Mong Kok (also spelt Mongkok), is an area in the Yau Tsim Mong District on Kowloon Peninsula, Hong Kong. Before the 1994 merger, Mong Kok was part of the Mong Kok District. The Prince Edward area occupies the northern part of Mong Kok.

   The district is characterized by a mixture of old and new multi-story buildings, with shops and restaurants at street level and commercial or residential units above. Major industries in Mong Kok are retail, restaurants (including fast food) and entertainment.

According to Guinness World Records, Mong Kok has the highest population density in the world (mean 130,000 per km2 or 340,000 per mi2) and with a development multiple of four.

  Name

   The current English name is a transliteration of its older Chinese name  which is pronounced "Mong Gok" and is named after its plentiful supply of ferns in the past when it was a coastal region. Its present Chinese name  is pronounced "Wong Gok". The name in Chinese means "prosperous corner".

   The area was also called Argyle in English for some time in the past. This name was used for the MTR station in the area, when it was opened in 1979. Also, the office building , which was named after the area, is known in English as Argyle Centre instead of Mong Kok Centre.

  History

   Displays at the Chinese University of Hong Kong show some antique potteries, indicating that there might be settlements that early as Jin Dynasty (265-420).

   The area of Mong Kok has changed significantly over the years. The heart of the present-day Mong Kok is along Argyle Street near Sai Yeung Choi Street whilst the proper Mong Kok was north of it, near present-day Mong Kok East Station of MTR. With cultivated lands, it was bounded south by Argyle Street, west by Coronation Road (present-day Nathan Road), and east by the hills. To its south is Ho Man Tin and west Tai Kok Tsui. Stream from the hills east offered water for cultivation.

   On 10 August 2008 the Cornwall Court fire broke out. More than 200 firefighters were involved in the rescue operation. Four people died, including two fire fighters.

   Mong Kok got a lot of negative media attention when it was hit by a number of acid attacks on Sai Yeung Choi Street from December 2008 through January 2010.