Zhengzhou City, abbreviated as "Zheng," is a prefecture-level city and the provincial capital of Henan Province. Historically known as "the center of heaven and earth," it was known as the Shangdu (Shangdu) in ancient times and is now known as the Green City. It is a megacity located in the north-central part of Henan Province, at the boundary between the middle and lower reaches of the Yellow River. It has a temperate continental monsoon climate and is traversed by 124 rivers and streams, straddling the Yellow River and Huai River basins. The city covers a total area of 7,567 square kilometers. As of 2025, Zhengzhou will administer six districts, one county, and five county-level cities. By the end of 2024, Zhengzhou's permanent population was 13.086 million.
Zhengzhou is a national central city supported by the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, designated as an important central city in central China by the State Council, a national historical and cultural city, an international comprehensive transportation hub, an advanced manufacturing base in central China, a commercial and logistics center, a gateway to the outside world, and a regional center for scientific and technological innovation.