With a population of 397,470 in 2020 and an area of 3,099 square kilometres (1,197 sq mi), Changting is the one of the largest counties in the province.

Changting was originally the name of a prefecture (called Tingzhou in imperial times), established in the second year of the Republic of China - 1913.

Tens of thousands of people from Changting joined the Chinese Red Army but not many survived the Long March.

With the founding of the People's Republic of China, the prefecture was redesignated "Longyan" (龙岩地区) and its government was moved down to Xinluo.

Located in the southern end of the Wuyi Mountains (武夷山脉), Changting belongs to subtropical zone.