View source for Kowloon

{{Short description|Area of Hong Kong}}
{{About|an urban area in Hong Kong}}
{{transliterationof|Kowloon|{{noitalic|{{lang|zh-hant-HK|九龍}}}}|九龍 (disambiguation)}}
{{Use Hong Kong English|date=April 2025}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2016}}
{{Infobox settlement
|official_name          = Kowloon 
|native_name            = {{nobold|{{lang|zh-hant-HK|九龍}}}}
|nickname               =
|motto                  = 
|image_skyline          = Union Square and Tsim Sha Tsui.jpg
|image_caption          = Kowloon as viewed from [[Hong Kong Island]]
|image_flag             = 
|image_seal             = 
|image_map              = Hong Kong Kowloon.svg
|map_caption            = Location within [[Hong Kong]] (in green)
| subdivision_type       = 
| subdivision_name       = 
| subdivision_type1      = 
| subdivision_name1      = 
|area_magnitude         = 
|area_total_km2         = 
|area_total_sq_mi       = 
|area_land_km2          = 67
|area_land_sq_mi        = 
|area_water_km2         = 
|area_water_sq_mi       = 
|area_water_percent     = 
|area_urban_km2         = 
|area_urban_sq_mi       = 
|area_metro_km2         = 
|population_footnotes   =  
|population_as_of       = 2011
|population_note        = 
|population_total       = 2,108,419 (2.1&nbsp;million)
|population_density_km2   = 43033
|population_density_sq_mi = 
|timezone               = [[Hong Kong Time]]
|utc_offset             = +8
|footnotes              = 
|imagesize = 250px}}
{{infobox Chinese
|pic=Kowloon (Chinese characters).svg
|piccap="Kowloon" in Traditional (top) and Simplified (bottom) Chinese characters
|picupright=0.45
|t={{linktext|九龍}} |s=九龙
|showflag=j
|y=Gáulùhng
|ci={{IPAc-yue|g|au|2|-|l|ung|4}}
|j=gau2 lung4
|h={{tone superscript|giu3lung2}}
|p=Jǐulóng
|tp=Jiǒulóng
|w={{tone superscript|Chiu3-lung2}}
|mi={{IPAc-cmn|j|iu|3|.|l|ong|2}}
|bpmf=ㄐㄧㄡˇ ㄌㄨㄥˊ
|l="Nine [[Chinese dragon|Dragons]]" 
}}

'''Kowloon''' ({{IPAc-en|ˌ|k|aʊ|ˈ|l|uː|n}}) is one of the [[areas of Hong Kong|three areas]] of [[Hong Kong]], along with [[Hong Kong Island]] and the [[New Territories]]. It is an urban area comprising the [[Kowloon Peninsula]] and [[New Kowloon]]. It has a population of 2,019,533 <!-- (2 million) --> and a population density of {{cvt|43,033|/km2}} in 2006. It is the smallest, second most populous, and most densely populated of the divisions.
{{TOC limit|2}}

==Location==
Kowloon is located directly north of [[Hong Kong Island]] across [[Victoria Harbour]]. It is bordered by the [[Lei Yue Mun]] strait to the east, [[Mei Foo Sun Chuen]], [[Butterfly Valley]], and [[Stonecutters Island|Stonecutter's Island]] to the west, a mountain range, including [[Tate's Cairn]] and [[Lion Rock]] to the north, and [[Victoria Harbour]] to the south. 

==Administration==
{{main|Kowloon Central (disambiguation){{!}}Kowloon Central|Kowloon East|Kowloon West}}
Kowloon comprises the following [[Districts of Hong Kong|districts]]: 
*[[Kowloon City District|Kowloon City]]
*[[Kwun Tong District|Kwun Tong]]
*[[Sham Shui Po District|Sham Shui Po]]
*[[Wong Tai Sin District|Wong Tai Sin]]
*[[Yau Tsim Mong District|Yau Tsim Mong]]

==Name==
The name 'Kowloon' ([[Traditional Chinese|Chinese]]: {{lang|zh-Hant-HK|九龍}} lit. "Nine Dragons") alludes to eight mountains and a Chinese emperor: [[Kowloon Peak]], [[Tung Shan (mountain)|Tung Shan]], [[Tate's Cairn]], [[Temple Hill (Hong Kong)|Temple Hill]], [[Unicorn Ridge]], [[Lion Rock]], [[Beacon Hill (Hong Kong)|Beacon Hill]], [[Crow's Nest (Hong Kong)|Crow's Nest]] and [[Emperor Bing of Song]].<ref name="Fallon">Fallon, Steve. (2006) Hong Kong and Macau. Lonely Planet Publishing. {{ISBN|981-258-246-0}}</ref> It was also spelt 'Kawloong' in some 19th-century sources.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/264605267507|title=KAWLOONG FERRY STATION: Hong Kong postcard (C48147)|website=eBay|access-date=27 February 2022|archive-date=12 November 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221112071704/https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/264605267507|url-status=dead}}</ref>

==History==
[[File:Kowloon City, Mainland, opposite Hong Kong.jpg|thumb|Kowloon {{circa|1868}}, depicting the [[Qing empire|Qing]]-era [[Kowloon Walled City]] and [[Lion Rock]] (in the background)]]
[[File:Victoria City and Kowloon 1915.jpg|thumb|Map of Kowloon in 1915]]
[[File:Hong Kong Kai Tak Airport 1971.jpg|thumb|Hong Kong's old airport, [[Kai Tak Airport|Kai Tak]], was located in Kowloon Bay.]]
The part of Kowloon south of [[Boundary Street]], together with [[Stonecutters Island]], was ceded by [[Qing empire|Qing]] China to the United Kingdom under the [[Convention of Peking]] of 1860. For many years the area remained largely undeveloped, used by the British mainly for tiger-hunting expeditions.<ref>{{Cite book
 |title       = 10,000 Chinese Numbers
 |isbn        = 9780557006212
 |url         = https://books.google.com/books?id=OSrrrgbS2v4C
 |publisher   = Lulu.com
 |page        = 207
 |url-status     = live
 |archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20160823050748/https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=OSrrrgbS2v4C
 |archive-date = 23 August 2016
|df          = dmy-all
}}{{self-published source|date=February 2020}}</ref>{{self-published inline|date=February 2020}}
The part of Kowloon north of Boundary Street ([[New Kowloon]]) was leased by the British as part of the [[New Territories]] under the 1898 [[Convention between the United Kingdom and China, Respecting an Extension of Hong Kong Territory|Second Convention of Peking]] for 99 years. Within New Kowloon is Kowloon City, an [[list of areas of Hong Kong|area of Hong Kong]] where the [[Kowloon Walled City]] used to be located. The Kowloon Walled City itself was demolished in 1993. The same area was called Kwun Fu Cheung ({{lang|zh-hant|官富場}}) during the [[Song dynasty]] (960{{ndash}}1279). "New Kowloon" has remained part of the [[New Territories]].

Statutorily, "Kowloon" is only the area south of Boundary Street and Stonecutters Island, but in common use, New Kowloon is not regarded as part of the New Territories, but as an integral part of the Kowloon urban area whether north or south of Boundary Street.

Large-scale development of Kowloon began in the early 20th century, with the construction of the [[Kowloon-Canton Railway Corporation|Kowloon-Canton Railway]] and the [[Kowloon Wharf]], but because of the close proximity of Kowloon's built-up area to [[Kai Tak Airport]], building construction was limited by flight paths. As a result, compared to Hong Kong Island, Kowloon had a much lower skyline.<ref name="Fallon" /> After [[World War II]], Kowloon became extremely congested when [[slum]]s for [[refugee]]s from the newly established People's Republic of China gave way to [[Public housing in Hong Kong|public housing estate]]s, mixed with private residential, commercial, and industrial areas.

The area of [[Land reclamation in Hong Kong|reclaimed land]] now known as [[West Kowloon]] was once home to a [[dockyard]] for the [[Royal Navy]].

The 1911 census recorded a population of 7,306, with most being [[Hakka]].<ref>James Hayes, ''The Hong Kong Region 1850{{ndash}}1911''. Hong Kong, 2012. {{ISBN|9888139118}}</ref> The [[Second Sino-Japanese War|invasion of China by Japan in 1937]] caused the population of Kowloon to grow drastically. Between 1937 and 1939, 750,000 refugees arrived in Kowloon and nearby areas, with many not having residence.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.yearbook.gov.hk/2003/english/chapter21/21_05.html|title=Hong Kong 2003{{snd}}History|website=www.yearbook.gov.hk|access-date=28 April 2018|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110926094615/http://www.yearbook.gov.hk/2003/english/chapter21/21_05.html|archive-date=26 September 2011}}</ref>

==Demographics==
{{As of|2011}}, 2,108,419 people lived in Kowloon.<ref name="hkcensus">{{Citation|title=District Profiles|access-date=27 September 2013|date=2011|publisher=[[Hong Kong Census]]|url=http://www.census2011.gov.hk/en/district-profiles.html|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130927182828/http://www.census2011.gov.hk/en/district-profiles.html|archive-date=27 September 2013}}</ref>

About 94.2% of Kowloon's residents are of {{cn-span|[[Han Chinese]]|date=May 2022}} ethnicity. The largest ethnic minority groups are [[Indonesians in Hong Kong|Indonesians]] (1.8%), [[Filipinos in Hong Kong|Filipinos]] (1.5%), [[Indians in Hong Kong|Indians]] (0.5%), [[Nepalese in Hong Kong|Nepalese]] (0.4%), and [[British people|British]] (0.3%).<ref name="hkcensus"/> Around 86% of Kowloon's residents use [[Cantonese language|Cantonese]] as their usual language, while 2.3% use English and 1.2% use [[Mandarin Chinese|Mandarin]].<ref name="hkcensus" />

==Localities==
Kowloon comprises these localities of Hong Kong:
{{div col|colwidth=22em}}
*[[Anderson Road, Hong Kong|Anderson Road]] area
*[[Ferry Point, Hong Kong|Austin]]
*[[Cha Kwo Ling]]
*[[Cheung Sha Wan]]
*[[Diamond Hill]]
*[[Jordan, Hong Kong|Jordan]]
*[[Hammer Hill (Hong Kong)|Hammer Hill]]
*[[Hung Hom]]
*[[Ho Man Tin]]
*[[Kai Tak]]
*[[Kowloon Bay]]
*[[Kowloon City]]
*[[Kowloon Tong]]
*[[Kwun Tong]]
*[[Lai Chi Kok]]
*[[Lam Tin]]
*[[Lei Yue Mun]]
*[[Ma Tau Wai]]
*[[Mong Kok]]
*[[Ngau Chi Wan]]
*[[Ngau Tau Kok]]
*[[Prince Edward, Hong Kong|Prince Edward]]
*[[San Po Kong]]
*[[Sau Mau Ping]]
*[[Sham Shui Po]]
*[[Shek Kip Mei]]
*[[Tai Kok Tsui]]
*[[To Kwa Wan]]
*[[Tsim Sha Tsui]]
*[[Tsz Wan Shan]]
*[[West Kowloon]]
*[[Wong Tai Sin]]
*[[Yau Ma Tei]]
*[[Yau Tong]]
{{div col end}}

==Education==
[[File:The Hong Kong Polytechnic University east.jpg|thumb|[[Hong Kong Polytechnic University|The Hong Kong Polytechnic University]] in [[Hung Hom]]]]
[[File:King george v school front facade 2004.jpg|thumb|[[King George V School (Hong Kong)|King George V School]], [[Ho Man Tin|Homantin]]]]
Lists of primary and secondary schools in Kowloon by district:
* [[List of schools in Kowloon City District]]
* [[List of schools in Kwun Tong District]]
* [[List of schools in Sham Shui Po District]]
* [[List of schools in Wong Tai Sin District]]
* [[List of schools in Yau Tsim Mong District]]

===Tertiary education===
* [[City University of Hong Kong]]
* [[Hong Kong Polytechnic University]]
* [[Hong Kong Baptist University]]
* [[Open University of Hong Kong]]
* [[Tung Wah College]]
* [[Hong Kong Nang Yan College of Higher Education]]
* Gratia Christian College

==Notable people==
<!--- Only add a person to this list if they already have their own article on the English Wikipedia ---> 
<!--- Please keep the list in alphabetical order by LAST NAME --->
* [[Anita Mui]] (born 1963), singer and actress
* [[Sean Parry]] (born 1987), cricketer
* [[Jackson Wang]] (born 1994), musician

== Transport ==
[[File:Western Harbour Tunnel.JPG|thumb|[[Western Harbour Crossing]], one of the tunnels that link Kowloon with Hong Kong Island]]
Kowloon is connected to Hong Kong Island by two road-only [[tunnel]]s (the [[Cross-Harbour Tunnel]] and the [[Western Harbour Crossing]]), three MTR railway tunnels ([[Tsuen Wan line]], [[Tung Chung line]]/[[Airport Express (MTR)|Airport Express]] and [[Shatin to Central Link#Cross Harbour Section|East Rail]]) and one combined road and MTR rail link tunnel ([[Eastern Harbour Tunnel]], containing the [[Tseung Kwan O line]] and road traffic in separate parallel conduits). No bridges connect the island and Kowloon.

==Gallery==
{{Cleanup gallery|date=June 2019}}
<gallery mode="packed">
File:The Urban Council Centenary Garden Fountain 2009.jpg|Urban Council Centenary Garden fountain, Tsim Sha Tsui
File:Maze Garden, Kowloon Park, Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon, Hong Kong - DSC06248.JPG|Maze Garden, [[Kowloon Park]], Tsim Sha Tsui
File:Boeing 747-428, Air France AN0278440.jpg|An Air France Boeing 747 passing above Kowloon, prior to landing at the old airport in 1998.
File:Tsim Sha Tsui Star Ferry Pier.jpg|[[Star Ferry Pier, Tsim Sha Tsui|Star Ferry Pier]], with the [[Hong Kong Cultural Centre]] and [[Clock Tower, Hong Kong|Tsim Sha Tsui Clock Tower]] in the background.
File:Kowloon Masjid and Islamic Centre from East 2.jpg|[[Kowloon Masjid and Islamic Centre]]
File:Kowloon-from-Hong-Kong-Island-2015-Luka-Peternel.jpg|Night view of Kowloon from [[Hong Kong Island]]
</gallery>
{{wide image|HK Kowloon Panorama 2009.jpg|800px|align-cap=center|Kowloon Peninsula panorama}}

==References==
{{Portal|Hong Kong}}
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{Wikivoyage|Hong_Kong/Kowloon|Kowloon}}
*{{Commons category-inline|Kowloon}}
*{{Commons category-inline|Kowloon West}}

{{Districts of Hong Kong}}
{{Hong Kong Urban Areas}}
{{Authority control}}
{{Coord|22|19|N|114|11|E|display=title}}

[[Category:Kowloon| ]]
[[Category:Populated coastal places in Hong Kong]]