It borders six other provinces: Warmian-Masurian to the north, Podlaskie to the northeast, Lublin to the southeast, Świętokrzyskie (Holy Cross) to the south, Łódź to the southwest, and Kuyavian-Pomeranian to the northwest.

The name of the province recalls the region's traditional name, Mazovia (in Polish Mazowsze, also spelled Masovia), with which it is roughly coterminous.

Masovian Voivodeship is Poland's prime center of science, research, education, industry, and infrastructure.

[8] It is also popular with tourists due to the many historical monuments and its over 20% forested area of pine and oak.

In 1505, Radom hosted the session of the Sejm (Polish Parliament), which enacted the Nihil novi act, and in the 16th century, Warsaw hosted several sessions of the Sejm,[11] before King Sigismund III Vasa moved the Polish capital from Kraków to Warsaw in 1596.

In 1920, the region was invaded by Soviet Russia, but Poland secured its freedom in the victorious Battle of Warsaw.

During World War II, it was occupied by Germany, with the occupiers committing their genocidal policies against Poles and Jews in the region, with expulsions, massacres of civilians and prisoners of war, including at Ciepielów, Śladów, Zakroczym, Ostrów Mazowiecka, Palmiry, Firlej, Skłoby, Nur, Ochota, Wola, and Lipniak-Majorat.

These are listed below in descending order of population (according to official figures for 2019):[1]Towns: The Masovian voivodeship's government is headed by the province's voivode (governor) who is appointed by the Polish Prime Minister.

The highway passes directly through the voivodeship from west to east, connecting it with Belarus and Germany.

The gross domestic product (GDP) of the province was PLN 596 billion in 2021, accounting for 22.8% of the Polish economic output.

[22] The top tourist destination of the voivodeship is the capital city of Warsaw with its Old Town and Royal Castle, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and Historic Monument of Poland.

There are several medieval castles, including at Ciechanów, Czersk, Liw, Płock, and numerous palaces in the voivodeship, including at Otwock Wielki, Guzów, Radziejowice, Krubki-Górki, Sanniki, Korczew and multiple in Warsaw itself.

There are museums dedicated to composer Fryderyk Chopin and chemist Marie Curie at their birthplaces in Żelazowa Wola and Warsaw, respectively.