Hong Kong, Kowloon and the New Territories — Geological Map (1972)

This 1972 geological map of Hong Kong, Kowloon and the New Territories, produced jointly by the Crown Lands & Survey Office and the Directorate of Overseas Surveys, represents one of the most significant cartographic documents issued in late-colonial Hong Kong. Printed in large-scale colour photolithography across two sheets, the map forms part of a technical cooperation programme between the Hong Kong Government and the British Overseas Development Administration.

Far more than a topographic record, the map integrates detailed geological classifications—including rock units, structural lines, and fault systems—with precise contouring and elevation data. Its bilingual presentation, with titles in both English and Chinese, reflects a period when the colony was modernising its survey practices and expanding access to official cartographic material.

A notable feature is the inset of remote Ping Chau, an unusual inclusion that signals the government’s interest in comprehensively documenting even the farthest reaches of the territory. The map captures Hong Kong on the threshold of profound urban and infrastructural transformation: produced just before large-scale new town development and reclamation reshaped the landscape, it preserves a detailed scientific and geographic portrait of the region in a pre-expansion state.

Examples of this edition are held in major institutional collections, including the National Library of Australia, where the two-sheet set is preserved alongside the associated geological survey report. Scarce in commerce, the map is valued both for its visual clarity and for its contribution to the geological understanding of Hong Kong’s complex terrain.

A rare and highly informative large-format map combining colonial cartographic precision with scientific geological detail, documenting Hong Kong at a pivotal moment in its development.