The Islands District is one of the 18

districts of Hong Kong The districts of Hong Kong are the 18 political areas of Hong Kong, a special administrative region of the People's Republic of China, that are geographically and administratively divided. Each district has a district council, formerly dist ...

. It is part of the

New Territories The New Territories is one of the three main regions of Hong Kong, alongside Hong Kong Island and the Kowloon Peninsula. It makes up 86.2% of Hong Kong's territory, and contains around half of the population of Hong Kong. Historically, it ...

. It had a population of 170,900 in 2018. Hong Kong consists of a

peninsula A peninsula (; ) is a landform that extends from a mainland and is surrounded by water on most, but not all of its borders. A peninsula is also sometimes defined as a piece of land bordered by water on three of its sides. Peninsulas exist on all ...

and 263 islands. The Islands District consists of some twenty large and small islands which lie to the south and southwest of Hong Kong. Notable areas that are part of the Islands District include

Chek Lap Kok Chek Lap Kok is an island in the western waters of Hong Kong's New Territories. Unlike the smaller Lam Chau, it was only partially leveled when it was assimilated via land reclamation into the island for the current Hong Kong International ...

, the reclaimed island on which

Hong Kong International Airport Hong Kong International Airport is Hong Kong's main airport, built on reclaimed land on the island of Chek Lap Kok, Hong Kong. The airport is also referred to as Chek Lap Kok International Airport or ''Chek Lap Kok Airport'', to distinguish ...

is located,

Tung Chung Tung Chung, meaning " eastern stream", is an area on the northwestern coast of Lantau Island, Hong Kong. One of the most recent new towns, it was formerly a rural fishing village beside Tung Chung Bay, and along the delta and lower courses of T ...

on northern Lantau near the airport, and

Discovery Bay Discovery Bay (DB) is a resort town on Lantau Island, Hong Kong. It consists of mixed, primarily residential, development, in particular upmarket residential development and private and public recreational facilities, including garden houses, ...

, a large private residential area on eastern Lantau.

Islands of Hong Kong

Many

islands of Hong Kong Hong Kong comprises the Kowloon Peninsula and 263 islands over , the largest being Lantau Island and the second largest being Hong Kong Island. Ap Lei Chau is one of the most densely populated islands in the world. Hong Kong Island is historic ...

are actually not part of the district. Most notably,

Hong Kong Island Hong Kong Island is an Islands and peninsulas of Hong Kong, island in the southern part of Hong Kong. Known colloquially and on road signs simply as Hong Kong, the island has a population of 1,289,500 and its population density is 16,390/km ...

contains four districts itself. The term '' Outlying Islands'' tends to refer to the islands of the Islands District. The northeast point of

Lantau Lantau Island (also Lantao Island, Lan Tao) is the largest island in Hong Kong, located West of Hong Kong Island and the Kowloon Peninsula, and is part of the New Territories. Administratively, most of Lantau Island is part of the Islands Dis ...

and

Ma Wan Ma Wan is an island of Hong Kong, located between Lantau Island and Tsing Yi Island, with an area of .Tsuen Wan District Tsuen Wan District is one of the 18 districts of Hong Kong. It is located in the New Territories and is served by the Tsuen Wan line of the MTR metro system. Its area is 60,7 km². Its residents, who mostly live in Tsuen Wan Town, en ...

owing to their administration and transportation dependence of

Tsuen Wan Tsuen Wan (formerly also spelled Tsun Wan) is a town built on a bay in the western New Territories of Hong Kong, opposite of Tsing Yi Island across Rambler Channel. The market town of Tsuen Wan emerged from the surrounding villages and flee ...

Tsing Yi Island Tsing Yi, sometimes referred to as Tsing Yi Island, is an island in the urban area of Hong Kong, to the northwest of Hong Kong Island and south of Tsuen Wan. With an area of , the island has extended drastically by reclamation along almost all ...

once was administrated by Tsuen Wan District and now by

Kwai Tsing District Kwai Tsing is one of the districts of Hong Kong, 18 districts of Hong Kong. It consists of two parts - Kwai Chung and Tsing Yi, Tsing Yi Island. Kwai Tsing is part of the New Territories. It had a population of 520,572 in 2016. The district h ...

. Whilst the Sai Kung Islands are part of the

Sai Kung District Sai Kung District is one of the 18 districts of Hong Kong, a special administrative region of China. The district comprises the southern half of the Sai Kung Peninsula, the Clear Water Bay Peninsula in the New Territories and a strip of lan ...

, and the Tolo Channel Islands 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 ...

Demographics

With an area that is 16% of Hong Kong and a population that is 2% of Hong Kong, the Islands District is the largest in terms of area and also the least populated. It is therefore the district with by far the lowest

population density Population density (in agriculture: standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical term.Matt RosenberPopul ...

of 783 per km². The outlying islands are notable for a more relaxed way of life than that of Hong Kong Island and

Kowloon Peninsula The Kowloon Peninsula is a peninsula that forms the southern part of the main landmass in the territory of Hong Kong, alongside Victoria Harbour and facing toward Hong Kong Island. The Kowloon Peninsula and the area of New Kowloon are collect ...

. The district has the third-youngest residents. Collectively,

Mui Wo Mui Wo is a rural town on the eastern coast of Lantau Island in Hong Kong. The 2011 Census recorded 5,485 people living in Mui Wo and its environs. Mui Wo is located on Silvermine Bay, so named for the silver mines that were once worked along ...

and

Tai O Tai O is a fishing town, partly located on an island of the same name, on the western side of Lantau Island in Hong Kong. The village name means ''large inlet'', referring to outlet for the waterways (Tai O Creek and Tai O River) merges as it ...

on Lantau,

Cheung Chau Cheung Chau (lit. "Long Island") is an island southwest of Hong Kong Island. It is nicknamed the 'dumbbell island (啞鈴島)' due to its shape. It has been inhabited for longer than most other places in Hong Kong, and had a population of 2 ...

Lamma Island Lamma Island, also known as Y Island or Pok Liu Chau or simply Pok Liu, is the third largest island in Hong Kong. Administratively, it is part of the Islands District. Name Lamma Island was named Lamma only because of a chart reading error by ...

and

Peng Chau Peng Chau is a small island located off the north-eastern coast of Lantau Island, Hong Kong. It is known locally for its temples, fishing industry and seafood. Geography Peng Chau has an area of and a perimeter of about . The tallest point ...

are more populated than the rest of the area of the district.

Islands of the district

* Cha Kwo Chau *

(

is built here) *

Hei Ling Chau Hei Ling Chau, formerly Hayling Chau, is an island of Hong Kong, located east of Silver Mine Bay and Chi Ma Wan of Lantau Island. Administratively, it is part of the Islands District. Geography Hei Ling Chau is located south of Peng Chau and ...

** Sunshine Island (Chau Kung To) *

Peaked Hill Peaked Hill may refer to: * Peaked Hill (Massachusetts) * Peaked Hill (Hong Kong) * Peaked Hill Bars, off the Atlantic Coast of Provincetown, Massachusetts See also * Peaked Mountain (disambiguation) {{geo-dis ...

(Kai Yek Kok) * Kau Yi Chau ** Siu Kau Yi Chau *

** Luk Chau (George Island) *

Lantau Island Lantau Island (also Lantao Island, Lan Tao) is the largest island in Hong Kong, located West of Hong Kong Island and the Kowloon Peninsula, and is part of the New Territories. Administratively, most of Lantau Island is part of the Islands ...

(The largest part of the district) **

** Tai Lei *

Po Toi Islands The Po Toi Islands are a small group of islands with a population of around 200, south-east of Hong Kong Island, off Stanley, in Hong Kong. The main island of the group is Po Toi Island. Administratively, they are part of Islands District. Th ...

Lo Chau Lo may refer to any of the following: Arts and entertainment * ''Lo!'', the third published nonfiction work of the author Charles Fort * L.O., a fictional character in the Playhouse Disney show Happy Monster Band * ''Lo'' (film), a 2009 indep ...

(Beaufort Island) ** Mat Chau **

Po Toi Po Toi (commonly , originally ) is the main island of the Po Toi Islands and the southernmost island of Hong Kong, with an area of 3.69 km². Name It is said that the island used to produce dried seaweeds (), which were shaped like the catt ...

** Sung Kong **

Waglan Island Waglan Island is a member of the Po Toi group of islands in Hong Kong. It hosts a ground of meteorological observation and recording. Waglan lighthouse The Waglan Lighthouse on Waglan Island has been listed as a declared monument of Hong K ...

Shek Kwu Chau Shek Kwu Chau is an island of Hong Kong, located south of Lantau Island and between Cheung Chau and the Soko Islands. Administratively, it is part of Islands District. Shek Kwu Chau is a restricted area and a permit is required to visit the ...

Soko Islands The Soko Islands () are a group of islands in Hong Kong. The group consists of Tai A Chau, Siu A Chau and several smaller nearby islands, in the southwesternmost waters of the territory, to the southwest of Lantau Island. An older name for th ...

** Cheung Muk Tau ** Ma Chau ** Siu A Chau **

Tai A Chau Tai A Chau is an uninhabited island of Hong Kong, part of the Soko Islands group, located south of Lantau Island. It is referred to as South Soko Island in some media articles. Geography With an area of 1.2 km², Tai A Chau is the larges ...

** Tau Lo Chau ** Yuen Chau ** Yuen Kong Chau

Transport

Most of the islands in the Islands District have

ferry A ferry is a ship, watercraft or amphibious vehicle used to carry passengers, and sometimes vehicles and cargo, across a body of water. A passenger ferry with many stops, such as in Venice, Italy, is sometimes called a water bus or water taxi ...

services linking them with each other and the remainder of the territory, along with

Macau Macau or Macao (; ; ; ), officially the Macao Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China (MSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China in the western Pearl River Delta by the South China Sea. With a pop ...

and nearby cities in the

Pearl Delta The Pearl River Delta Metropolitan Region (PRD; ; pt, Delta do Rio das Pérolas (DRP)) is the low-lying area surrounding the Pearl River estuary, where the Pearl River flows into the South China Sea. Referred to as the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Mac ...

, including

Guangzhou Guangzhou (, ; ; or ; ), also known as Canton () and alternatively romanized as Kwongchow or Kwangchow, is the capital and largest city of Guangdong province in southern China. Located on the Pearl River about north-northwest of Hong Kon ...

and

Shenzhen Shenzhen (; ; ; ), also historically known as Sham Chun, is a major sub-provincial city and one of the special economic zones of China. The city is located on the east bank of the Pearl River estuary on the central coast of southern province ...

. Public ferry piers are located at

(Wing Hong Street, Shek Tsai Po),

, Cheung Chau Wan,

(Silvermine Bay),

(

Yung Shue Wan Yung Shue Wan is the main population centre on Lamma Island, Hong Kong. It has a population of approximately 6,000. Administration Yung Shue Wan is a recognized village under the New Territories Small House Policy. Features The village is ...

Sok Kwu Wan 250px, Sok Kwu Wan viewed from Lamma Island walk Sok Kwu Wan () or Picnic Bay () is a bay on the east coast of Lamma Island, Hong Kong. A fishing town of the same name, Sok Kwu Wan, in the bay has a cluster of famous and well-reputed seafood res ...

, Chi Ma Wan, and

. However, only

has a

fixed link A bridge is a structure built to span a physical obstacle (such as a body of water, valley, road, or rail) without blocking the way underneath. It is constructed for the purpose of providing passage over the obstacle, which is usually somethi ...

to the

and the rest of Hong Kong. This is via the

North Lantau Highway North Lantau Highway is an expressway forming part of Hong Kong's Route 8, linking Hong Kong International Airport and Lantau Island with the rest of the territory. The road has three lanes in each direction for its entire length with full ...

and the

Lantau Link The Lantau Link, formerly known as the Lantau Fixed Crossing, is a roadway in Hong Kong forming part of Route 8 linking Lantau Island to Tsing Yi, from which other roads lead to the urban areas of Kowloon and the rest of the New Territories ...

, part of the

Airport Core Programme The Airport Core Programme was a series of infrastructure projects centred on the new Hong Kong International Airport during the early 1990s. The programme was part of the Port and Airport Development Strategy, commonly known as the Rose Gard ...

completed in 1998. Most recently, since 2018, Lantau is the location of the Hong Kong Port of Entry for the

Hong Kong–Zhuhai–Macau Bridge The Hong Kong–Zhuhai–Macau Bridge (HZMB) is a bridge–tunnel system consisting of a series of three cable-stayed bridges, an undersea tunnel, and four artificial islands. It is both the longest sea crossing and the longest open-sea fixe ...

. Lantau is also the only island in the Islands District with a well-developed

public transport Public transport (also known as public transportation, public transit, mass transit, or simply transit) is a system of transport for passengers by group travel systems available for use by the general public unlike private transport, typical ...

network on land. It has the only MTR stations within the district; they are

on the

Tung Chung line The Tung Chung line is one of the ten lines of the MTR system in Hong Kong, linking the town of Tung Chung with central Hong Kong. A part of the Tung Chung line was built along with the Kap Shui Mun Bridge and the Tsing Ma Bridge. The line cu ...

and two on the

Airport Express The AirPort Express is a Wi-Fi base station product from Apple Inc., part of the AirPort product line. While more compact and in some ways simpler than another Apple Wi-Fi base station, the AirPort Extreme, the Express offers audio output cap ...

serving the airport and AsiaWorld Expo (

Sunny Bay Ta Shui Wan () was a bay in Yam O, Lantau Island, New Territories, Hong Kong, located between Tai Yam Teng () and Ngong Shuen Au (). The bay was reclaimed to construct MTR Sunny Bay station. Ta Shui Wan Ferry Pier () was a ferry pier in Ta Shui ...

and

Disneyland Resort The Disneyland Resort, commonly known as Disneyland, is an entertainment resort in Anaheim, California. It is owned and operated by The Walt Disney Company through its Parks, Experiences and Products division and is home to two theme parks (Di ...

on the

Disneyland Resort line The Disneyland Resort line is a heavy rail MTR line connecting Sunny Bay to the Hong Kong Disneyland Resort, coloured pink on the network diagram. It is the seventh line of the former MTR network before the merger of MTR and KCR, and the ...

administratively lie in

Tsuen Wan District Tsuen Wan District is one of the 18 districts of Hong Kong. It is located in the New Territories and is served by the Tsuen Wan line of the MTR metro system. Its area is 60,7 km². Its residents, who mostly live in Tsuen Wan Town, en ...

). Finally, Lantau is the only island with franchised taxis and

buses A bus (contracted from omnibus, with variants multibus, motorbus, autobus, etc.) is a road vehicle that carries significantly more passengers than an average car or van. It is most commonly used in public transport, but is also in use for cha ...

, the latter mainly provided by

New Lantao Bus The New Lantao Bus Company (1973) Limited, commonly known as New Lantao Bus or NLB, is a franchised bus company operating in Hong Kong. It mainly operates bus routes on Lantau Island. History NLB was formed in 1973 through the merger of three b ...

(although other operators serve the northern shore, the airport, Disneyland, and Discovery Bay).

References

External links

Islands District Council

List and map of electoral constituencies (large PDF file)
* https://web.archive.org/web/20041203114950/http://www.islandsdc.gov.hk/ {{Major cities along the Pearl River