Kowloon

Kowloon is a major urban area in Hong Kong.

It is one of three primary divisions of the region. The other two divisions are Hong Kong Island and the New Territories. Kowloon consists of the Kowloon Peninsula and an area called New Kowloon. It is the smallest of the three divisions. However, it is also the second most populous. It is also the most densely populated division in Hong Kong.

The geography of Kowloon is defined by water and mountains. It sits directly north of Hong Kong Island. Victoria Harbour separates the peninsula from the island. To the east, the land is bordered by the Lei Yue Mun strait. To the west, it meets Mei Foo Sun Chuen, Butterfly Valley, and Stonecutter's Island. The northern boundary is a mountain range. This range includes peaks like Tate's Cairn and Lion Rock. The name Kowloon means "Nine Dragons" in Chinese. This name refers to eight specific mountains. These are Kowloon Peak, Tung Shan, Tate's Cairn, and Temple Hill. The list also includes Unicorn Ridge, Lion Rock, Beacon Hill, and Crow's Nest. The ninth dragon is Emperor Bing of Song.

History shows how the administration of the land changed over time. In 1860, the Convention of Peking was signed. Under this agreement, Qing China ceded the area south of Boundary Street to the United Kingdom. This area included Stonecutters Island. For many years, this land remained largely undeveloped. The British used the area mainly for tiger-hunting expeditions. Later, the British leased New Kowloon for 99 years. This happened under the 1898 Second Convention of Peking. New Kowloon is technically part of the New Territories. However, most people consider it an integral part of the Kowloon urban area.

Urban development transformed the landscape during the 20th century. Large-scale projects began with the Kowloon-Canton Railway. The construction of the Kowloon Wharf also helped the area grow. One famous location was the Kowloon Walled City. This area was located within Kowloon City. The Walled City was eventually demolished in 1993. Another area, West Kowloon, was once a dockyard for the Royal Navy. This land was later reclaimed from the sea. Development was sometimes limited by the nearby Kai Tak Airport.

Because of the airport flight paths, Kowloon had a much lower skyline than Hong Kong Island.

The population of Kowloon has seen massive shifts. In 1911, the census recorded only 7,306 people. Most of these residents were Hakka. This number grew drastically due to conflict. Between 1937 and 1939, 750,000 refugees arrived from the People's Republic of China. This caused extreme congestion in the area. After World War II, slums for these refugees were replaced. They were replaced by public housing estates. These estates mix with private residential, commercial, and industrial areas. By 2006, the population reached 2,019,533 people.

Demographics in Kowloon show a diverse community. About 94.2% of the residents are of Chinese ethnicity. There are several significant ethnic minority groups. These include Indonesians at 1.8% and Filipinos at 1.5%. Indians make up 0.5% of the population. Nepalese residents account for 0.4%. British residents account for 0.3%. Language is also a key feature of the culture. Around 86% of residents use Cantonese as their usual language. English is used by 2.3% of the population. Mandarin is used by 1.2%.

Education and transport systems support this dense population. Many students attend institutions like the Hong Kong Polytechnic University.

Others attend King George V School.

To travel, residents rely on tunnels. There are no bridges connecting Kowloon to Hong Kong Island. Two tunnels are for road traffic only. These are the Cross-Harbour Tunnel and the Western Harbour Crossing.

Three MTR railway tunnels also connect the areas. One tunnel, the Eastern Harbour Tunnel, carries both road traffic and the Tseung Kwan O line. This complex network allows people to move through the busy urban landscape.