Shenyang lies in the middle of Liaoning Province, south of Northeast China. With hills grouped in the southeast, Shenyan is a flat land of plains. The slope of the terrain is from northeast to southwest, with the alluvion of the Liaohe and the Hunhe rivers. It has many rivers like the Liaohe River, the Hunhe River, the Beisha River, the Xinkai River and the Nanyun River running through.

An industrial centre as well as a transportation junction, the city has its name originating from its geographic setting on the northern side of the Hunhe River, also called Shenshui River. In ancient China, "Yang" was a geographic term for the northern side of a river or the southern side of a mountain. Shenyang is the political, economical and cultural center of Liaoning Province and Northeast China, as well as a famous national city for heavy industries. Nine districts, one county-level city and three counties are under the jurisdiction of Shenyang City.

Shenyang is a complex community of many nationalities. Besides the Hans, there are 32 ethic groups such as the Manchu, Korean, Hui, Xibe and Mongolian. The Hans accounts for the largest population, 92% of the total, followed by the Manchu, Korean and the Huis.

With a semi-humid continental climate in the temperate zone, Shenyang has clearly demarcated seasons with an annual average precipitation of 721.9 mm. The average temperature is 8.1°C, with the highest monthly average of 24.0°C in July and the lowest of 　8.5°C in January. In cold winter, Shenyang takes on the scenery of snow and ice. It has plenty of sunshine in spring, abundant rains in summer and cool winds in autumn. From April to October is the best time for visitors.

Shenyang is famous for its scenic spots, especially the places of historical interest. The fifteen spots approved by the Shengyang Tourism Bureau in July, 1997 are the Imperial Palace, a complex similar to the Forbidden City in Beijing, the East Tomb and North Tomb, the Huishan Scenic Spot, the television tower of Liaoning, the Museum of September 18 Incident of 1931, the Mansion of General Zhang, the Summer Palace, the West Lake of Xinmin, the relics of Xinle, the Shenyang Botanic Zoo, the Wolong Lake of Kangping and the Ancient Stony Meteorite.