Jilin City, also known as the "River City of the North," is a prefecture-level city under the jurisdiction of Jilin Province. Located in the east-central part of Jilin Province, in the heart of northeastern China, it borders Yanbian Korean Autonomous Prefecture to the east, Changchun and Siping to the west, Harbin in Heilongjiang Province to the north, and Baishan, Tonghua, and Liaoyuan to the south. Situated in the transition zone between the Changbai Mountain area and the Songliao Plain, it enjoys the scenic beauty of "facing Changbai Mountain in the distance and surrounding Songhua Mountain nearby." It has a north temperate continental monsoon climate with distinct four seasons. Its total area is 27,120 square kilometers. As of the end of 2023, Jilin City governs four districts, one county, and administers four county-level cities. As of the end of 2024, Jilin City's permanent population was 3.4948 million.
Jilin City is a provincial sub-center city, an important industrial city in China approved by the State Council, an important central city and new industrial base in Jilin Province, and a tourist city with northern Chinese characteristics.
Jilin City, a traditional industrial base in Northeast China, has developed traditional industries such as petrochemicals, automobiles, and metallurgy, as well as emerging industries such as carbon fiber, equipment manufacturing, and power electronics. In 2024, Jilin City's GDP reached 163.32 billion yuan, a 5.0% increase over the previous year.