Hong Kong and Macau are both located along the Pearl River estuary. With its source rising in the province of Yunnan, the Pearl River, known as the Zhujiang River in China, flows for 2,400 kilometers before emptying into the South China Sea. The drainage basin for the Pearl is over 400,000 square kilometers.
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Nelumbo nucifera - The sacred lotus is one of two extant species in the Nelumbo family; the other is Nelumbo lutea, the yellow lotus. Being an aquatic plant, the sacred lotus seed takes root in the calm waters of a pond or river bottom and extends a stalk, up to 150 centimeters, to the surface. The buoyant leaves support the plant and a single flower. Coming into bloom in June and July, the large flowers are either pink or white in color and measure 20 to 25 centimeters in diameter. Often confused with water lilies, the two plants are not related.
