Settsu is located on the right bank of the Yodo River in the north-central part of Osaka Prefecture.

The whole city is flat with alluvial plains made up of deposits from the Yodo and Ai rivers, and there are no mountains or hills.

Osaka Prefecture Settsu has a Humid subtropical climate (Köppen Cfa) characterized by warm summers and cool winters with light to no snowfall.

Following the Meiji restoration, the village of Mishima was established with the creation of the modern municipalities system on April 1, 1889.

Settsu has a mayor-council form of government with a directly elected mayor and a unicameral city council of 19 members.

In terms of national politics, the city is part of Osaka 7th district of the lower house of the Diet of Japan.

Modern Settsu is a regional commercial center and distribution hub for northern Osaka.