Hong Kong (香港 Heūng góng in Cantonese, Xiāng gǎng in Mandarin) [1] is a place with multiple personalities, as a result of being Cantonese Chinese with a long-time British influence. Today, the former colony is a major tourism destination for China’s increasingly affluent population. It is also an important hub in the Chinese Diaspora with global connections to many of the world’s cities. It is a unique destination that has absorbed people and cultural influences from places as diverse as Vietnam and Vancouver.

The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People’s Republic of China is much more than a harbour city. The traveller weary of its crowded streets may be tempted to describe it as “Hong Kongcrete”. Yet, this SAR with its cloudy mountains and rocky islands is mostly a rural landscape. Much of the countryside is classified as Country Park and, although 7 million people are never far away, it is possible to find pockets of wilderness that will reward the more intrepid tourist.

Hong Kong has a subtropical climate with at least one season to match your comfort zone. Boasting one of the world’s best airports, it is the ideal stopover for those who wish to travel deeper into the Orient.

Districts

Hong Kong is divided into a number of contrasting districts.

Hong Kong Island (香港島) was the site of the original British settlement. The northern part of the Island is densely populated. here, because of the scarcity of land, you'll find most of Hong Kong's skyscrapers and the famous skyline along the northern coastline. The main business, shopping and nightlife districts, in addition to the government offices, can be found here. The southern part of the Island has more leisure facilities, with beautiful beaches and luxury residential complexes.

Kowloon (九龍) is the peninsula jutting south towards Hong Kong Island. It is the most populous area in Hong Kong and at one time it was the most densely populated place in the world. Kowloon literally means nine dragons and refers to the eight hills that were once visible before the skyscrapers took the view away. Legend has it that the ninth dragon was the boy emperor who counted the hills.

The New Territories (新界), named by the British officials when leased from the Chinese government in 1898, are a curious mix of farms, abandoned villages, industrial installations, mountainous country parks and new towns that have populations the size of small cities.

The Outlying Islands (離島) are the 234 other islands in the territory ranging from Lantau (大嶼山) (twice the size of Hong Kong Island) to rocks poking out of the sea.