CONTENTS.
HISTORY AND GEOGRAPHY
I. GENERAL
II. FINANCE
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III. PRODUCTION
IV. TRADE AND ECONOMICS
V. COMMUNICATIONS
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VI. JUSTICE, POLICE AND PRISONS
VII. PUBLIC WORKS
VIII. PUBLIC HEALTH
IX. EDUCATION
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X. LANDS AND SURVEY
XI. LABOUR
XII. LEGISLATION
XIII. MISCELLANEOUS
History and Geography.
The Colony of Hong Kong is situated off the south-eastern coast of China between latitude 22°9′ and 22°17′ N. and longitude 114°5′ and 114°18′ E. The island is about eleven miles long and two to five miles in breadth, its circumference being about 27 miles and its area 284 square miles. It consists of an irregular ridge of lofty hills rising to a height of nearly 2,000 feet above sea level, stretching nearly east and west, with few valleys of any extent and little ground available for cultivation.
The island was ceded to Great Britain in January, 1841, the cession being confirmed by the Treaty of Nanking in August, 1842. The charter bears the date of 5th April, 1843. The Kowloon peninsula and Stonecutter's Island were ceded to Great Britain under the Convention signed at Peking in October, 1860, and under the Convention signed at Peking in June, 1898, the area known as the New Territories including Mirs Bay and Deep Bay was leased to Great Britain by the Government of China for 99 years. The area of the New Territories and Islands is about 345 square miles.