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Geography |
Topography |
Climate |
History
Geography
Situated
in the north-east region of Vietnam, Hạ
Long Bay is a part of the Gulf of Bắc
Bộ,
and comprises Hạ
Long City, the township of Cẩm
Phả
and a part of the island district of Vân Ðồn.
To the south-west it borders the island of Cát Bà, to the east
is the sea and the mainland follow a coastline of 120 km. It
stretches between the 106º58 and 107º22 eastern meridians and
the 20º45 and 20º50 northern parallels.
Topography
Hạ
Long Bay covers a total area of 1,553 sq. km, including 1,969
islands of various sizes, 989 of which have been given names.
There are two kinds, limestone and schist, which are
concentrated in two main zones: the south-east (belonging to Bái
Tử
Long Bay), and the south-west (belonging to Hạ
Long Bay). The average geological age of the islands is between
250 and 280 million years old.
The
densely concentrated zone of stone islands, grottoes and caves,
world famous for its spectacular scenery, forms the central zone
of Hạ
Long Bay, which has been listed as one of UNESCO’s World
Heritage Sites. This protected site covers an area of 434 sq.
km, comprises 775 islands and forms a triangle:
with the Ðầu
Gỗ
Island (Driftwood Island) to the west; the
Ba Hầm
Lake
(Three Shelter Lake) to the south; and the
Cống
Tây Island
to the east. The regions
immediately surrounding the area were classified as a national
site by the Ministry of Culture and Information in 1962.
Climate
Hạ
Long Bay is located in a tropical and temperate zone. The four
distinct seasons are most evident in a year. The annual average
temperature is 22,8ºC. The average temperature in summer is
26,4ºC and the hottest temperature is 35,7ºC. The annual average
rainfall is 2,005.4 mm. The period from May to October receives
the more important rainfall. The winter lasts from 4 to 5
months. Between the main two seasons are a shorter spring and
autumn. The period from August to October is typhoon season.
History
Hạ
Long Bay has been called by the great national poet Nguyễn Trãi:
"a wonder of the earth
erected towards the high sky.”
It is also a place closely linked to Vietnam’s history with such
famous geographical names as: Vân Ðồn (site of an ancient
commercial port); Poem Mountain (with engravings of many poems
by emperors and other famous people of the past); and Bạch Ðằng
River (the location of three fierce naval battles fought against
foreign aggressors).
This
is not all; Ha Long has been proven by scientists to be one of
the first cradles of human existence in the area, with such
archaeological sites as Ðồng Mang, Xích Thổ, Soi Nhụ and Thoi
Giếng. It is also a region of highly-concentrated biological
diversity with many varied ecosystems of salt water-flooded
forests, coral reefs and tropical forests, featuring thousands
of diverse species of animal and plant life.
While
exploring the bay, it’s hard not to feel lost in some legendary
world of stone islands. There is an island resembling a man
standing and looking towards the mainland. Dragon Island looks
like a dragon hovering above the turquoise water. Yet another
island, Lã Vọng, resembles an old man fishing, and was named
after a famous Chinese mandarin who abandoned his position to
become a fisherman. There are also the islands of the Sail, the
Trống Mái Islet (Cock and Hen Islet), which look
like a pair of chicken lovingly playing with each other above
the sea; and the
Ðỉnh
Hương
Islet (Incense Burner Islet), which all
bear astonishing resemblance to their namesakes. The forms of
the islands change incessantly, depending on the angles of
lighting and from where they’re viewed.
At
the core, are wonderful caves and grottoes such as:
Thiên Cung Grotto (Heavenly Residence Grotto),
Đầu
Gỗ Grotto (Driftwood Grotto),
Sửng
Sốt
Grotto (Surprise Grotto)
and
Tam Cung Grotto (Three Palaces Grotto).
With
such special values, at the 18th Session of UNESCO’s
Council of World Heritage held on 17 December 1994 in Thailand,
Hạ Long Bay was officially placed on the list of the World
Natural Heritage. In 2000, UNESCO recognized it as the World
Heritage for the second time for its geographical and
geomorphologic values. This confirms the global premier value of
Hạ Long Bay.
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