Jinan, a core city in the lower reaches of the Yellow River and the heart of Shandong Province, is a key central city in the Yellow River Basin, a crucial node city in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei and Yangtze River Delta interconnection zone, and the provincial capital and sub-central city of Shandong. As one of China's renowned national historical and cultural cities and a national comprehensive transportation hub, it is also a national civilized city, a national forest city, and the first national water ecological civilization city in China. Dubbed the "City of Springs" for its more than 800 gushing springs including Baotu Spring (hailed as the "No.1 Spring Under Heaven"), it boasts the honor of being a Top Tourist City in China and a national demonstration city for cultural and tourism consumption, earning titles such as "City of Elegance" and "City of Mountains and Lakes" due to its poetic landscape of "lotus flowers on all sides, willows on three, a city of mountains and half a lake of waters". Jinan is a representative city of Qi-Lu culture, the birthplace of ancient Chinese civilization.

Jinan is located in central Shandong Province, bordered by Dezhou and Binzhou to the north, Zibo to the east, Tai'an to the south, and Liaocheng to the west. It lies at the junction of the southern Shandong hills and the northwestern Shandong alluvial plain, with Mount Tai standing in the south and the Yellow River flowing through the north. Endowed with a superior transportation network, it features Jinan Yaoqiang International Airport, key railway hubs including Jinan Railway Station and Jinan West Railway Station, and an integrated transportation system of highways, railways, and air routes, serving as a vital gateway connecting East China, North China, and the central and western regions. Covering a total area of 10,244.45 square kilometers, it is renowned for its dense distribution of natural springs and unique integration of natural scenery and historical heritage, known as the "Pearl of the Yellow River Basin".