Hong Kong is part of China, but is unique as it is a Special Administrative Region of China, along with its neighbour Macau. Hong Kong used to be administered by the UK, but was returned to China in 1997. Part of the deal of its return was the concept of "One country, two systems" which means that Hong Kong is part of China but is goverened largely autonomously. The exceptions lie in foreign policy and defense.
Hong Kong has a population of over 7 million people crammed into approximately 1104 square km (426 square miles), which makes it one of the most densely populated places in the world. It has become known as "the world`s most vertical city" because of all its high rise buildings and apartments, designed to efficiently maximize use of limited space. Its population density and limited space has also led to a highly utilized public transportation system, with 90% of the population using public transport. This is among the highest rates in the world. Hong Kong is a world financial center because of its low taxes and low barriers to business creation.
I have personally spent a week in Hong Kong, and the amount of experiences to be had in this one small area is quite mindblowing.
Hopefully the above Hong Kong map images were sufficient. They are good for a general overview of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region.
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