Hong Kong Travel Guide

Hong Kong is a small Special Administrative Region of China located on the southern border of mainland China and is home to a population of around 7 million. Hong Kong is best known for the densely populated former British colony situated on Hong Kong Island and the adjacent district of Kowloon, however it actually consists of over 250 islands covering a land area of just over 1100 km2.

Hong Kong has a history dating back more than 30,000 years and was largely under Chinese rule until 1841 when Hong Kong became a British colony following the defeat of China in the First Opium War. In the second Opium War, the British also took control of the Kowloon Peninsula and in 1898, Britain was granted a 99 year lease on the New Territories to the north of Kowloon.

The Japanese briefly took control of Hong Kong during World War II however control was re-established by Britain following the war. In a deal negotiated between the British ansd Chinese governments, control of Hong Kong was handed back to the Chinese in July 1997, when Hong Kong became a Special Administrative Region of the Peoples Republic of China.

Today Hong Kong enjoys a high degree of autonomy under a system referred to as "One Country, Two Systems". Hong Kong operates essentially as if it were a small country and business has continued to thrive under this system. Hong Kong is today the fourth largest financial centre in the world and has essentially a capitalist economy.

In terms of tourism, the main city of Hong Kong is a vibrant and bustling - a major business centre, a shopping mecca famous for its food, markets and around the clock activity. Victoria Harbour lies at the centre of the most populated area and has a surrounding skyline that has to be seen to be believed. It is a fascinating mix of British and Chinese culture and has absorbed other cultural influences from around the globe due to it's long standing importance as a hub for business and tourism. Hong Kong boasts one of the worlds best airports and is a major stop over point and an ideal place to start exploring the orient.

Besides the well known heart of Hong Kong with it's harbour and busy streets, the area has much more to offer and much of the land mass on outlying islands is rural with mountain landscapes, isolated beaches, and tiny and remote fishing and farming villages. Pockets of wilderness can be still be found on man of the island in close proximity to this city of 7 million.