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Spatial data analysis—Transport and development in the Zhujiang Delta
1. Refer to the map “Hong Kong in its regional setting (2008)” to answer the
following questions.
a) Download the map—“Hong Kong in its regional setting (2008)” from the
website of Survey and Mapping Office, Lands Department following the
steps below:
(i)
Visit the website of Lands Department:
http://www.landsd.gov.hk/mapping/en/download/maps.htm
(ii)
On the website, choose Hong Kong in its Regional Setting >
AR/18/IRS 2008 Edition (English version). Then, click Download to
download the map to your computer.
(iii)
(iv)
b) (i)
(ii)
Open the map on your computer. Zoom in and Zoom out to examine
the features on the map.
Print the map on a piece of A4 paper.
On your printed map, highlight in red the major cities in the Zhujiang
Delta region, including Hong Kong, Macau, Shenzhen, Dongguan,
Guangzhou, Foshan, Jiangmen, Zhongshan and Zhuhai.
With map evidence, describe the relief of the Zhujiang Delta region.
(iii) Explain the spatial distribution of cultivated land in the Zhujiang
Delta region in 2008 in relation to the relief and level of development
of different parts of the region.
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(iv) With map evidence, compare and contrast the level of development
and major types of land use between the western part and the eastern
part of the Zhujiang Delta region in 2008.
(Hint: You may calculate the areas of cultivated land and built-up areas in the
two parts and compare the density of their transport networks.)
c) (i) Describe the spatial distribution of the road and railway network in the
region.
(ii) Highlight the airports (in green) and major ports (in blue) in the region
on your printed map. Describe the spatial location of the airports and
major ports in the region.
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(iii) What are the locational requirements of most of the airports and the
major ports in the region respectively?
(Hint: Examine the spatial distribution of the built-up areas, transport network,
contours and sea depth of different locations on the map.)
(iv) The Zhuhai Sanzao Airport (the one near Sanzao Dao) is not close to
the built-up area of Zhuhai, what may be the possible cause(s) of
choosing this location?
Recently, some experts predicted that Hong Kong would be affected by
“marginalization” in the development of the Zhujiang Delta region if nothing
was done by the government in the near future. Study the map “Hong Kong in its
regional setting (2008)” again and answer Questions d) and e).
d) Some experts in the transport and logistics industry claimed that the western
part of the Zhujiang Delta region would be the focus of development in the
next few decades.
(i)
With map evidence, justify the importance of constructing the Hong
Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge to Hong Kong under such condition.
(Hint: Think about the location of Hong Kong in the Zhujiang Delta region
and the infrastructural linkages between Hong Kong and the western part
of the Zhujiang Delta region.)
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If you want to know more about the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge, you may visit
the following websites:
Transport and Housing Bureau—Cross-boundary traffic
http://www.thb.gov.hk/eng/policy/transport/issues/cbt_3.htm
Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hong_Kong-Zhuhai-Macau_Bridge#Timeline
At Long Last The Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge to go ahead
http://macaudailyblog.com/macau-business/stanley-ho/at-long-last-the-hong-kong-zhuhai-macau-bridge-to-goahead/
Highways Department—Major Projects (Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge Hong Kong Link Road)
http://www.hyd.gov.hk/eng/major/road/projects/6787th/
e) Hong Kong International Airport (HKIA) was chosen as the world’s best
airport by different organizations for many years. Among the major
international airports in the Zhujiang Delta region (Figure 1), HKIA has the
highest level of air passenger traffic (Figure 2) while the airport at
Guangzhou ranked the second.
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Key
 Airports
Figure 1 The spatial distribution of 5 international airports in the Zhujiang Delta region
50
40
Passenger traffic 30
(million trips) 20
Domestic
International
10
0
Hong Kong Guangzhou
Shenzhen
Macau
Airport
Figure 2
Air passenger traffic of four major airports in the Zhujiang Delta (2005)
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(i)
Based on the map “Hong Kong in its regional setting (2008)”, compare
and contrast Guangzhou and Hong Kong in terms of their location and
transport infrastructure.
(ii)
Besides those listed in i) above, list other factors which will affect
the development of the two cities.
(iii)
Which one do you think will be the transportation hub in the region
in the next few decades? Why?
(iv)
If you are the representative of the Hong Kong government, justify
the decision of constructing the Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong
Express Rail Link with map evidence.
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If you want to know more about the Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong Express Rail Link,
you may visit the following website:
Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong Express Rail Link—Wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guangzhou -Shenzhen-Hong_Kong_Express_Rail_Link