Geography of Hong Kong
Encyclopedia : G : GE : GEO : Geography of Hong Kong
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The name Hong Kong, literally meaning fragrant harbour, is derived from the area around present-day Aberdeen and Wong Chuk Hang on Hong Kong Island, where fragrant trees were once abundant and exported. The Hong Kong Island is located in the South China Sea at the mouth of the Pearl River (Zhu Jiang). Other territories that were added later include the Kowloon Peninsula (south of Boundary Street) and the New Territories. The New Territories includes over 200 surrounding smaller islands. The body of water between Hong Kong Island and Kowloon Peninsula is Victoria Harbour, one of the deepest maritime ports in the world. The landscape of Hong Kong is fairly hilly to mountainous with steep slopes. The highest point in the territory is Tai Mo Shan, at a height of 958 metres. Lowlands exist in the northwestern part of the New Territories.
Hong Kong is 60 km to the east of Macau on the opposite side of the Pearl River estuary. Hong Kong has a land border with the Chinese city of Shenzhen to the north. Of the territory's 1,102 square kilometres, only less than 25 percent is developed. The remaining land has been reserved as country parks and nature reserves.
Hong Kong's climate is subtropical and prone to monsoons. It is cool and dry in the wintertime which lasts from around January to March, and is hot and rainy from spring through summer. It is warm, sunny, and dry in autumn. It is often stated that spring and autumn are not clear-cut. Hong Kong occasionally has typhoons. The ecology of Hong Kong is mostly affected by the results of climatic changes. Hong Kong's climate is seasonal due to alternating wind direction between winter and summer. Hong Kong has been geologically stable for millions of years. However, flora and fauna in Hong Kong are altered by climatic change, sea level alternation and human impact. The highest recorded temperature in Hong Kong is 40 degrees Celsius while the lowest recorded temperature is 0 degrees Celsius.
See Also: The Geography section in the article about Hong Kong
Geographical information
Location
Eastern Asia, on the south coast of China, facing the South China SeaGeographic coordinates
Area
total: 1,092 km²
land: 1,042 km²
water: 50 km²
Land boundaries
total: 30 km
border city: Shenzhen Special Economic Zone, Guangdong Province
Coastline
733 kmMaritime claims:
territorial sea: 3 nm
Total sea area of Hong Kong (including Victoria Harbour): 1652.21 km².
Climate
Tropical monsoon; cool and humid in winter, hot and rainy from spring through summer, warm and sunny in fall
Average temperature: 23 degree Celsius
Average annual precipitation: 2,214 mm
See also: Climate of Hong Kong
Terrain
Hilly to mountainous with steep slopes; lowlands in northExtreme points
- lowest elevation: South China Sea, 0 m
- highest elevation: Tai Mo Shan, 958 m, in the New Territories
- northernmost: to be included
- easternmost: Ping Chau
- southernmost: to be included
- westernmost: to be included
Principal peaks of Hong Kong
Main article: List of mountains, peaks and hills in Hong Kong
- Tai Mo Shan - 958 m
- Lantau Peak (Fung Wong Shan) - 934 m, on Lantau Island
- Sunset Peak (Tai Tung Shan) - 869 m, on Lantau Island
- Ma On Shan - 702 m
- Wong Leng - 639 m
- Kowloon Peak (Fei Ngo Shan) - 602 m
- Castle Peak - 583 m
- Tate's Cairn (Tai Lo Shan) - 577 m
- Kai Kung Leng - 572 m
- Tai To Yan - 566 m
- Victoria Peak - 552 m, on Hong Kong Island
- Needle Hill - 532 m
- Mount Parker - 532 m
- Lion Rock - 495 m
- High West - 494 m
- Sharp Peak (Nam She Tsim) - 468 m
- Beacon Hill - 457 m
- Violet Hill - 433 m
- High Junk Peak (Tiu Yue Yung) - 344 m
Natural resources
outstanding deepwater harbour, feldsparLand use
arable land: 6%
permanent crops: 1%
permanent pastures: 1%
forests and woodland: 20%
other: 72% (1997 est.)
Irrigated land: 20 km² (1997 est.)
Natural hazards
occasional typhoons and landslidesEnvironment
current issues
- air and water pollution from rapid urbanization
- Exploration of natural species
- Introduction of exotic species
Geography - note
235 islands including Hong Kong Island, Lantau Island, Cheung Chau, Lamma Island, Peng Chau and Tsing Yi Island.See also
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- Hong Kong
- Hong Kong Country Parks & Special Areas
- Beaches of Hong Kong
- Rivers of Hong Kong
- List of bays in Hong Kong
- List of buildings, sites and areas in Hong Kong
- Geography of China
External links
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