The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China is one of the two special administrative regions (SARs) of the People's Republic of China (PRC), the other being Macau.

The territory, comprising over 260 islands, is commonly known as Hong Kong (Chinese: 香港), but was often written Hongkong in older English texts. In Chinese, it means "Fragrant Harbour," and it has also been called "Pearl of the Orient" or "Gateway to the East."

Hong Kong is situated on the eastern banks of the Pearl River Delta on the southeastern coast of the People's Republic of China, facing the South China Sea in the south and bordering Guangdong Province in the north. Boasting the world's most liberal economy and being a global centre of finance and trade, Hong Kong is China's richest region in terms of GDP per capita and gross metropolitan product figures.

Climate

Hong Kong's climate is subtropical and prone to monsoons. It is cooler and dry in the wintertime which lasts from around January to March, and is hot, humid and rainy from spring through summer. It is warm, sunny, and dry in autumn. Hong Kong occasionally has typhoons in the summer and early autumn.

Hong Kong's climate is seasonal due to alternating wind direction between winter and summer. Hong Kong has been geologically stable for millions of years, though landslides can happen, especially after heavy rain.