The largest lakes include Beloye, Belyo, Glubokoye, Itat, Khantayskoye, Labas, Lama, Pyasina, Taymyr, and Yessey.

Long winters and short, hot summers are characteristic for the central and southern regions where most of the krai's population lives.

The territory of Krasnoyarsk Krai experiences conditions of three climate belts: arctic, subarctic, and humid continental.

The average temperature in July is 5 to 10 °C (41 to 50 °F) in the north – where the most poleward tree line in the world is found at Ary-Mas – and +20 °C (68 °F) in the south.

The highest point of the krai is Grandiozny Peak in the Eastern Sayan Mountains at an elevation of 2,922 meters (9,587 ft).

The grave-mounds and monuments of the Scythian culture in Krasnoyarsk Krai belong to the 7th century BC and are some of the oldest in Eurasia.

In 1822, the Yeniseysk Governorate was created with Krasnoyarsk as its administrative center that covered territory very similar to that of the current krai.

During both the Tsarist and the Soviet times, the territory of Krasnoyarsk Krai was used as a place of exile of political enemies, actual or alleged.

On June 30, 1908, in the basin of the Podkamennaya Tunguska River, there occurred a powerful explosion most likely to have been caused by the air burst of a large meteoroid or comet fragment at an altitude of 5–10 kilometers (3.1–6.2 miles) above the Earth's surface.

On January 1, 2007, following a referendum on the issue held on April 17, 2005, the territories of Evenk and Taymyr Autonomous Okrugs were merged into the krai.

The Oblast administration supports the activities of the Governor who is the highest official and acts as the guarantor of the observance of the krai Charter in accordance with the Constitution of Russia.

In December 1991, president Boris Yeltsin appointed Arkady Veprev as the first governor of Krasnoyarsk Krai.

Krasnoyarsk Krai is represented in the Federation Council of Russia, the upper house of the Russian parliament by two senators.

The krai is among the richest of Russia's regions in natural resources: 80% of the country's nickel, 75% of its cobalt, 70% of its copper, 16% of its coal, and 10% of its gold are extracted here.

The krai's major industries are: non-ferrous metallurgy, energy, forestry, chemicals, and oil refining.

The major financial-industrial groups of Krasnoyarsk Krai are: The two most powerful hydroelectric plants in Russia are at the Yenisei River: Three are at its tributary Angara River: It makes Krasnoyarsk Krai one of Russia's most important producers of electric energy and a desirable location for energy-intensive industries, such as aluminum plants.

The 2021 Census reported the following ethnic composition:[20] Vital statistics for 2022:[22][23] Total fertility rate (2022):[24] 1.43 children per woman Life expectancy (2021):[25] Total — 68.35 years (male — 63.56, female — 73.13) As per the survey conducted in 2012,[27] 29.6% of the population of Krasnoyarsk Krai adhered to the Russian Orthodox Church, 5% declared to be a nondenominational Christian (excluding Protestant churches), 2% belonged to a different Orthodox churches, 1.5% was Muslim, 1% followed the Slavic native faith (Rodnovery), and 10.9% did not give an answer to the survey.