Hong Kong Transportationadministrative region, China Chinese (Pinyin) Xianggang or (Wade-Giles) Hsiang-Kang

With roadways limited relative to the population, the government has enforced strict limitations on automobile ownership and placed heavy emphasis on the development of public transportation. As a result, the rate of car ownership is low, although it is steadily rising. The majority of the populace makes its daily trips by public transport. Apart from the bus, tram (streetcar), and ferry, the public is also served by a unique minibus service, a rapid transit system, and an electric railway. Buses, however, are the largest carrier, responsible for more than half of the daily public transport trips excluding those by taxi, followed by the combined minibus and maxicab (a regulated form of minibus) service. The precipitous Victoria Peak area is served by one of the oldest transport companies, which operates a cable car system between the peak and the Central District.

International traffic is served by Hong Kong’s international airport and its magnificent harbour, and there are good overland linkages with Guangdong province. The Hong Kong International Airport was located at Kai Tak, on the eastern fringe of Kowloon, until 1998, when it was relocated to a new, larger facility on Chek Lap Kok Island. Designed by British architect Sir Norman Foster, the airport’s passenger terminal is the world’s largest enclosed space, covering some 133 acres (54 hectares). The port of Hong Kong, based at one of the world’s finest natural harbours, is renowned for its efficiency and capacity. The capacity of its container terminals at Kwai Chung ranks Hong Kong among the world’s largest container ports. Speedy ferry service between Hong Kong and Macau and parts of Guangdong is provided by various craft, including hydrofoils and hovercraft. Railroad transportation to Guangdong is provided by the Kowloon-Guangzhou (Canton) Railway. Electrification of the railway and the growth, along its line, of the new towns of Sha Tin, Tai Po, and Fanling caused a considerable increase in passenger traffic. Externally, the line carries annually millions of tons of freight and head of livestock, as well as passenger traffic between Hong Kong and Guangdong.