Formerly located in the territory of Hong Kong was arguably the most densely populated place on Earth.

In fact, it might have been the most densely populated place in human history.

Not only was it packed with people, but it also had a unique political status.

No government controlled it, which made it lawless, which in turn made it a magnet for organized crime.

Learn more about the walled city of Kowloon, one of the most dangerous and densely populated places

in history, on this episode of Everything Everywhere Daily. To understand what the walled city of Kowloon was, it's necessary to understand the history of Hong Kong, because the two are intimately tied to each other.

The walled city began its life almost a thousand years ago as a fort

built during the Song Dynasty. The fort and the Hong Kong harbour were used for trading

salt with neighboring countries. It was a minor outpost in Imperial China for centuries and never warranted much attention until the 19th century.

The 19th century saw the arrival of Europeans who wanted access to the large Chinese market for trade.

The Chinese who for trade.

The Chinese, who for centuries had been isolated from the rest of the world, found themselves

at an extreme disadvantage in firepower when it came to negotiating with the Europeans.

The Europeans were able to strong- arm the imperial Chinese government to sign several unequal

treaties, including the Treaty of Nan King in 1848, which ceded control of Hong Kong

to the British.

In 1898, another treaty was signed the Convention for the Extension of Hong Kong Territory

which seated the territory of Hong Kong and more territory to the north, known as the new territories, for 99 years.

The one saying the Chinese were able to get in the treaty was an exemption for the fort,

which was located on the Kowloon side of the harbor.

The fort was known as the Wald city. At the time of the

handover had a population of 700 people and its size was just 2.6 hectares or 6.4 acres or 0.00.00969 square miles in area and it was the sovereign territory of China.

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