Nanjing is situated in Eastern China, along the lower reaches of the Yangtze (Changjiang) river, approximately a 4 hour drive from Shanghai. Nanjing is the largest city in Jiangsu province, and one of the 10 largest cities of China, with the urban population boasting some 4 and a half million registered residents. Greater Nanjing consists of 11 urban districts and two counties, with the city center encompassing the districts of Xuanhu, Baixia, Gulou, and Jianye; and expanding out to include the Qinhuai, Xiaguan, and Jiangning, districts. The districts of Pukou and Luhe represent Nanjing's expansion north of the Yangtze River. The Nanjing municipality also administers the counties of Lishui and Gaochun, both located south of the urban city.

Nanjing is the seat of the Provincial government of Jiangsu; and the city has a long and glorious tradition of playing host to not only local governments, but national governments as well. To the east of Nanjing lie the fertile farmlands and bustling urban cityscapes of southern Jiangsu, including major urban centers such as Suzhou, Wuxi, zhenjiang, zhangjiagang, and finally culminating with Shanghai on the eastern seaboard. To the north of Nanjing lies the many industrial oriented cities of northern Jiangsu, including Xuzhou, Xuyi, and the seaport of Lianyungang; while not as commercially successful as their southern counterparts, they are brimming with latent opportunities for investment and growth.

To the west of Nanjing, the Yangtze River meanders its way into the depths of central China, and Nanjing serves as a major hub of transportation and communication with the many cities to her immediate west. The Chinese Central Government has been placing importance in the past few years on the Yangtze triangle: the geographic region that encompasses Shanghai, Zhejiang, and southern Jiangsu province, hoping to spur on high-speed growth in the area as it once did with Canton and areas around Guangdong province. Nanjing is a place of strategic importance for this plan, as not only is it the capital of Jiangsu province, but it's location of just south of the Yangtze river, and Just east of Anhui province mean it is a important transportation and logistics center.