Though Kowloon Walled City in Hong Kong was demolished in 1994, it is still believed to have contained the highest population density of humans anywhere on the planet. At only 6.5 acres, anywhere from 33,000 to 50,000 people lived within its walls.
Founded as a Chinese military fort during the mid-1600s, the fort was ceded to the British in 1898. After WWII, China announced its intent to reclaim the Walled City and refugees poured in. By 1947, there were 2000 squatters. The British failed in their attempts to remove them and generally left the Walled City alone.
By the 1950s, with both the Chinese and the British adopting a "hands-off" policy toward Kowloon, it became a haven for crime and drugs and by the end of the decade was virtually ruled by the organized crime syndicate known as Triads. It wasn't until the early '80s that crime in Kowloon was under control.
Kowloon saw a rise in construction in the 1960s and '70s. Residents were free to build their dwellings as they wished, ignoring safety codes. People lived as they would anywhere else, despite the overcrowding and squalor. Deep within the buildings, a variety of small businesses even flourished.
Despite lower crime rates, British and Chinese officials found the living conditions intolerable and plans were made to demolish the buildings. Many residents protested, but the government spent $2.7 billion (Hong Kong dollars) in compensation and evacuations started in 1991. They were completed in 1992.
Construction work on Kowloon Walled City Park started the following month. It was completed in 1995.
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