The Brothers (islands), Hong Kong 1.78

The Brothers or Mo To Chau consist of two islands in Hong Kong, Siu Mo To and Tai Mo To. The two islands have been leveled to avoid affecting aviation of the nearby Hong Kong International Airport. Administratively, they are under the jurisdiction of Tuen Mun District.GeographyThe group of islands lie in the north of Lantau Island, midway between Chek Lap Kok, where Hong Kong International Airport is located, and Tuen Mun. West Brother and East Brother are 550 m by 430 m and 800 m by 180 m respectively. Before being leveled, they had maximum elevations of 68 m and 63 m. Tsz Kan Chau, a tiny island nearby, is often regarded as a member of the group.HistoryGraphite was mined at West Brother Island between 1952 and 1971. By 1964, the mine workings had reached 90 m below sea level.The two islands were leveled to avoid affecting aviation of the airport. The extracted material was used in the land reclamation of the airport platform. Environmentalists complained that it damaged the habitat of the Chinese white dolphins.FeaturesA VOR/DME station is located on Siu Mo To.