The Most Densely Populated City In The World

  If the idea of crowds or constricted space makes you feel uneasy, then this tiny city will be something of a nightmare. The Walled City of Kowloon, a Chinese city on the outskirts of Hong Kong, was a place that was so densely populated and crime ridden that the government had to demolish it.


Originally, the Walled City was created as a Chinese military fort, but after the New Territories were leased to Britain in 1898 the area became occupied by residents. With the Japanese occupation of Hong Kong during WWII, the population only continued to grow.

By 1987, the Walled City had a population of 33,000 residents crammed within the shockingly small borders of 6.4 acres. This overcrowded area spanned across 300 interconnected buildings.
Greg Girard, a Canadian photographer, experienced this city and told the Daily Mail, ‘I spent five years photographing and becoming familiar with the Walled City, its residents, and how it was organized. So seemingly compromised and anarchic on its surface, it actually worked and to a large extent, worked well.’

The city was unregulated by the government and because of this was a hub for crime, drugs, brothels and was structurally built without contribution from an architect.





Despite the city’s deplorable reputation, the residents lived their lives in peace, starting businesses and creating families until it became demolished in 1992.