Originally an island with fishing villages, it has been developed since the late 20th century with the construction of Tung Chung New Town on its north-western coast and the completion of several major infrastructure projects, including Lantau Link (1997), Hong Kong International Airport (1998), Hong Kong Disneyland (2005), and Ngong Ping 360 (2006).

The small island of Peaked Hill, off Tsin Yue Wan (煎魚灣), marks the westernmost point on the land of Hong Kong territories.

The completion of the Hong Kong International Airport at Chek Lap Kok in 1998 has led to economic development in north-western Lantau; the once quiet village of Tung Chung became a new town and is now home to over 45,000 people located in 30 to 50 storey high-rise housing estates and condominiums located near the airport.

[citation needed] Discovery Bay is a privately owned residential development located on the south-eastern coast of Lantau.

In 1277, the imperial court sought refuge first in Silvermine Bay (Mui Wo) on Lantau Island (then known as Gangzhou (碙州), and later in today's Kowloon City.

Lantau Island and Tamão, Tuen Mun were among the first European trading settlements in the Pearl River area, established by Portuguese traders in the 1510s.

There were nine settlements on the island in the early 16th century: Kai Kung Tau (鷄公頭), Shek Pik, Tai O, Sha Lo Wan, Tung Sai Chung (東西涌, now known as Tung Chung), Tai Ho Shan (大蠔山, now known as Lantau Peak), Mui Wo, Lo Pui O (now known as Pui O) and Tong Fuk.

Five villages were subsequently resettled: Tai O, Tung Sai Chung, Lo Pui O, Shek Pik and Mui Wo.

[citation needed] Lantau Island was surveyed by a French fleet by Alexandre Dalmypre around the Delta of the Pearl River in 1760.

The resistance movement made use of the island's wooded areas and deep valleys in order to organise ambushes and move supplies.

Ngong Ping 360 is a tourism experience which combines a 5.7 km (3.5 mi) cable car journey with a cultural themed village and easy access to the Tian Tan Buddha Statue.

While Tai O is in the process of being revitalised with a series of measures such as new signages and two bridges to facilitate movement of visitors, Tai O retains most of its historical setting such as waterways, stilt houses and fishing boats and is famous for its fishing village scenery in a mountainous setting.

The Trappist Haven Monastery at Tai Shui Hang, home to a number of Roman Catholic monks, sits on the east coast of Lantau Island, approximately halfway between the towns of Mui Wo and Discovery Bay.

Hong Kong Disneyland lies on the northeastern part of the island, approximately two kilometres from Discovery Bay.

The US$1.8 billion project includes a Disney theme park, three hotels, and retail, dining and entertainment facilities stretching over 1.26 km2 (310 acres).

The best known of these is the 70 kilometre, 12 section Lantau Trail composed of beauty of natural stone steps and the dense woodland along a 3-kilometer stretch.

This section of the trail will reach South Lantau Road at Pui O and hikers can appreciate the beauty of natural stone steps and the dense woodland along the 3 km journey.

[15] There are six prisons on Lantau Island: Chi Ma Wan Correctional Institution, Chi Sun Correctional Institution (formerly the Chi Ma Wan Drug Addiction Treatment Centre), Ma Mo Ping Prison, Tong Fuk centre west of Tong Fuk, Sha Tsui Detention Centre and the maximum security Shek Pik Prison, both located near Shek Pik Reservoir.

Plans were put forward by the government to build an enormous "Super Prison" on the sparsely populated nearby island of Hei Ling Chau, to be connected by a bridge to Mui Wo.

Hong Kong International Airport (HKG/HKIA) is located on Chek Lap Kok island and started service in July 1998.

A 24-hour ferry service operated by HKR International Limited connects Pier 3 in Central to Discovery Bay with a transportation time of 25 minutes.

Other Kai-To and ferry services link Peng Chau, Mui Wo Lantau, Chi Ma Wan Lantau, and Cheung Chau Island, and another links Tuen Mun, Tung Chung, Sha Lo Wan, and Tai O.

Opened on 18 September 2006, this provides a 5.7 km 20-minute gondola cableway journey between Tung Chung and Ngong Ping.

Save Lantau Alliance, an activist group opposed to large-scale development of the island, called on the council members to disclose their conflicts of interest.

Lam Chiu Ying, conservationist and former head of the Hong Kong Observatory, responded that Chan's remarks were "unacceptable" and stated, "while other cities are aiming for an increase (in greenery), we are doing the opposite.

The report recommends developing Lantau Island into a "metropolis" housing between 700,000 and 1,000,000 people, a new commercial hub, and a centre of tourism.

[23] Leung Chun-ying praised the report for having "fully considered the current situations of various districts in Lantau, including the conservation needs and the development potential" while it was denounced by green groups for being environmentally destructive.