It contains the province's northernmost point and is located along the Yellow Sea coast where the coastline takes a sharp turn toward the southeast, and borders the Shandong prefecture-level cities of Linyi and Rizhao to the north.

The modern incarnation of Ganyu District was established in 280 AD during the reunification of China following the conquest of Eastern Wu by the Jin dynasty.

It was previously an entity under the jurisdiction of Langya Commandery between its establishment by the Qin dynasty in 221 BC and 198 AD.

Unlike the rest of northern Jiangsu, where Jianghuai Mandarin is the predominant dialect, the locals of Ganyu speak the Ganyu dialect of Jiaoliao Mandarin, which is also native to eastern Shandong and most of the Liaodong peninsula.

Ganyu has a humid subtropical climate (Köppen Cwa) influenced by the East Asian Monsoon.