Hong Kong and Macau
Hong Kong comprises an extension of China's Guangdong province and some 235 islands including Hong Kong Island. It has a land area of 1,100 square kilometers (425,000 square miles) and had an estimated population of 6,855,125 in 2004. Level land is at a premium as most of Hong Kong consists of rugged hills and mountains. A large percentage of Hong Kong's people live and work in high density areas on the northern side of Hong Kong Island and across the water at Kowloon. Since the early 1950s an increasing number of refugees from China forced the government to build large housing estates in selected areas throughout the southern part of an area north of Kowloon known as the New Territories. Dotted throughout the New Territories and most of the smaller islands are numerous traditional villages where life has remained relatively unchanged over the past 100 years.
British Colony to Chinese Special Administrative Region
Hong Kong was made a Special Administrative Region within the People's Republic of China (PRC) on July 1, 1997, after being a British Crown Colony for some 156 years. Prior to British settlement Hong Kong Island was a haven for smugglers, fishermen, and those fleeing from or plotting against imperial rule.
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