OUTLYING ISLANDS

The Outlying Islands District, also known simply as the Islands District, consists of around 20 large and small islands of the 236 that make up Hong Kong as a whole. This district takes up 16 percent of Hong Kong’s land mass but is only home to 2 percent of the population, making it the least densely populated area of the territory. The Outlying Islands are known for having a relatively young population and a very relaxed pace of life that is far removed from Hong Kong Island and Kowloon. Notable areas within the district include the reclaimed island of Check Lap Kok, where the new Hong Kong International Airport is found; Discovery Bay, a large residential island known as DB, which locals joke stands for “Dogs & Babies” due to its highly suburban nature; and Tung Chung on northern Lantau, home to the Po Lin Monastery as well as tourist favourites the Big Buddha and the Ngong Ping 360 cable car. Also of note on Lantau are Mui Wo, which hosts a great hiking trail over the hill to Discovery Bay and is famous for its free-roaming cows, and Tai O, which is known for its stilted houses, fish market and pink dolphin tours. And heaven forbid we neglect to mention Disneyland! Among the other islands in the district offering a very un-Hong Kong way of life are Cheung Chau, a tiny windswept island with great street food and plenty of bicycles for hire, and Lamma, known for its hippies and the rather dystopic view of a power station from its main beach. Both islands are car free.
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RECENT ARTICLES IN Outlying Islands
Fin-terest Group: Greenpeace protests Lantau development with dramatic mermaid video

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Forget the pink dolphins, won’t someone, for the love of God, think of the mermaids! That appeared to be the message, sorta, of a new video by Greenpeace released in protest...

Airport cop busted for allegedly stealing wallet containing more than US$6,000

Airport cop busted for allegedly stealing wallet containing more than US$6,000

Police have arrested an airport cop on suspicion of stealing a wallet containing HK$50,000 (about US$6,370). According to Apple Daily, the wallet in question was found by a flight...

Who let the cows out?: 4 cows munch produce in Mui Wo grocery store

Who let the cows out?: 4 cows munch produce in Mui Wo grocery store

For grocery shoppers in Mui Wo, last night felt more like the Year of the Ox than the Year of the Pig when the they were joined by four wild cows at the supermarket. Ming Pao...

Dead pig found on Cheung Chau beach tests negative for African swine fever

Dead pig found on Cheung Chau beach tests negative for African swine fever

A dead pig that was found washed up on a beach in Cheung Chau yesterday morning amid a massive outbreak of African swine fever (ASF) on the mainland was found not to be carrying...

2 still missing as oil tanker fire off Hong Kong’s Lamma Island contained

2 still missing as oil tanker fire off Hong Kong’s Lamma Island contained

Efforts to find two men still missing in the wake of this morning’s oil tanker fire off Lamma Island were ongoing as the sun set this evening, though complicated by an...

1 person dead, at least 20 injured in oil tanker fire off Lamma Island

1 person dead, at least 20 injured in oil tanker fire off Lamma Island

At least one person has died and 21 people have been injured after an oil tanker caught fire off the coast of Lamma Island this morning. According to Ming Pao, police received a...

Take your rubbish home: Billy the bull found dead with a stomach full of plastic

Take your rubbish home: Billy the bull found dead with a stomach full of plastic

Showing first hand the consequences of littering the coast and feeding wild animals, a popular bull that lived on Pui O beach on Lantau Island has been found dead with a stomach...

Mega bridge causes congestion woes, consternation in Tung Chung

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