Districts of Hong Kong
Encyclopedia
The Districts of Hong Kong are the 18 political areas by which Hong Kong
is geographically divided. Each district has a district council
, which was formerly known as a district board. The districts were established in the early 1980s, when Hong Kong was under British rule
. However, Hong Kong police, fire department, hospital, and education do not follow these boundaries.
s and sold common goods across different areas. Organizations such as Nam Pak Hong
, Tung Wah Hospital Committee
and "District Watch Committee" often cut across any native district lines. The concept of boundary separation only became important around 1870, when cultural conflicts increased between coolies, Chinese and the British. One of the first legal attempt to control districts came in 1888 under the "European District Reservation Ordinance", which reserved areas exclusively to Europeans. The first "Town Planning Ordinance" did not appear until 1939.
The District Administration Scheme was implemented in 1982 with the establishment of a district board
and a district management committee in each of the districts in Hong Kong. The aim of the scheme is to achieve a more effective coordination of government activities in the provision of services and facilities at the district level, ensure that the Government is responsive to district needs and problems and promote public participation in district affairs. From 1 July 1997 to 31 December 1999, the former district boards were replaced by provisional district boards. The provisional district boards were in turn replaced on 1 January 2000, with 18 district councils.
There have been two major changes on district divisions since their implementation in 1982:
and Yau Tsim districts in 1995, Mong Kok District had the highest density (~120,000 /km²). The following figures come from the 2006 Population By-census. Note that the median monthly per capita income
is deduced from the median monthly domestic household income, the average domestic household size and the labour force.
The Home Affairs Department is responsible for the District Administration Scheme, community building and community involvement activities, minor environmental improvement projects and minor local public works, and the licensing of hotels and guesthouses, bedspace apartments and clubs. It promotes the concept of effective building management and works closely with other government departments to consistently improve the standard of building management in Hong Kong. It monitors the provision of new arrival services and identifies measures to meet the needs of new arrivals. It also disseminates information relating to and, where necessary, promotes the public's understanding of major government policies, strategies and development plans; and collects and assesses public opinion on relevant issues affecting the community. These responsibilities are discharged primarily through the 18 district offices covering the whole of Hong Kong.
The district councils also advise on the management of community halls, which should be in the best interest of the local residents. The district councils initiate, organise and sponsor community involvement projects and activities aimed at enhancing community spirit and social cohesion and promoting the well-being of people in the districts. These range from large-scale district festivals to the formation of local youth choirs and dance troupes. They have also achieved notable success in improving the local environment by undertaking minor environmental improvement projects such as the provision of rest gardens, rain shelters and amenity planting. In the 2003/04 financial year, $205.6 million has been allocated for the district councils.
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
is geographically divided. Each district has a district council
District Council of Hong Kong
The District Councils, formerly District Boards until 1999, are the local councils for the 18 Districts of Hong Kong. Under the supervision of Home Affairs Bureau of the Hong Kong Government, they are consultative bodies on district administration and affairs.- History :In 1982, under the...
, which was formerly known as a district board. The districts were established in the early 1980s, when Hong Kong was under British rule
Colonial Hong Kong
In the 19th century the British, Dutch, French, Indians and Americans saw Imperial China as the world's largest untapped market. In 1840 the British Empire launched their first and one of the most aggressive expeditionary forces to claim the territory that would later be known as Hong Kong.In a few...
. However, Hong Kong police, fire department, hospital, and education do not follow these boundaries.
History
In the 1860s, residents speaking the same dialects were often grouped together, and social structure was more important than district structure. Merchants often traveled together as guildGuild
A guild is an association of craftsmen in a particular trade. The earliest types of guild were formed as confraternities of workers. They were organized in a manner something between a trade union, a cartel, and a secret society...
s and sold common goods across different areas. Organizations such as Nam Pak Hong
Nam Pak Hong
The Nam Pak Hong , also Nam Pei Hong and Nam Bac Hang was a combination of individual hongs, or trading houses, the traditional form of business organization in China...
, Tung Wah Hospital Committee
Tung Wah Hospital
Tung Wah Hospital is a hospital in Hong Kong under the Tung Wah Group of Hospitals. Located above Possession Point, at 12 Po Yan Street in Sheung Wan, it is the first hospital established in Colonial Hong Kong for the general public in the 1870s.-History:The hospital was declared for construction...
and "District Watch Committee" often cut across any native district lines. The concept of boundary separation only became important around 1870, when cultural conflicts increased between coolies, Chinese and the British. One of the first legal attempt to control districts came in 1888 under the "European District Reservation Ordinance", which reserved areas exclusively to Europeans. The first "Town Planning Ordinance" did not appear until 1939.
The District Administration Scheme was implemented in 1982 with the establishment of a district board
District Council of Hong Kong
The District Councils, formerly District Boards until 1999, are the local councils for the 18 Districts of Hong Kong. Under the supervision of Home Affairs Bureau of the Hong Kong Government, they are consultative bodies on district administration and affairs.- History :In 1982, under the...
and a district management committee in each of the districts in Hong Kong. The aim of the scheme is to achieve a more effective coordination of government activities in the provision of services and facilities at the district level, ensure that the Government is responsive to district needs and problems and promote public participation in district affairs. From 1 July 1997 to 31 December 1999, the former district boards were replaced by provisional district boards. The provisional district boards were in turn replaced on 1 January 2000, with 18 district councils.
There have been two major changes on district divisions since their implementation in 1982:
- Kwai Tsing DistrictKwai Tsing DistrictKwai Tsing is one of the 18 districts of Hong Kong. It consists of two parts - Kwai Chung and Tsing Yi Island. Kwai Tsing is part of the New Territories. It had a population of 477,092 in 2001...
was split off from Tsuen Wan DistrictTsuen Wan DistrictTsuen Wan District is one of the 18 districts of Hong Kong. It is located in the New Territories and is served by the Tsuen Wan Line of the MTR metro system. It had a population of 275,527 in 2001...
in 1985. - Yau Tsim District and Mong Kok DistrictMong Kok DistrictMong Kok District was one of the districts of Hong Kong, covering the areas of Mong Kok and Tai Kok Tsui in Kowloon. In the 1994 district board election it was merged with Yau Tsim District as the Yau Tsim Mong District.With one of the highest population densities in the world Mong Kok District ...
merged to become Yau Tsim Mong DistrictYau Tsim Mong DistrictYau Tsim Mong District is one of 18 districts of Hong Kong, located on western Kowloon peninsula. It is the core urban area of Kowloon. The district has the third highest population density of all districts...
in 1994.
Population
The population density per district varies from 783 (Islands) to 52,123 (Kwun Tong) per km2. Before the combination of Mong KokMong Kok District
Mong Kok District was one of the districts of Hong Kong, covering the areas of Mong Kok and Tai Kok Tsui in Kowloon. In the 1994 district board election it was merged with Yau Tsim District as the Yau Tsim Mong District.With one of the highest population densities in the world Mong Kok District ...
and Yau Tsim districts in 1995, Mong Kok District had the highest density (~120,000 /km²). The following figures come from the 2006 Population By-census. Note that the median monthly per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
is deduced from the median monthly domestic household income, the average domestic household size and the labour force.
| District | Population (2006_est.) | Area (km²) | Density (/km²) | Median monthly per capita / labour force income (HKD) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Whole territory (全港) | 6,864,346 | N/A | N/A | 5,750 / 11,049 |
| Marine (水上) | 3,066 | N/A | N/A | 3,125 / 5,006 |
| Land total (陸上) | 6,861,280 | 1080.18 | 6,352 | 5,753 / 11,055 |
| Hong Kong Island Hong Kong Island Hong Kong Island is an island in the southern part of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. It has a population of 1,289,500 and its population density is 16,390/km², as of 2008... (香港島) |
1,268,112 | 79.68 | 15,915 | 7,931 / 14,568 |
| Central and Western Central and Western District The Central and Western District located on northern part of Hong Kong Island is one of the 18 administrative districts of Hong Kong. It had a population of 261,884 in 2001... (中西區) |
250,064 | 12.44 | 20,102 | 9,722 / 17,178 |
| Wan Chai Wan Chai District The Wan Chai District is one of the 18 districts of Hong Kong, located in the north of Hong Kong island. It had a population of 167,146 in 2001. The district has the second most educated residents with the highest income, the second lowest population and the third oldest residents, and is also the... (灣仔區) |
155,196 | 9.83 | 15,788 | 10,185 / 17,788 |
| Eastern Eastern District, Hong Kong The Eastern District is one of the 18 districts of Hong Kong. It had a population of 587,690 in 2006. The district has the second highest population while its residents have the third highest median household income among 18 districts.... (東區) |
587,690 | 18.56 | 31,664 | 7,235 / 13,558 |
| Southern Southern District, Hong Kong The Southern District is one of the 18 districts of Hong Kong. It is located in the southern part of Hong Kong Island. It had a population of 290,240 in 2001. This district has the fourth lowest population of Hong Kong.-Geography:... (南區) |
275,162 | 38.85 | 7,083 | 6,563 / 12,335 |
| Kowloon Kowloon Kowloon is an urban area in Hong Kong comprising the Kowloon Peninsula and New Kowloon. It is bordered by the Lei Yue Mun strait in the east, Mei Foo Sun Chuen and Stonecutter's Island in the west, Tate's Cairn and Lion Rock in the north, and Victoria Harbour in the south. It had a population of... (九龍) |
2,019,533 | 46.93 | 43,033 | 5,184 / 10,311 |
| Yau Tsim Mong Yau Tsim Mong District Yau Tsim Mong District is one of 18 districts of Hong Kong, located on western Kowloon peninsula. It is the core urban area of Kowloon. The district has the third highest population density of all districts... (油尖旺區) |
280,548 | 6.99 | 40,136 | 6,034 / 11,114 |
| Sham Shui Po Sham Shui Po District Sham Shui Po District is one of 18 districts of Hong Kong. It covers the Shek Kip Mei, Sham Shui Po, Cheung Sha Wan, Lai Chi Kok and Yau Yat Chuen areas of New Kowloon, and Stonecutter's Island of Kowloon... (深水埗區) |
365,540 | 9.35 | 39,095 | 4,821 / 9,909 |
| Kowloon City Kowloon City District Kowloon City District is one of the 18 districts of Hong Kong. It is located in Kowloon. It had a population of 381,352 in 2001. The district has the third most educated residents while its residents enjoy the highest income in Kowloon.... (九龍城區) |
362,501 | 10.02 | 36,178 | 6,897 / 13,122 |
| Wong Tai Sin Wong Tai Sin District Wong Tai Sin District is one of the 18 districts of Hong Kong, and is the only landlocked district of the city. It is located in Kowloon and has a population of 444,630... (黃大仙區) |
423,521 | 9.30 | 45,540 | 4,750 / 9,701 |
| Kwun Tong Kwun Tong District Kwun Tong is one of the 18 districts of Hong Kong. It is located in Kowloon. It had a population of 562,427 in 2001. The district has the third highest population while the income is below average.... (觀塘區) |
587,423 | 11.27 | 52,123 | 4,845 / 9,908 |
| New Territories New Territories New Territories is one of the three main regions of Hong Kong, alongside Hong Kong Island and the Kowloon Peninsula. It makes up 86.2% of Hong Kong's territory. Historically, it is the region described in The Convention for the Extension of Hong Kong Territory... (新界) |
3,573,635 | 953.48 | 3,748 | 5,667 / 10,860 |
| Kwai Tsing Kwai Tsing District Kwai Tsing is one of the 18 districts of Hong Kong. It consists of two parts - Kwai Chung and Tsing Yi Island. Kwai Tsing is part of the New Territories. It had a population of 477,092 in 2001... (葵青區) |
523,300 | 23.34 | 22,421 | 4,833 / 9,718 |
| Tsuen Wan Tsuen Wan District Tsuen Wan District is one of the 18 districts of Hong Kong. It is located in the New Territories and is served by the Tsuen Wan Line of the MTR metro system. It had a population of 275,527 in 2001... (荃灣區) |
288,728 | 61.71 | 4,679 | 6,897 / 12,860 |
| Tuen Mun Tuen Mun District Tuen Mun District is one of the 18 administrative districts of Hong Kong. Its name was previously 'Tsing Shan' and it changed in the 1970s. It is the westernmost continental district of Hong Kong, located about 32 km from the Kowloon Peninsula, 7 km southwest of Yuen Long and 18 km... (屯門區) |
502,035 | 82.89 | 6,057 | 5,172 / 9,843 |
| Yuen Long Yuen Long District Yuen Long District , is one of the districts of Hong Kong located in the northwest of the New Territories. It had a population of 449,070 in 2001. The district has the youngest population of Hong Kong and the lowest income in the New Territories.-Geography:... (元朗區) |
534,192 | 138.46 | 3,858 | 4,777 / 9,606 |
| North North District, Hong Kong North District is the northernmost district of the 18 districts of Hong Kong. It is located in the northwestern part of the New Territories. The new town of Fanling-Sheung Shui is within this district. It had a population of 298,657 in 2001. The district has the second lowest population density.It... (北區) |
280,730 | 136.61 | 2,055 | 5,161 / 10,120 |
| Tai Po Tai Po District Tai Po District is one of the 18 districts of Hong Kong. It covers the areas of Tai Po, Tai Po Kau, Ting Kok, Plover Cove and the northern part of Sai Kung Peninsula on both shores of Tolo Channel. It is located in the New Territories... (大埔區) |
293,542 | 136.15 | 2,156 | 5,806 / 10,824 |
| Sha Tin Sha Tin District Sha Tin District is one of the 18 districts of Hong Kong. One of the 9 districts located in the New Territories, it covers the areas of Sha Tin, Tai Wai, Ma On Shan, Fo Tan, Siu Lek Yuen and Ma Liu Shui . The district has the highest population... (沙田區) |
607,544 | 68.71 | 8,842 | 6,232 / 11,592 |
| Sai Kung Sai Kung District Sai Kung District is the second largest district in Hong Kong in terms of area. It comprises the southern half of Sai Kung Peninsula and Clear Water Bay Peninsula in the New Territories plus a strip to the east of Kowloon. The administrative centre is Sai Kung Town but the district's population is... (西貢區) |
406,442 | 129.65 | 3,135 | 6,774 / 12,183 |
| Islands (離島區) | 137,122 | 175.12 | 783 | 5,659 / 11,595 |
The Home Affairs Department
The Home Affairs Department is responsible for the District Administration Scheme, community building and community involvement activities, minor environmental improvement projects and minor local public works, and the licensing of hotels and guesthouses, bedspace apartments and clubs. It promotes the concept of effective building management and works closely with other government departments to consistently improve the standard of building management in Hong Kong. It monitors the provision of new arrival services and identifies measures to meet the needs of new arrivals. It also disseminates information relating to and, where necessary, promotes the public's understanding of major government policies, strategies and development plans; and collects and assesses public opinion on relevant issues affecting the community. These responsibilities are discharged primarily through the 18 district offices covering the whole of Hong Kong.
District officers
As head of each district office, the district officer is the representative of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government at the district level. He has the responsibility of overseeing directly the operation of the District Administration Scheme in the district. He is charged with implementing and coordinating the execution of district programmes, ensuring that the advice of the district council is properly followed up, and promoting residents' participation in district affairs. In addition, he is required to maintain close liaison with different sectors of the community and reflect their concerns and problems to the Government. It is his duty to ensure that district problems are resolved promptly through inter-departmental consultation and cooperation. Also, he acts as a link between the district council and departments and serves as a mediator between them when problems arise. The district officer is also involved with the community at every level. He has a role to mediate in the resolution of disputes between corporate bodies and residents. He performs an advisory and liaison role in providing assistance to building management bodies. He operates a public enquiry service to enable the community to have easy access to services and information provided by government. In emergency situations, the district officer is responsible for coordinating various departments’ efforts on the ground for ensuring the effective provision of relief services.The role of district councils
District councils play an essential advisory role on district matters and issues affecting the whole of Hong Kong as appropriate. The functions of a district council are:- to advise the Government on:
- matters affecting the well-being of the people in the district;
- the provision and use of public facilities and services within the district;
- the adequacy and priorities of government programmes for the district; and
- the use of public funds allocated to the district for local public works and community activities;
- where funds are made available for the purpose, to undertake:
- environmental improvements within the district;
- the promotion of recreational and cultural activities within the district; and
- community activities within the district.
The district councils also advise on the management of community halls, which should be in the best interest of the local residents. The district councils initiate, organise and sponsor community involvement projects and activities aimed at enhancing community spirit and social cohesion and promoting the well-being of people in the districts. These range from large-scale district festivals to the formation of local youth choirs and dance troupes. They have also achieved notable success in improving the local environment by undertaking minor environmental improvement projects such as the provision of rest gardens, rain shelters and amenity planting. In the 2003/04 financial year, $205.6 million has been allocated for the district councils.
Consultation with district councils
Departments send representatives to district council meetings, to consult them and, where appropriate, act on their advice and keep them informed of government policies and programmes in general and, more specifically, of the work of departments in the district and local matters that are likely to affect the livelihood, living environment or well-being of the residents within a district.Composition of district councils
The second-term district councils, comprising 529 members (400 elected, 102 appointed by the Chief Executive and 27 ex officio who are chairmen of the rural committees in the New Territories), commenced on 1 January 2004. The distribution of seats is as follows:District management committees
The district management committee in each district is chaired by the district officer. It is a government committee consisting of representatives of the core departments in the district, and provides a forum for departments to discuss and resolve district problems. It responds positively to the advice and requests of the district council and submits a comprehensive written report on its work to each meeting of the district council. To enhance communication between the district management committee and the district council, the district council chairman, vice chairman and chairmen of district council committees are invited to join district management committee as members.See also
- List of buildings, sites and areas in Hong Kong
- District Council of Hong KongDistrict Council of Hong KongThe District Councils, formerly District Boards until 1999, are the local councils for the 18 Districts of Hong Kong. Under the supervision of Home Affairs Bureau of the Hong Kong Government, they are consultative bodies on district administration and affairs.- History :In 1982, under the...
- List of cities and towns in Hong Kong
External links
- District Councils
- Hong Kong population and area by district: 1999, htm format, 2001, pdf format