The municipality includes the city of Goychay and the nearby village of Qızılqaya.

[3] The settlement dates back to the late 1850s following the devastating 1859 earthquake in Shemakha, though the town was only officially incorporated as such in 1916.

[4] Goychay was the administrative center of the Geokchay Uyezd of the Baku Governorate.

[citation needed] On 2 June 2018 the main bridge carrying the M4 highway across the Goychay River near the city's Olympic Centre was washed away, leading to criminal accusations against several business leaders associated with its construction.

[5] Göyçay has a semi-arid climate (Köppen climate classification: BSk), with precipitation not enough for Cfa classification.