With a height of 702 metres (2,303 ft), it stands among the ten highest mountains in Hong Kong.

Beneath the west face of the mountain along Tolo Harbour, the Ma On Shan new town extension, administratively part of Sha Tin, is named after the hill.

A group of villages located east of the peak is named Shap Sze Heung and the harbour of Three Fathoms Cove.

The saddle shape of Ma On Shan was formed over the past 200 million years.

Rare and protected species of plants also grow on Ma On Shan including the Chinese Lily (Lilium brownii) which is found on the mountain's eastern slope.

The natural environment of Ma On Shan is relatively undisturbed, so this valuable sanctuary gives shelter to many wildlife species.

Its high-purity (60%) iron ore attracted many newcomers to live near Ma On Shan in the late 1940s.

[1] However, in the 1970s, Japan’s demand for iron was reduced massively due to them building oil tankers.