Shanghai is a city in eastern China.

Shanghai (Chinese for "on the sea") commands the entrance to the Yangtze River Basin, a large, populous, and economically productive region in central China.

Shanghai is China’s most important port, commercial hub, and industrial center.

Shanghai is an independently administered municipal district of 6,341 sq km (2,448 sq mi). It includes 3 counties and 17 urban districts of the city proper.

The urban districts cover 2,057 sq km (794 sq mi), of which about 300 sq km (about 116 sq mi) is built-up and densely populated. This area is expanding as a result of many construction projects in Shanghai.

The municipality includes about 30 islands in the Yangtze River and along the coast of the East China Sea. The largest, Chongming Dao, constitutes one of Shanghai’s 3 counties.