- Ping Chau
:"This article is about an island in northeastern Hong Kong.
It should not be confused withPeng Chau , another island in southwestern Hong Kong."Ping Chau (zh-cp|c= 平洲|p= Píng Zhōu) is an
island inHong Kong ,China . It is also known as Tung Ping Chau (zh-cp|c=東平洲|p=Dōng Píng Zhōu). "Tung" (zh-c|c=東, meaning "east") is prepended to the name so as to avoid possible confusion with "Peng Chau ", another island in Hong Kong with a similarly pronounced name. Administratively, the island is part of theTai Po District in theNew Territories .Geography
Geographically, Ping Chau is an offshore island located in the northeast corner of Hong Kong in
Mirs Bay and is close the border with Guangdong Province inmainland China . The island has an area of 1.16 km² and consists ofshale rock. The island is much closer toMainland China (4 km) than to the main landmass ofHong Kong . It is close toNan'ao ofDapeng . The island is the most easterly point of Hong Kong.The island has the shape of a
kidney bean with its concave side facing northeast. Its name "Ping Chau" means "flat island" in Chinese, suggesting that the island is flat. The highest points on the island are, in the south is 46 metres and the north is 37 metres. The eastern inner shore of the crescent hugs thePing Chau Hoi with a few beaches. On the contrary, the oposite western coast of the island is fairly rocky. This is the results ofincline dsiltstone s, and wave action being higher along the west coast while the east is relatively sheltered.Geology
Ping Chau is unique in the fact that it is the only sizeable island in Hong Kong made up of sedimentary rock. Hong Kong is mostly formed of extrusive
igneous rock s, after a series of majorvolcano es erupted during theJurassic Period . Following the volcanic activity, a basin formed in the northeast, with deposition in a brackish lake - producing the siltstones and chert of Tung Ping Chau, which have been dated from the earlyTertiary . It is also home to some spectacular cliffs and wave-cut platforms. Landforms such as these are very rarely found in the rest of Hong KongTourism
The island has a temple dedicated to Tin Hau in the village of Sha Tau. There are many ancient buildings dating to 300 years ago that can also be found there.
On one side of the island there are steep cliffs, below which is an amazing wave-cut platform, with jagged rocks, set at a 30-degree angle, like a staircase. Here there are many rock pools containing all manner of marine life, such as
sea urchin s and crabs.On the island's coastline at the pier side, there are over 60 different species of
coral , and 35 species ofalgae , considered as the most beautiful in Hong Kong Fact|date=February 2007. In fact, some say that Ping Chau has the only diveable sites in Hong Kong.For most, the island is reachable by
ferry fromMa Liu Shui ferry pier, near theChinese University of Hong Kong During the weekends, there are many people on the island. These include those who have come to dive, and those who have come to see the cliffs and wave-cut platforms. Some people also use it as a weekend home
ee also
*
Islands of Hong Kong
*Plover Cove (Extension) Country Park External links
* [http://www.gohk.gov.hk/text/eng/welcome/tp_spots.html Spots on Tung Ping Chau]
* [http://maps.google.com/maps?ll=22.542367,114.432220&spn=0.045336,0.078278&t=k&hl=en Satellite image of Ping Chau by Google Maps]
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