With nearly 100 million people, Henan is the most populous province of China by residency. It borders Hebei to the north, Shandong to the northeast, Anhui to the southeast, Hubei to the south, Shaanxi to the west, and Shanxi to the northwest.

Henan is one of the most important railway hubs in China, with its capital Zhengzhou as the junction, the largest in China. Four trunk railway lines, Beijing-Guangzhou, Lanzhou-Lianyungang, Beijing-Kowloon and Jiaozuo -Zhicheng pass across the province.Zhengzhou is also the busiest station on the, Euro-Asian Transcontinental Bridge' starting at Lianyungang in Jiangsu Province of China. Zhengzhou North Railway Station is the largest marshalling yard in Asia, its capacity of handling freight is admirable, and its marshalling methods are of world level.

Civil aviation in Henan has been developing rapidly, the newly-built 4E-grade Zhengzhou Xinzheng Airport in 1997 is designed to handle 3.8 million passengers a year, standing as a new bridge linking Henan with the world. Nearly 500 scheduled flights are available each week from airports at Zheng-zhou, Luoyang and Nanyang to more than 40 major cities in China. Each week there are 8 chartered planes to HongKong and 4 chartered planes to Macao.

Henan is flat in the east and mountainous in the west and extreme south. The eastern and central parts of the province form part of the North China Plain. To the northwest the Taihang Mountains intrude partially into Henan's borders; to the west the Qinling Mountains enter Henan from the west and end about halfway across Henan, with branches (such as the Funiu Mountains) extending northwards and southwards. To the far south, the Dabie Mountains separate Henan from neighbouring Hubei province.

The Yellow River passes through northern Henan. It enters from the northwest, via the Sanmenxia Reservoir. After it passes Luoyang, the Yellow River is raised via natural sedimentation and artificial construction onto a levee, higher than the surrounding land. From here onwards, the Yellow River divides the Hai He watershed to the north and the Huai He watershed to the south. The Huai He itself originates in southern Henan. The southwestern corner of Henan, around Nanyang, is part of the drainage basin of the Han Shui River across the border in Hubei.

Henan opera (Yuju) is the local form of Chinese opera; it is also famous and popular across the rest of China. Henan Quju and Henan Yuediao are also important local opera forms.

Henan cuisine is the local cuisine, with traditions such as the Luoyang Shuixi (Luoyang "Water Table", consisting entirely of various soups, etc.); Xinyang Duncai (Xinyang brewed vegetables), and the traditional cuisine of Kaifeng.

Important traditional art and craft products include: Junci, a type of porcelain originating in Yuzhou noted for its unpredictable colour patterns; the jade carvings of Zhenping; and Luoyang's Tangsancai ("Tang Three Colours"), which are earthenware figurines made in the traditional style of the Tang Dynasty.