Hong Kong Special Administrative Region is also called Xiangjiang, or Xianghai. It is east of the mouth of the Zhujiang River and consists of Hong Kong Island, Kowloon Peninsula, New Territories, Lantau Island, and all the surrounding water area. Its land area holds a population of 6.78 million (2000 census), among whom 95 percent are Chinese. Hong Kong is at the southeast end of the Euro-Asia mainland. It is one of the main trading, transportation, and financial centers of the Asia-Pacific region. After the Opium War in 1842, it was taken over by the English government. On July 1, 1997, the Chinese government resumed the dominion of Hong Kong and set up the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region there.

Hong Kong faces the South China Sea. There are more than 200 islands off the coast. Hong Kong Island is the economic and cultural center of Hong Kong proper. The average temperature of Hong Kong is 78°F. Spring is warm and foggy, summer is hot and rainy, autumn is pleasant, and winter is dry and cold. The precipitation between May and September is about 80 percent of the entire annual amount.