Outlying Islands 離島 is the archipelago of islands surrounding Hong Kong Island. There are all together 236 islands of various sizes. Most of these are administered under the Islands District, with some falling under the Sai Kung District, Tai Po District and North District of Hong Kong.
As it is often difficult to establish a regular ferry service between the populated areas of Hong Kong with the Outlying Islands, many of these are sparsely populated, if at all. There are clusters of villages on these islands that have remained largely unchanged and untouched by urban development. Visiting the Outlying Islands is like stepped back in time by a few generations.
Islands that happen to be in the path of Hong Kong's rapid urbanization have seen a boom in development, accompanied by a quantum leap in property prices. In recent years, Lantau and Stonecutter's Island are two that have seen such development, brought on largely by the relocation of the Hong Kong International Airport to Chep Lap Kok as well as the opening of Hong Kong Disneyland on the northern part of Lantau Island.
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