Hong Kong, the vibrant and dynamic city was just a “barren rock” housing a collection of fishing villages when claimed by Britain in 1842 following the First Opium War with China. Hong Kong Island was ceded to Britain under the Treaty of Nanking. The Kowloon Peninsula and Stonecutters Island were handed over in 1860 and a 99 year lease was grated on the New Territories, comprising the area north of Kowloon up to the Shenzhen River and 235 outlying islands, in 1898. Hong Kong returned to Chinese sovereignty on 1 July 2007.
Hong Kong officially The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region is one of the two special administrative regions of the People's Republic of China (PRC), along with Macau. The territory lies on the eastern side of the Pearl River Delta, bordering Guangdong province in the north and facing the South China Sea in the east, west and south. Beginning as a trading port in the 19th century, Hong Kong has developed into a leading financial centre.
Today, Hong Kong is a flourishing international centre with a population of more than 6.9 million people. With a land area of more than 1,100 square kilometers and over 260 outlying islands, Hong Kong is compact and accessible. It consists of Hong Kong Island, separated from the Kowloon Peninsula by Victoria Harbour and the New Territories that begin north of Kowloon and extend to the Mainland China boundary. A unique combination of more than 150 years of colonial influence and 5,000 years of Chinese tradition, Hong Kong is a fantastic holiday experience.