Henan is not considered to be in the northeast, but only in the north

Henan, in ancient times, was called Zhongyuan, Yuzhou, Zhongzhou, or "Yu" for short. Because most of it is located south of the Yellow River, it was named Henan. Henan is located in the central and eastern part of China, in the middle and lower reaches of the Yellow River. It borders Anhui and Shandong to the east, Hebei and Shanxi to the north, Shaanxi to the west, and Hubei to the south. It looks north to south, connects the east and opens to the west. As of the end of 2014, Henan Province has jurisdiction over 17 prefecture-level cities and 1 county-level city under the direct jurisdiction of the province, with the provincial capital Zhengzhou. Henan Province has a total population of 106.62 million and a permanent population of 94.36 million.

Henan is one of the main birthplaces of the Chinese nation and Chinese civilization. Among the four great inventions of ancient China, the compass, papermaking, and gunpowder were all invented in Henan. In history, more than 20 dynasties established or moved their capitals to Henan, and ancient capitals such as Luoyang, Kaifeng, Anyang, Zhengzhou, and Shangqiu were born. It is the province with the largest number and densest concentration of ancient capitals in China. Henan has historical celebrities such as Laozi, Zhuangzi, Mozi, Han Feizi, Shang Yang, Zhang Liang, Zhang Heng, Du Fu, Wu Daozi, and Yue Fei.

Henan is an important economic province in China. In 2016, its GDP ranked fifth in China and first in the central and western regions. Zhengzhou Commodity Exchange is China's first inland and only futures exchange. Zhengzhou Airport Zone is the only national airport economic experimental zone in China. China (Henan) Pilot Free Trade Zone is a newly established free trade zone in China. In December 2016, the state approved Zhengzhou as a national central city. The Central Plains urban agglomeration, with Henan as the main body, is the fourth growth pole of China's economy.

Henan has many cultural relics and historic sites and rich tourism resources. As of 2017, Henan has 6 25 world cultural heritage sites, 358 national key cultural relics protection units, and 13 national AAAAA-level tourist attractions.