Kowloon Peninsula

The Kowloon Peninsula is a peninsula that is part of the southern part of the main landmass in the territory of Hong Kong, alongside Victoria Harbour and facing toward Hong Kong Island. It, together with Ngong Shuen Chau, makes up what is called the Old Kowloon. When we also include the area of New Kowloon, the whole region is known simply as Kowloon.

Geographically, the Kowloon Peninsula can also be thought of as the area south of several important mountain ranges, such as Beacon Hill, Lion Rock, Tate's Cairn, and Kowloon Peak. This peninsula includes five of the eighteen districts of Hong Kong. One notable part of the area is Kowloon Bay, which lies on the northeast side of the peninsula.

Geology and reclamation

The Kowloon Peninsula is mainly made of a type of rock called monzogranite, with some smaller areas of fine granite. Old maps and photos show that it once had flat land near Tsim Sha Tsui Bay and a higher area called Kowloon Hill to the west.

Over time, people have added more land to the peninsula by taking land from the sea. Much of this happened before 1904 in the south and west. More land was added along Tsim Sha Tsui by 1982. Since 1994, parts of Hung Hom Bay were also turned into land, and by 2019, all of it had been changed. The West Kowloon area was expanded as part of a big airport plan and finished mostly by 1995.

History

The Kowloon Peninsula has an interesting history. Long ago, during China's dynastic times, it was a place where people could find safety. In 1287, the last emperor of the Song dynasty, Emperor Bing, fled from Mongol leaders and hid in a cave there. Later, after the Ming dynasty fell, many of the emperor's followers also used the peninsula as a hiding place.

In the 1800s, Britain took control of part of the Kowloon Peninsula in 1860. This area became known as British Kowloon. At that time, about 800 people lived there. Today, the peninsula is considered the land south of several mountain ranges.

City landscape

A view of the Kowloon Peninsula can be seen from Hong Kong Island. The Kowloon Peninsula is part of southern Hong Kong, located next to Victoria Harbour.