Gushi County was the capital of one of the two States of Liao during the Spring and Autumn period of Chinese history (771–436 BCE).

Gushi is the most-populous county in the Henan Province, with an estimated record high of 1,734,100 citizens with registration as of 2013, according to the 2013 annual statistics report.

In 2010, the county had a population density of 348 people per square kilometer (900 people/sq mi).

The Nanjing–Xi'an Railway along as G40 Shanghai–Xi'an Expressway passing through the southern side of Gushi from the east to the west, connect the county with Xinyang and Hefei.

In the north border to Anhui, Huai River flowing from the west to the east serves as a class III Waterway.