Hong Kong

Many people think of Hong Kong as an island. Hong Kong is actually made up of many islands - 236 islands plus a chunk of mainland bordering the province of Guangdong. Hong Kong Island is one of the largest and most important of the islands; peninsular Kowloon is an urban center on the mainland, and the New Territories is a more suburban and rural area on the mainland.


CLIMATE: Hong Kong has a temperate climate moderated by the Pacific Ocean; it is usually warm during the day (60s to 70s) and cooler during the evening. In the summer it rarely drops below 80° with highs near 90°. Rain is quite common during the Fall, Spring, and Summer semesters.

CURRENCY: The Hong Kong dollar (HKD) is made up of 100 cents.

LANGUAGE: Official languages are Chinese (Cantonese) and English. Cantonese is the primary language, although Mandarin (Putonghua) is heard more and more. English is spoken in all the main tourist areas, hotels and restaurants.