Linghai is a county-level city located in the western part of Liaoning province in Northeast China. It falls under the administration of the prefecture-level city of Jinzhou, which is situated approximately 21 kilometres to the southwest of Linghai.
The city was formerly known as Jinxian or Jin County until it underwent reorganization into a county-level city and was renamed Linghai in 1993. Its urban core is positioned on the west bank of the Daling River, which flows toward Liaodong Bay near the city's location.