Geography of Hong Kong
coastal city and major port in Southern China
Hong Kong is located on the southern coast of China. Its territories can be divided into Hong Kong Island, the Kowloon Peninsula, and the New Territories, as well as 263 outlying islands. Geographically, the Outlying Islands, including Lantau Island, are sometimes regarded as a separate geographical region. Much of Hong Kong is mountainous, with limited natural lowlands confined mainly to coastal plains and reclaimed land. Victoria Harbour, the deep natural harbour separating Hong Kong Island from Kowloon Peninsula, has been central to the territory's development as an international port and trading centre.
Since the 1960s, extensive land reclamation, high-rise construction, and the development of new towns have accommodated rapid urban growth while preserving large areas of countryside as country parks. Today, more than seven million people live within just over 1,100 km² of land, making Hong Kong one of the world's most densely populated territories.
Physical geography
Hong Kong borders Guangdong Province to the north, lies west of the Pearl River estuary and Macau, and faces the South China Sea to the south. The territory extends between approximately 22°08′ and 22°35′ north latitude and 113°49′ and 114°31′ east longitude. Hong Kong observes Hong Kong Time (UTC+8), eight hours ahead of Coordinated Universal Time.
This brief starts where responsible research should: with the source description of “Geography of Hong Kong” as coastal city and major port in Southern China. Everything that follows is an evidence route, not borrowed authority.
Why this record matters
The subject matters to the places & architecture register because the source frames it as coastal city and major port in Southern China. Its deeper value depends on whether names, dates, institutions and citations support that framing.
Place names and jurisdictional language are key evidence: both can reveal earlier catalogue descriptions and overlooked record series. The source revision retrieved here is dated Aug 20, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q2510174. None of the 0 selected statements returned an explicit reference.
A single description cannot reconcile every naming convention, rebuilding phase or administrative transfer associated with a place. The source lead contains qualifying language; that uncertainty should survive quotation, summary and reuse. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Treat names, boundaries and functions as historically changeable. Maps, plans, inventories and administrative records can clarify what the place meant at different dates.
- Historic place names
- Jurisdictional context
- Routes into maps and plans
Contemporary maps, plans, listed-building records, estate papers and the responsible local or national archive.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Geography of Hong Kong”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Geography of Hong Kong primary sources, Geography of Hong Kong archive and Geography research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Geography of Hong Kong”?
- Which earlier names or jurisdictions may reveal additional records?
- Which authority defined the place, boundary or structure at the relevant date?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “Geography of Hong Kong” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.