Hong Kong

The name "Hong Kong" is an approximate phonetic rendering of the pronunciation of the spoken Cantonese or Hakka name 香港, meaning "fragrant harbour". Before 1842, the name referred to a small inlet—now Aberdeen Harbour or 香港仔  "Little Hong Kong"—betweenAberdeen Island and the south side of Hong Kong Island, which was one of the first points of contact between British sailors and local fishermen.

The reference to fragrance may refer to the harbour waters...read more