed control until 30 June 1997. As a result of negotiations between China and
Britain, Hong Kong was transferred to the People's Republic of China under the 1984 SinoBritish Joint Declaration. The territory became aspecial administrative region of China with a
high degree of autonomy on 1 July 1997 under the principle of one country, two systems.
In the late 1970s, Hong Kong became a major entrept in Asia-Pacific. The territory has
developed into a major global trade hub and financial centre, and is regarded as a world
city. The 45th-largest economy in the world, Hong Kong ranks top 10 in GDP (PPP) per capita,
but also has the most severe income inequality among advanced economies. Hong Kong is one
of the three most important financial centres alongside New York
New York and London. The territory has a high Human Development Index and is ranked highly
in the Global Competitiveness Report. It has been named the freest market economy by
the Heritage Foundation Index of Economic Freedom. The service economy, characterized by
free trade and low taxation, has been regarded as one of the world's most laissez-faire economic
policies, and the currency, the Hong Kong dollar, is the 13th most traded currency in the world.
Hong Kong is a member of APEC, ADB,IMF, BIS, WTO, FIFA, and International Olympic
Committee, as Hong Kong Basic Law authorizes the territory to develop relations with foreign
states on its own in appropriate fields, including the economic, trade, financial and monetary,
shipping, communications, tourism, cultural and sports fields.

Geography
Hong Kong is located on China's south coast, 60 km (37 mi) east of Macau on the opposite side
of the Pearl River Delta. It is surrounded by the South China Sea on the east, south, and west,
and borders the Guangdong city of Shenzhen to the north over the Shenzhen River. The
territory's 1,104 km2 (426 sq mi) area consists of Hong Kong Island, the Kowloon Peninsula,
the New Territories, and over 200 offshore islands, of which the largest is Lantau Island. Of the
total area, 1,054 km2 (407 sq mi) is land and 50 km2 (19 sq mi) is inland water. Hong Kong
claims territorial waters to a distance of 3 nautical miles (5.6 km). Its land area makes Hong
Kong the 179th largest inhabited territory in the world. In comparison to North American cities,
Hong Kong is tiny yet heavily populated. An example could be the city Edmonton, with a metro
population of about 1.4 Million, making the city considerably smaller in population than
Hongkong's 7.4 Million. However, Edmonton's metro area totals nearly 10,000 km2 (3,900 sq mi)
making the city almost ten times larger than Hong Kong. Also, The Greater Los Angeles area is
over 87,000 km2 (34,000 sq mi), and with 18 million residents, has an incredibly low density
when compared to Hong Kong and is 79 times larger in area.
As much of Hong Kong's terrain is hilly to mountainous with steep slopes, less than 25% of the
territory's landmass is developed, and about 40% of the remaining land area is reserved
as country parks and nature reserves. Low altitude vegetation in Hong Kong is dominated
by secondary rainforests, as the primary forest was mostly cleared during the Second World War,
and higher altitudes are dominated by grasslands. Most of the territory's urban
development exists on Kowloon peninsula, along the northern edge of Hong Kong Island, and in
scattered settlements throughout the New Territories. The highest elevation in the territory is
at Tai Mo Shan, 957 metres (3,140 ft) above sea level. Hong Kong's long and irregular coast
provides it with many bays, rivers and beaches. On 18 September 2011, UNESCO listed
the Hong Kong National Geopark as part of its Global Geoparks Network. Hong Kong Geopark
is made up of eight Geo-Areas distributed across the Sai Kung Volcanic Rock Region and
Northeast New Territories Sedimentary Rock Region.

Climate
Though it is situated just south of the Tropic of Cancer, Hong Kong has a humid subtropical
climate (Kppen Cwa). Summer is hot and humid with occasional showers and thunderstorms,
and warm air coming from the southwest. Summers are when typhoons are most likely,
sometimes resulting in flooding or landslides. Winters are mild and usually start sunny,
becoming cloudier towards February; the occasional cold front brings strong, cooling winds from
the north. The most temperate seasons are spring, which can be changeable, and autumn, which
is generally sunny and dry. Hong Kong averages 1,948 hours of sunshine per year, while the
highest and lowest ever recorded temperatures at the Hong Kong Observatory are 36.3 and
0.0 C (97.3 and 32.0 F), respectively.
Transportation
Hong Kong has a highly developed and sophisticated transport network, encompassing
both public and private transport. Based on Hong Kong Government's Travel Characteristics
Survey, over 90% of the daily journeys are on public transport, making it the highest rate in the
world. However, in 2014 the Transport Advisory Committee, which advises the Government on
transportation issues, issued a report on the much worsened congestion problem in Hong Kong
and pointed at the excessive growth of private cars during the past 10-15 years.
The Octopus card, a smart electronic money payment system, was introduced in September 1997
to provide an alternative to the traditional banknotes and coins. Available for purchase in every
station of the Mass Transit Railway system, the Octopus card is a non-touch payment system
which allows payment not only for public transport (such as trains, buses, trams, ferries and
minibuses), but also atparking meters, convenience stores, supermarkets, fast-food restaurants
and most vending machines.
Hong Kong has a fully active international airport. The famous former Kai Tak International
Airport retired in favour of the recently constructed Hong Kong International Airport, also
known as Chek Lap Kok International Airport. The airport now serves as a transport hub for East
Asia, and as the hub for Cathay Pacific, Dragonair, Hong Kong Express, Hong Kong

Airlines (former CR Airways), and Air Hong Kong. Ferry services link the airport with
several piers in Pearl River Delta, where immigrations and customs are exempted.
HKIAs network to China is also expanded by the opening of SkyPier in late September 2003,
offering millions in the PRD direct access to the airport. Passengers coming to SkyPier by highspeed ferries can board buses for onward flights while arriving air passengers can board ferries at
the pier for their journeys back to the PRD. Passengers travelling both directions can bypass
custom and immigration formalities, which reduces transit time. Four ports Shekou, Shenzhen,
Macau and Humen (Dongguan) were initially served. As of August 2007, SkyPier serves
Shenzhen's Shekou and Fuyong, Dongguan's Humen, Macau, Zhongshan and Zhuhai. Moreover,
passengers travelling from Shekou and Macau piers can even complete airline check-in
procedures with participating airlines before boarding the ferries and go straight to the boarding
gate for the connecting flight at HKIA. The provision of cross boundary coach and ferry services
has transformed HKIA into an inter-modal transportation hub combining air, sea and land
transport.
Tourist attractions in HongKong
Victoria Peak
Victoria Peak (Chinese: , or previously Chinese: ) is a mountain in the western
half of Hong Kong Island. It is also known as Mount Austin, and locally as The Peak. With an
altitude of 552 m (1,811 ft), it is the highest mountain on Hong Kong Island; ranked 31 in terms
of altitude in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (Tai Mo Shan is the highest point in
the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region with an altitude of 957 m).
Tung Choi Street
Tung Choi Street is a street situated between South of Sai Yueng Choi St and Fa Yuen
Street in Mong Kok, Kowloon, Hong Kong. It's one of the most well-known street
markets in Hong Kong. Its southern section, popularly known as Ladies' Market or Ladies'
Street (),[1] where various kinds of products available for cheap prices (not just for
women, as its name suggests). And its northern section not far above Bute Street, has a wide

variety of purchasable plants, pet supplies and animals especially goldfish as it's widely known
as Goldfish Street.

Hong Kong Disneyland Resort

The Hong Kong Disneyland Resort (Chinese: ) is a resort built by
Hong Kong International Theme Parks, a joint venture of the Government of Hong Kong andThe
Walt Disney Company in Hong Kong on reclaimed landbeside Penny's Bay, at the northeastern
tip of Lantau Island, approximately two kilometers from Discovery Bay. Officially opened on 12
September 2005, the resort contains the Hong Kong Disneyland theme park, the Hong Kong
Disneyland Hotel, Disney's Hollywood Hotel, and several retail, dining and entertainment
facilities covering 1.3 square kilometres (320 acres) of the island.
Murray House
Murray House is a Victorian-era building in Stanley, Hong Kong. Built in the presentday business district of Central in 1844 as officers' quarters of the Murray Barracks,[1] the
building was moved to the south of Hong Kong Island during the 2000s.
Ocean Park Hong Kong
Ocean Park Hong Kong, commonly known as Ocean Park, is amarine mammal
park, oceanarium, animal theme park andamusement park, situated in Wong Chuk
Hang and Nam Long Shan in the Southern District of Hong Kong. It is, together with Hong
Kong Disneyland, one of the two large theme parks in Hong Kong. Opened in 1977 by the
then Governor of Hong Kong Sir Murray MacLehose, Ocean Park has grown to over 80
attractions and rides after the completion of a HK$5.5 billion Master Redevelopment Plan
(MRP) begun in 2005. The park has won several awards, including The World's Seventh Most
Popular Amusement Park and one of the "50 Most Visited Tourist Attractions in the world"

by Forbes. In November 2012, Ocean Park became the first theme park in Asia to win
the Applause Award from the International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions.

Ocean Park received 7.79 million visitors in 2014, making it the world's 13th most visited theme
park, and the largest theme park in all of Asia

Peak Tower

The Peak Tower (Chinese: ) is a leisure andshopping complex located at Victoria Gap,
near the summit of Victoria Peak on Hong Kong Island, Hong Kong. It also houses the upper
terminal of the Peak Tram. Both the Peak Tower and the Peak Tram are owned by the Hong
Kong and Shanghai Hotels group, the owner of Hong Kong's famous Peninsula Hotel along with
many other properties. The tower and tram are jointly promoted by the collective branding
known as The Peak.
The Peak Tower is located at an elevation of 396 m, 156 m below the summit of Victoria Peak.
Because the architects sought a design which would be prominent on the skyline but would not
interrupt the natural line of the hills, they chose a site in a dip along the line of the hills, and
restricted the tower's height to 428 m above sea level.