K
|香港政府
GIS 新聞處
DAILY INFORMATION BULLETIN
SUNDAY, AUGUST 8, 1976
HK'S SHORELINES EXPAND THROUGH RECLAMATION ·
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ONE MILLION PEOPLE IN HONG KONG A QUARTER OF THE POPULATION - LIVE ON LAND THAT WAS ONCE THE EXCLUSIVE DOMAIN OF CHINESE FISHING JUNKS.
ALTOGETHER, 1,628 HECTARES OR NEARLY 18 SQUARE KILOMETRES OF LAND, HAVE BEEN RECLAIMED FROM THE SEA SINCE HONG KONG WAS FOUNDED.
MOST OF THE NEW LAND WAS FORMED SINCE WORLD WAR II WITH TOTAL COSTS ESTIMATED AT OVER HK$1,000 MILLION. THIS ENORMOUS EXPENDITURE, AND THE SHEER SIZE OF THE EXERCISE, MAKE IT ONE OF THE MOST AMBITIOUS RECLAMATION PROJECTS CARRIED OUT ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD.
MANY OF HONG KONG'S MAJOR BUILDINGS AND FACILITIES ARE SITUATED ON RECLAIMED LAND. THESE INCLUDE KAI TAK INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT, THE NEW RAILWAY TERMINAL, THE MAMMOTH CONTAINER BERTH COMPLEX AT KWAI CHUNG AND MUCH OF THE INDUSTRIAL SATELLITE CITY OF KWUN TONG.
THE GREATER PART OF THE CITY'S CENTRAL COMMERCIAL DISTRICT ON HONG KONG ISLAND ALSO STANDS ON LAND RECLAIMED FROM THE SEA. IN THIS AREA, ONE OF ASIA'S TALLEST BUILDINGS - THE 52-STOREY CONNAUGHT CENTRE RISES FROM LAND RECLAIMED AS RECENTLY AS 1965.
FURTHER EXTENSIVE RECLAMATION WORKS ARE CURRENTLY UNDERWAY AND STILL OTHERS ARE AT THE PLANNING STAGE. THREE HUGE +NEW TOWNS+, DUE FOR COMPLETION IN THE COMING DECADE, ARE BEING BUILT LARGELY ON LAND RECLAIMED FROM HONG KONG'S HARBOURS AND BAYS. THESE RECLAMATION PROJECTS ARE DIRECTED BY THE PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT (P.W.D.), PRINCIPALLY THROUGH ITS PORT WORKS DIVISION, HEADED BY CHIEF ENGINEER MR. H.R.A. CHAMBERLAIN. MR. CHAMBERLAIN ESTIMATES CURRENT AVERAGE COSTS OF RECLAMATION OPERATIONS AT
HK$1 MILLION PER ACRE.
HONG KONG IS FORCED INTO THIS EXPENSIVE UNDERTAKING BY THE DUAL PRESSURES OF POPULATION GROWTH AND A DYNAMICALLY-EXPAND ING INDUSTRIAL BASE. WITH A TOTAL LAND AREA OF ONLY 1,046 SQUARE KILOMETRES AND ALMOST 4.5 MILLION PEOPLE, IT IS ONE OF THE MOST DENSELY-POPULATED PLACES IN THE WORLD.
Issued by Government Information Services, Beaconsfield House, Hong Kong. Tel: 5-233191
/LAND
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