Hefei is a prefecture-level city located in the central portion of Anhui province, China. It serves as the political, economic, and cultural center of the province. As of the 2020 census, the city had a total population of 9,369,881 inhabitants.
The city's built-up area comprises four urban districts along with the urbanized counties of Feidong, Feixi, and Changfeng. Geographically, Hefei is situated north of Chao Lake on a low saddle crossing the northeastern extension of the Dabie Mountains, which serves as the divide between the Huai and Yangtze rivers. It borders several surrounding regions, including Huainan to the north, Chuzhou to the northeast, Wuhu to the southeast, Tongling to the south, Anqing to the southwest, and Lu'an to the west.