Chongqing is situated at 105`17'-110`11' E and 28`10'-32`13' N, at the transitional area between the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau and the plain on the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River in the sub-tropical climate zone swept by the moist monsoon. The average annual temperature is around 18oC, with the lowest winter temperature averaging between 6oC and 8oC and summer temperature averaging between 27oC and 29oC. It has a total annual sunshine time of 1,000 to 1,200 hours. It has mild winter, hot summers, long frost-free periods and ample rain, as well as warm, wet and cloudy days, with rain and heat occurring in the same season. It has an annual rainfall of 1,000-1,400 mm. It often rains at night in late spring and early summer, and thus the city is famous for its "night rain in the Ba Mountains". The land under Chongqing's jurisdiction is 470 kilometers from east to west, and 450 kilometers from north to south. It borders on Hubei and Hunan provinces in the east, Guizhou in the south, Sichuan in the west and north and Shaanxi Province at its northeast corner.

Chongqing covers a large area crisscrossed by rivers and mountains. The Daba Mountains stand in the north, the Wushan Mountains in the east, the Wuling Mountains in the southeast and the Dalou Mountains in the south. The whole area slopes down from north and south towards the Yangtze valley, with sharp rises and falls. The area is featured by mountain and hills, with large sloping areas at different heights. Typical karst landscape is common in this area, and stone forests, forests of peaks, limestone caves and valleys can be found in many places. The Yangtze River runs through the whole area from west to east, covering a course of 665 kilometers, cutting through the Wushang Mountains at three places and forming the well-known Three Gorges: the Qutang, the Wuxia and the Xiling gorges. Coming from northwest and running through "the Jialing Lesser Three Gorges" of Libi, Wentang and Guanyin, the Jialing River joins the Yangtze in Chongqing.