Earth Science 7-Hong Kong, China
Hong Kong, China
Contents
Geographical Information and Features
Latitude and Longitude - 22° 15' 0" N / 114° 10' 0" E [1]
Elevation - 24.08 meters
The nearest body of water is the Causeway Bay, which is right on Hong Kong's coast. [2]
Climate
Average Monthly Temperatures
January - 15.5°C / 59.9°F -- maximum - 18°C -- minimum - 13°C
February - 15.5°C / 59.9°F -- maximum - 18°C -- minimum - 13°C
March - 17.9°C / 64.2°F -- maximum - 20°C -- minimum - 16°C
April - 21.7°C / 71.1°F -- maximum - 24°C -- minimum - 20°C
May - 25.5°C / 77.9°F -- maximum - 28°C -- minimum - 23°C
June - 27.6°C / 81.7°F -- maximum - 30°C -- minimum - 25°C
July - 28.2°C / 82.8°F -- maximum - 31°C -- minimum - 26°C
August - 28.0°C / 82.4°F -- maximum - 30°C -- minimum - 26°C
September - 27.3°C / 81.1°F -- maximum - 30°C -- minimum - 25°C
October - 24.8°C / 76.6°F -- maximum - 27°C -- minimum - 23°C
November - 21.0°C / 69.8°F -- maximum - 24°C -- minimum - 19°C
December - 17.4°C / 63.3°F -- maximum - 20°C -- minimum - 15°C
Annual - 22.5°C / 72.5°F -- maximum - 25°C -- minimum - 20.3°C
Average Monthly Rainfall
January - 27.2 mm / 1.1 in
February - 43.6 mm / 1.7 in
March - 74.7 mm / 2.9 in
April - 139.8 mm / 5.5 in
May - 298.3 mm / 11.7 in
June - 399.4 mm / 15.7 in
July - 371.4 mm / 14.6 in
August - 377.0 mm / 14.8 in
September - 297.3 mm / 11.7 in
October - 119.0 mm / 4.7 in
November - 38.4 mm / 1.5 in
December - 25.4 mm / 1.0 in
Annual - 2218.0 mm / 87.3 in
Climate Zone
According to the Koppen Classification system, Hong Kong falls under the Cwa, or humid subtropicals, climate. Hong Kong has hot, humid summers and cool winters. [6]
Factors that Regulate the Climate
Hong Kong is at 22°N, which is close to the 30°N mid-latitude high pressure area. Its topography is covered with hills and mountains, and since Hong Kong is a peninsula with many islands, its proximity to water makes it hot and humid in the summer and mildly cool in the winter. The prevailing winds come from all sides of the peninsula due to the nearby waters, but mostly the winds are southeasterly or northeasterly. Hong Kong's summers are filled with thunderstorms whereas not much rain falls in the winter. Mountains and other high elevation places also contribute to cloud formations. [7]
Geology
Tectonic Plate Boundaries
Hong Kong lies on the Eurasian Plate, and it is about 1400 km (1000 miles) away from the Philippine Plate boundary, which is currently subducting under the Eurasian Plate. [8] [9]
Rock Features
Hong Kong contains sedimentary, igneous, and metamorphic rocks. The oldest are sedimentary rocks, which were lithified from deposits of small sediments in an alluvial, marine environment. A few chemical sedimentary rocks were formed from sediment evaporations inside of fault-controlled basins. Metamorphic rocks, which were formed from the high pressure of earthquakes and volcanoes along faults, are the most common rock in Hong Kong. Igneous rocks formed from the cooling of lava along faults and from volcanoes, dikes, and sills as well. Together, volcanic and granitic rocks make up 85% of the total land. [10] [11]
Footnotes - Reference Sources
- ↑ [http://www.travelmath.com/country/Hong+Kong
- ↑ [http://maps.google.com/maps?ftr=earth.promo&hl=en&utm_campaign=en&utm_medium=ha&utm_source=en-ha-na-us-bk-3dmfe&utm_term=google%20earth
- ↑ [http://www.worldclimate.com/cgi-bin/grid.pl?gr=N22E114
- ↑ [http://www.climatetemp.info/hong-kong/
- ↑ [http://www.worldclimate.com/cgi-bin/data.pl?ref=N22E114+2100+45005W
- ↑ [http://www.uwsp.edu/geo/faculty/ritter/geog101/textbook/climate_systems/humid_subtropical.html
- ↑ [http://www.marimari.com/content/hong_kong/general_info/geography/main.html
- ↑ [http://maps.google.com/
- ↑ [http://sauc-restaura.com/www/plate%20boudaries.html
- ↑ [http://hkss.cedd.gov.hk/hkss/eng/education/gs/eng/hkg/chapter2.htm
- ↑ [http://www.cedd.gov.hk/eng/about/organisation/org_geo_pln_map.htm
