Hong Kong officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People’s Republic of China (HKSAR), is a metropolitan area and special administrative region of the People’s Republic of China.
It is situated on the eastern Pearl River Delta of the South China Sea.
As of February 2021, the population of Hong Kong is about 7.5 million people.
The city covers a total area of 2,755 square kilometers (1,064 square miles).
With over 7.5 million residents of various nationalities in a 1,104-square-kilometre (426 square miles) territory, Hong Kong is one of the most densely populated places in the world.
The lowest elevation in Hong Kong is in South China Sea (0 m) while the highest elevation is at Tai Mo Shan (957 m (3,140 ft)) in Tsuen Wan, the New Territories.
The region of Hong Kong has been inhabited since the Old Stone Age, later becoming part of the Chinese empire with its loose incorporation into the Qin dynasty (221–206 BC).
Starting out as a farming fishing village and salt production site, it became an important free port and eventually a major international financial centre.
Hong Kong became a colony of the British Empire after the Qing Empire ceded Hong Kong Island at the end of the First Opium War in 1842. The colony expanded to the Kowloon Peninsula in 1860 after the Second Opium War and was further extended when Britain obtained a 99-year lease of the New Territories in 1898.
Japan occupied Hong Kong from 1941 to 1945 during the Second World War. By the end of the war in 1945, Hong Kong had been liberated by joint British and Chinese troops and returned to British rule.
Hong Kong greatly increased its population from refugees from Mainland China, particularly during the Korea War and the Great Leap Forward. In the 1950s, Hong Kong transformed from a territory of entrepôt trade to one of industry and manufacturing.
The Chinese economic reform prompted manufacturers to relocate to China, leading Hong Kong to develop its commercial and financial industry.
In 1984, the British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher signed the Sino-British Joint Declaration, which incited a wave of emigration from Hong Kong.
The whole territory was transferred to China in 1997. As a special administrative region, Hong Kong maintains separate governing and economic systems from that of mainland China under the principle of
“one country, two systems”.
Today, Hong Kong one of the world’s most significant financial centres and commercial ports. It is also one of the top 10 wealthiest cities in the world.
One of the most impresive sights in Hong Kong is its skyline. Hong Kong skyline has one of the highest numbers of skyscrapers in the world, it never fails to show the beauty of Most Beautiful Skyline in the World. Thanks to breakneck-speed development of Hong Kong, the city landscape changes from better to best.
Victoria Peak is a hill on the western half of Hong Kong Island. It is also known as Mount Austin, and locally as The Peak. With an elevation of 552 m (1,811 feet), it is the highest hill on Hong Kong island, ranked 31 in terms of elevation in Hong Kong. The summit is occupied by a radio
telecommunications facility and is closed to the public. However, the surrounding area of public parks and high-value residential land is the area that is normally meant by the name The Peak. It is a major tourist attraction that offers views of Central, Victoria Harbour, Lamma Island, and the
surrounding islands.
Victoria Harbour is a natural landform harbour separating Hong Kong Island in the south from the Kowloon Peninsula to the north. The harbour’s deep, sheltered waters and strategic location on the South China Sea were instrumental in Hong Kong’s establishment as a British colony and its subsequent development as a trading centre.
While it may not be the fastest way to cross Victoria Harbour, the famous Star Ferry wins the award for most scenic. The Star Ferry has been making the 10-minute crossing since 1880 and offers incredible views of the famous skyline.
The Peak Tram is a funicular railway in Hong Kong, which carries both tourists and residents to the upper levels of Hong Kong Island. Running from Garden Road Admiralty to Victoria Peak via the Mid-Levels, it provides the most direct route and offers good views over the harbour and skyscrapers of Hong Kong.
Tian Tan Buddha is a large bronze statue of Buddha Shakyamuni, completed in 1993, and located at Ngong Ping, Lantau Island, in Hong Kong. The statue is sited near Po Lin Monastery and symbolises the harmonious relationship between man and nature, people and faith. It is a major centre of Buddhism in Hong Kong, and is also a tourist attraction.
Hong Kong counts approximately 600 temples, shrines and monasteries. While Buddhism and Christianity are the most widely practiced religions, most religions are represented in the Special Administrative Region.
Po Lin Monastery is a Buddhist monastery, located on Ngong Ping Plateau, on Lantau Island. The monastery was founded in 1906 by three monks visiting from Jiangsu Province on the Chinese mainland and was initially known simply as “The Big Hut”. It was renamed to its present name in 1924. The main temple houses three bronze statues of the Buddha – representing his past, present and future lives – as well as many Buddhist scriptures.
Wong Tai Sin Temple is a well known shrine and tourist attraction in Hong Kong. It is dedicated to Wong Tai Sin, or the Great Immortal Wong. The 18,000 square meters (190,000 square feet) Taoist temple is famed for the many prayers answered: “What you request is what you get” via a practice called kau chim. The temple is located on the southern side of Lion Rock in the north of Kowloon.
The Avenue of Stars modelled on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, is an avenue located along the Victoria Harbour waterfront in Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong. It honours celebrities of the Hong Kong film industry.
Hong Kong Disneyland is a theme park located on reclaimed land in Penny’s Bay, Lantau Island. It is located inside the Hong Kong Disneyland Resort and it is owned and managed by Hong Kong International Theme Parks. It is the largest theme park in Hong Kong, followed by Ocean Park Hong Kong.
Ocean Park Hong Kong, commonly known as Ocean Park, is a marine mammal park, oceanarium, animal theme park and amusement park situated in Wong Chuk Hang and Nam Long Shan in the Southern District of Hong Kong. It is the second largest theme park in Hong Kong, after Hong Kong Disneyland. And also, the largest theme park in Hong Kong by area. It is also the second oldest theme park in Hong Kong, after the now-defunct Lai Chi Kok Amusement Park which closed in 31 March 1997, four months before the 1997 handover.
Hong Kong is the world’s tenth-largest exporter and ninth-largest importer.
The city has a major capitalist service economy characterised by low taxation and free trade, and its currency, the Hong Kong dollar, is the eighth most traded currency in the world.
Hong Kong is home to the second-highest number of billionaires of any city in the world, the highest number of billionaires of any city in Asia, and the largest concentration of ultra high-net-worth individuals of any city in the world.
The name of the territory, first romanised as “He-Ong-Kong” in 1780, originally referred to a small inlet located between Aberdeen Island and the southern coast of Hong Kong Island. Aberdeen was an initial point of contact between British sailors and local fishermen. Although the source of the romanised name is unknown, it is generally believed to be an early phonetic rendering of the Cantonese pronunciation hēung góng. The name translates as “fragrant harbour” or “incense harbour”. “Fragrant” may refer to the sweet taste of the harbour’s freshwater influx from the Pearl River or to the odour from incense factories lining the coast of northern Kowloon. The incense was stored near Aberdeen Harbour for export before Victoria Harbour developed. Sir John Davis (the second colonial governor) offered an alternative origin; Davis said that the name derived from “Hoong-keang” (“red torrent”), reflecting the colour of soil over which a waterfall on the island flowed.