With a total area of 26,600 square kilometers, Nanyang currently has jurisdiction over 13 cities, districts and counties. By April 2002, Nanyang's population reached 10.55 million, being the largest and most populous provincially administered city in Henan.
Nanyang, rich in silk in ancient times, had an advantageous geographical location and convenient waterway transportation. Therefore, many merchants gathered here to do business with the merchants from the Western Regions.