The map above simulates a 300-kiloton nuclear airburst over Hong Kong — roughly the size of a modern deployed warhead. The coloured rings show the estimated fireball, the zones of heavy, moderate and light blast damage, the reach of the thermal flash and the ionizing-radiation dose. Drag the marker or change the weapon in the full simulator to explore other scenarios.
The metropolitan area is home to about 7.5 million people — the rings above are drawn to real scale over their homes.
The marker is in Kowloon, over Mong Kok and Yau Ma Tei rather than on Hong Kong Island. The 1.9 km zone of total destruction covers Mong Kok — often cited as the most densely populated place on Earth — Yau Ma Tei, Jordan and Prince Edward; the 4.7 km collapse ring reaches Tsim Sha Tsui, West Kowloon station, Sham Shui Po and Ho Man Tin. Third-degree burns extend to about 7.5 km across Victoria Harbour to Central, Wan Chai and Causeway Bay, and north to Kowloon Tong and the old Kai Tak site; the 14.5 km ring of broken windows reaches Tsuen Wan, Kwun Tong, Sha Tin's approach and the island's south side.
Hong Kong's 7.5 million people live in some of the tallest, densest housing in the world; the harbour absorbs part of the blast and the steep hills — Lion Rock, Victoria Peak, Tai Mo Shan — would shadow whole districts from the thermal flash. Switch on terrain shadows to see how much. China's arsenal is covered in Nuclear arsenals.
Language 
