Kowloon Peninsula

Kowloon Peninsula
An aerial view of Kowloon Peninsula from Hong Kong Island
Traditional Chinese	九龍半島
Simplified Chinese	九龙半岛
Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin Jǐulǒng Bàndǎo Hakka Romanization Giu3lung2 Ban4Dau3 Yue: Cantonese IPA [kɐ̌ulʊ̏ŋ pʊ̄ntǒu] Jyutping gau2lung4 bun3dou2

The Kowloon Peninsula is a peninsula that forms the southern part of the main landmass in the territory of Hong Kong. The Kowloon Peninsula and the area of New Kowloon are collectively known as Kowloon.

Geographically, the term "Kowloon Peninsula" may also refer to the area south of the mountain ranges of Beacon Hill, Lion Rock, Tate's Cairn, Kowloon Peak, etc. The peninsula covers five of the eighteen districts of Hong Kong. Kowloon Bay is located at the northeast of the peninsula.

The main rock type of the peninsula consists of a medium grained monzogranite with some fine granite outcrops, part of the Kowloon Granite [1]. Early maps and photographs show flat, low-lying land behind the beach of Tsim Sha Tsui Bay with a raised area, Kowloon Hill, in the west.

The peninsula has been significantly expanded through land reclamation from the sea, over several phases. In the south and west most of the reclamation was carried out before 1904. Reclamation in several other small areas along the main Tsim Sha Tsui waterfront was completed by 1982. The West Kowloon Reclamation was formed as part of the Airport Core Programme and largely completed by 1995.

Before the actual Kowloon boundaries were established, the Kowloon Peninsula served as one of the first destinations for escape during China's dynastic times. In 1287, the last emperor of the Song Dynasty, Emperor Bing was fleeing from the Mongol leader Kublai Khan. Taking refuge in a cave in the Kowloon peninsula, the inscription wrote "Sung Wong Toi" or "Song Emperor's Pavilion". In the 17th century, after the fall of the Ming Dynasty, many of the Emperor's followers also found shelter in the Kowloon peninsula to hide from the Manchus.