Centre Island or A Chau () is a small uninhabited island of Hong Kong located in

Tolo Harbour Tolo Harbour, or Tai Po Hoi (, historically ) is a sheltered harbour in northeast New Territories of Hong Kong. Geography Tide Cove aka. Sha Tin Hoi is to the south of the harbour, and Plover Cove, Three Fathoms Cove and Tolo Channel are to ...

, in the northwestern part of the territory. Administratively, it is part of

Tai Po District Tai Po District is one of the 18 districts of Hong Kong. The suburban district covers the areas of Tai Po New Town (including areas such as Tai Po Market, , Tai Po Industrial Estate, Tai Wo Estate), Tai Po Tau, Tai Po Kau, Hong Lok Yuen, Ti ...

Geography

The island has an area of 0.035 km². Its highest point is at 26.8 m.Chau Hing Wah, "Tai Po: Pre-History", ''Tai Po Book'' p. 20
/ref> The island has a partially rugged coastline with sections with sandy beaches. The interior of the island is covered by trees.

History

A mid-

Neolithic The Neolithic period, or New Stone Age, is an Old World archaeological period and the final division of the Stone Age. It saw the Neolithic Revolution, a wide-ranging set of developments that appear to have arisen independently in several parts ...

prehistoric site dating back to about 6,000 years ago has been identified on Centre Island during a survey conducted in 1997–1998. Prehistoric sites have been discovered on two other islands of Tolo Harbour, namely

Yuen Chau Tsai Yuen Chau Tsai, was an island in Tolo Harbour, Hong Kong. It is now connected to land by a causeway after land reclamation. It is part of Tai Po New Town in the Tai Po District. The Tai Wong Yeh Temple and Island House are located in the a ...

(3,000 years,

Bronze Age The Bronze Age is a historic period, lasting approximately from 3300 BC to 1200 BC, characterized by the use of bronze, the presence of writing in some areas, and other early features of urban civilization. The Bronze Age is the second pri ...

) and Yim Tin Tsai (4,000 years, late Neolithic).

Conservation

Centre Island was designated a

Site of Special Scientific Interest A Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) in Great Britain or an Area of Special Scientific Interest (ASSI) in the Isle of Man and Northern Ireland is a conservation designation denoting a protected area in the United Kingdom and Isle of ...

in 1982. The designation is based on the geological interest of the island. Centre Island is part of the

Ma Shi Chau Special Area Ma Shi Chau Special Area () is a Special Area of Hong Kong. It is located in Tai Po District and in Tolo Harbour, in the northeast of the New Territories. The Special Area comprises four islands in Tolo Harbour, namely Ma Shi Chau, Centre Islan ...

, together with three other islands in Tolo Harbour, namely

Ma Shi Chau Ma Shi Chau (, literally "Horse Dung Island") is an island of Hong Kong, under the administration of Tai Po District. It is located in Tolo Harbour in the northeast New Territories (near Sam Mun Tsai). It is connected with another island, Yi ...

, Yeung Chau and an unnamed island located about 100 m northeast of the shore of Yim Tin Tsai near Sam Mun Tsai New Village. The Special Area was designated in 1999.SPECIAL AREAS (DESIGNATION) (CONSOLIDATION) ORDER - CHAPTER 208D
/ref>

References

Islands of Hong Kong Tai Po District Hong Kong UNESCO Global Geopark Uninhabited islands of Hong Kong {{HongKong-geo-stub