Hong Kong is located in the South China Sea at the mouth of the Pearl River.  The Kowloon Peninsula and the New Territories were later added to Hong Kong. The New Territories has over 200 islands of various sizes. Victoria Harbour separates Hong Kong Island from Kowloon.

Hong Kong is 35 miles east of Macau and shares a border with the Chinese city of Shenzhen to the north of Kowloon. Only a quarter of Hong Kong has been developed, the rest is natural reserve.

Hong Kong is fairly mountainous. The highest point in the territory is Tai Mo Shan, at a height of 958 meters or nearly 3,000 ft.  More than 20 peaks are over 500 m tall.  Sam Chun is the only river in Hong Kong, and there is a serious shortage of drinking water, most of which is from Guangdong.  The climate is subtropical, with the average temperature around 80 degrees Fahrenheit in summer, 65 degrees in winter.  Summers are typically humid, and frequently bring typhoons.