The city with the largest administrative area in Henan, Nanyang borders Xinyang to the southeast, Zhumadian to the east, Pingdingshan to the northeast, Luoyang to the north, Sanmenxia to the northwest, the province of Shaanxi to the west, and the province of Hubei to the south.

It has also nurtured contemporary celebrities such as philosopher Feng Youlan, military strategist Peng Xuefeng, literary figure Yao Xueyin, technological inventor Wang Yongmin, and writer Er Yuehe.

Excavations of the Huangshan ruins have uncovered remnants of jade workshops, high-level tombs, wharves, and granaries.

After the unification of the six states by Qin, the "relocation of unruly people to Nanyang" brought together the wealthy and skilled merchants and artisans of the six states, promoting the development of Nanyang's economy, especially the iron smelting industry, which became one of the national iron smelting centers.

[9] It became commercially important under the Han dynasty, as it had many iron foundries and other manufacturing sites, and also fell at the convergence of routes between major cities.

Later, with the help of the 28 generals of the Cloud Terrace and the financial support of Nanyang, Liu Xiu successfully ascended to power and established the Eastern Han dynasty.

Nanyang subsequently declined somewhat in importance, but remained a political and cultural center of southwestern Henan province and a hub for trade.

[12] Nanyang is located in southwestern Henan, bordering Hubei (Xiangyang, Shiyan, and Suizhou) to the south, Shaanxi (Shangluo) to the west and the following prefecture-level cities in Henan: The latitude of the entire prefecture ranges from 32° 17' to 33° 48' N, while the longitude ranges from 110° 58' to 113° 49' E, and the prefecture spans 26,600 square kilometres (10,300 sq mi).

Thus, using those two geographic features as the standard dividing line, it is difficult to classify the city into northern or southern China.

To the southwest is Neixiang County with the newly developing Baotianman Biosphere Reserve—an area of high biodiversity, with 65 rare and endangered species.

All colleges and universities adhere to the Party's education policy, implement the fundamental tasks of Lide Shuren, and have achieved unprecedented achievements in personnel training, scientific research, social services, cultural heritage innovation and international exchanges and cooperation, which not only promotes the city's science and technology.

Innovation, social progress and improvement of people's livelihood have also laid a good foundation for achieving a higher level of development at a new starting point.

Direct train service is available to Beijing, Shenyang, and Harbin to the north; Shanghai, Nanjing, and Hangzhou to the east; Xining, Lanzhou, and Ürümqi to the west; and Guangzhou, Xiamen, Nanning, and Kunming to the south.

The official language of Nanyang is Mandarin Chinese, but most locals speak the Henan dialect, with its easily identifiable stereotypical features; this local dialect is known as Nanyang Hua (南阳话), and is spoken by about 15 million people in the area.

The historical influence of the Three Kingdoms period is profound, and the remaining relics mainly include the Wuhou Temple, Weigong Bridge, Fengchu Terrace, as well as the ancient battlefield of Huoshao Bowang in Fangcheng and the council stage in Xinye.