Guizhou province is called "Qian" or "Gui" for its short forms. Located on the eastern slope of Yunnan--Guizhou Plateau, Guizhou borders provinces (region and municipality) of Hunan, Guangxi, Yunnan, Sichuan and Chongqing to the east, south, west, and north respectively. The province becomes an important access to the sea and a transportation hub for Southwest China.

The province covers an area of 176,100 square kilometers, accounting for 1.8% of the national area. The altitude is 1,100 meters on average. Mountains and hills make up 92.5% of the total provincial area, of which 61.9% is dominated by karst landform. Guizhou is one of the most developed karst landform regions in the world.