Hong Kong:
Geography

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Other pages in this profile of Hong Kong:
People, Government, Economy, Communications & Transportation, Military & Transnational Issues.


Background	Definition Occupied by the UK in 1841, Hong Kong was formally ceded by China the following year; various adjacent lands were added later in the 19th century. Pursuant to an agreement signed by China and the UK on 19 December 1984, Hong Kong became the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (SAR) of China on 1 July 1997. In this agreement, China promised that, under its "one country, two systems" formula, China's socialist economic system would not be imposed on Hong Kong and that Hong Kong would enjoy a high degree of autonomy in all matters except foreign and defense affairs for the next 50 years.

Location	Definition Eastern Asia, bordering the South China Sea and China
Geographic coordinates	Definition 22 15 N, 114 10 E
Map references	Definition Southeast Asia
Area	Definition - World rank and map total: 1,092 sq km land: 1,042 sq km water: 50 sq km
Area - comparative	Definition six times the size of Washington, DC
Land boundaries	Definition total: 30 km regional border: China 30 km
Coastline	Definition 733 km
Maritime claims	Definition territorial sea: 3 nm
Climate	Definition subtropical monsoon; cool and humid in winter, hot and rainy from spring through summer, warm and sunny in fall
Terrain	Definition hilly to mountainous with steep slopes; lowlands in north
Elevation extremes	Definition lowest point: South China Sea 0 m highest point: Tai Mo Shan 958 m
Natural resources	Definition outstanding deepwater harbor, feldspar
Land use	Definition - World rank and map arable land: 5.05% permanent crops: 1.01% other: 93.94% (2001)
Irrigated land	Definition 20 sq km (1998 est.)
Natural hazards	Definition occasional typhoons
Environment - current issues	Definition air and water pollution from rapid urbanization
Environment - international agreements	Definition party to: Marine Dumping (associate member), Ship Pollution (associate member)
Geography - note	Definition more than 200 islands

Hong Kong: Geography

Hong Kong:
Geography