Nanning is situated in Nanning basin. In the southeast of the region are hills and plains. The rest are mountains. Nanning has a subtropical monsoon climate with an annual average temperature of 21.7oC, and has 360 frost-free days. Annual rainfall averages 1,300 millimeters.

Nanning is rich in plant and water resources. The main mineral deposits are manganese, iron, copper, tungsten, and aluminum.

In Nanning City, Food processing, machine building, and textile industries are the mainstay. The chief farm products of Nanning include rice, corn, sugarcane, cassava, fruit vegetables, pigs, and poultry. Nanning is noted for the export of duck down.

Rail, road, and air transportation facilities in Nanning are very convenient. Waterways link Nanning directly to Guangzhou.

With the Yong River flowing through and picturesque scenery, Nanning is known as a garden city. Guangxi Botanical Garden, the largest botanical garden in China, is located in Nanning. There are more than 2000 kinds of medicinal plants in the garden. The Yiling Caves, and the Damingshan scenic area are the region's premier tourist attractions, Nanning is also famous for fruit, including bananas, oranges, pineapples, lychees, mangoes, and longans.