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Hong Kong Cities with Hotels
 Hong Kong, British dependency in eastern Asia, consisting of a mainland portion located on the southeastern coast of China and more than 200 islands. Hong Kong is bordered on the north by the Chinese province of Guangdong and on the east, west, and south by the South China Sea. Government headquarters of the dependency are on Hong Kong Island.
The British control of Hong Kong began in 1842, when China was forced to cede Hong Kong Island to Great Britain. In 1984 Great Britain and China signed the Sino-British Joint Declaration, which stipulated that Hong Kong return to Chinese rule in 1997 as a Special Administrative Region (SAR) of China. The Joint Declaration and a Chinese law that followed in 1990 provided for the SAR to operate with a high degree of economic autonomy for 50 years beyond 1997.
 Some of the hotels, motels and resorts available for booking in our reservation network include, Ramada Inn, Marriott Hotels, Super 8 Motels, Econo Lodge, Holiday Inn & Holiday Inn Express, Travelodge, Hampton Inn, Sheraton, Hilton, Best Western, Hyatt and Hyatt Regency, Wyndham Inn, Ritz and Ritz Carlton, Days Inn, Courtyard by Marriott, La Quinta Inns, Comfort Inn and Comfort Suite, Embassy Suites, Quality Inn, Radisson Inn, Sleep Inn, Numerous Resorts and Resort Villas throughout the globe, along with Plaza and Plaza Suites and and array of private and Golf Clubs and Golf Resorts.
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Hong Kong
Land and Resources
The total land area of Hong Kong is small, comprising only 1076 sq km (415 sq mi). The surrounding territorial waters cover 1830 sq km (707 sq mi). Hong Kong's mainland portion consists of the urban area of Kowloon and a portion of the New Territories, a large area that became part of Hong Kong in 1898. Lantau Island (also called Tai Yue Island), ceded to Hong Kong as part of the New Territories but often considered separate from that region, is the largest island. Hong Kong Island, across Victoria Harbor from Kowloon and about 10 km (about 6 mi) east of Lantau, houses the seat of government and the chief business district, known as Central.
Despite Hong Kong's small size, the topography is varied and rugged because it is largely comprised of folded mountains. There are more than 20 peaks over 500 m (over 1640 ft), and the tallest, Tai Mo Shan in the New Territories, rises to 957 m (3140 ft). Hong Kong's greatest asset is its deep and well-protected harbor between Hong Kong Island and Kowloon. Level land for development is scarce. Less than 15 percent of the land is developed because of the rugged terrain. Land reclamation schemes began in the mid-19th century and they continue to be important means of acquiring new land for urban development. Examples of reclaimed land include a stretch of coastline on either side of Victoria Harbor and the area where Kai Tak International Airport is located.
The only significant river is the Sham Chun, a small river that forms the northern border with China; all other drainage is comprised of small streams. The lack of sufficient drinking water is a serious problem; more than 80 percent of Hong Kong's potable water must be imported from China.
Hong Kong's climate is subtropical and monsoonal. The average daily temperature range is 26° to 31° C (78° to 87° F) in July and 13° to 17° C (55° to 63º F) in February. Rainfall averages 2159 mm (85 in) a year. Summers, which last from May to September, are long, hot, and humid. Typhoons regularly cross Hong Kong in summer and autumn. These powerful storms bring violent winds and extremely heavy rains that occasionally cause flooding and landslides. The winter, lasting from December to March, is cool and drier.
The heavy rainfall washes away many nutrients from the soil, making it generally thin, poor, and unsuitable for intensive agriculture. Moreover, there is little available land for farm cultivation. Most of the original forest vegetation was long ago cut or burned and replaced with grasses or planted tree species such as pine and eucalyptus. Wooded hills now account for about one-fifth of the land area, whereas grasslands, badlands, and swamps make up more than one-half.
Hong Kong, in association with the World Wide Fund for Nature, maintains an important marsh reserve for birds, Mai Po, along Hau Hoi Bay (also called Deep Bay) and the river boundary with mainland China. Mai Po attracts about 260 bird species, among them numerous ducks, wading birds, kingfishers, warblers, and marsh harriers. The reserve is an important stopping point for migratory birds flying between Siberia and tropical southeast Asia and Australia. In addition to birds, Hong Kong also has numerous small mammals and reptiles.
"Hong Kong," Microsoft® Encarta® 97 Encyclopedia.
© 1993-1996 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.
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Last Revised:
December 03, 2008 01:01 PM. |
