UK CONFIDENTIAL
Terrain
5. Igneous rocks - mainly granites and basalts form the basis of the colony's geology. These contain few minerals. The hills, which nowhere exceed 1000 m in height, have long since been stripped of natural vegetation and are mostly grass covered except where afforestation measures are in hand. Both agricultural land and flat land of any description are everywhere scarce, and this shortage has stimulated land reclamation throughout the colony. Reclaimed land not only provides sites for factories and houses but also for projects like airport and docks extension and the construction of reservoirs for fresh water.
6.
The mainland New Territories consist largely of three separate hill ridges aligned roughly northeast-southwest and of which the central ridge is the highest, culminating in the colony's highest peak, Tai Mo Shan, (D4) 958 m. The eastern coast of the mainland is rugged and deeply indented; the sea has "drowned" the valleys between the spurs, giving a small scale fjord-like appearance to the mainland and leaving the higher levels as islands. The western part of the mainland fronting Deep Bay has the largest area of flat land; here there are fish ponds and paddy fields. The only other notable area of flat land in the south is completely built up by the town of Kowloon.
7. There are some 250 islands in the colony, some scarcely more than rocky patches. Lantau, the largest, measures approximately 27 km by 11 km at its widest. Hong Kong island is the next in order of size being about 15 km in length, and varying in width between 11 km at its widest and 3 km at its nar- rowest. Lantau consists of three ridges running generally northeast-southwest like those on the mainland (of which they are probably a continuation). The southerly ridge (490 m) is separated by a saddle from the central and highest ridge, with peaks of 935 m and 869 m. The northern end of the island is much lower and broken up. All the hills rise steeply from the sea leaving a very narrow coastal plain on which most of the island's villages are situated. Hong Kong island consists basically of a long east-west ridge presenting a steep face to the sea on the northern flank and throwing off three spurs to the south. The highest point on the island is Victoria Peak (554 m) at the western end. Much of the island is built up: elsewhere the hills are covered with grass or low scrub.
Climate
8. Hong Kong lies within the tropics. The major climatic influences are the monsoons. The southwest monsoon prevails from May to September bringing southerly winds and much rain. The dry northeast monsoon lasts from October to March or April. Between the two monsoons are short transitional periods.
9. Maximum daily temperatures range on average between 27°C in January and February, and over 35°C in July: absolute maxima have not risen so far above 36°C. Minimum daily temperatures range from 0°C in January and February to 22°C in July. Occasionally the thermometer has dropped to below freezing point at high elevations and in the New Territories.
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UK CONFIDENTIAL
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