As a municipality of the People's Republic of China directly under the central government, Shanghai is abbreviated as Hu (沪), and is also known as Shen (申). It was named after Shanghai Pu, a downstream tributary of the Wusong River. Hu (沪) originates from the Jin Dynasty (265-420) when a fishing tool called a Hu (扈) was used locally.

As the "estuary" was then called Du (渎), the lower reaches of the Wusong River were known as Hudu (扈渎) and later on as Hu (滬). Another alternate name of the city is Shen (申) because it was once a fiefdom of Huang Xie, Lord of Chunshen (春申君) in the State of Chu, during the Spring and Autumn Period (770-476 BC) and the Warring States Period (475-221 BC).

Lying between a longitude of 120°51' and 122°12' east and a latitude of 30°40' and 31°53' north, Shanghai is located on the west coast of the Pacific Ocean and the eastern shoreline of the Asian continent. The city sits in the middle of China's north-to-south coastline and at the convergence of the Yangtze and Qiantang rivers. It is bordered to the north by the Yangtze River, to the east by the East China Sea, to the south by Hangzhou Bay, and to the west by Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces. 

As of the end of 2024, the city had a total area of 6,340.5 square kilometers, accounting for 0.06 percent of China's total land area. By the end of July 2024, the city governs 16 districts, comprising 108 subdistricts, 106 towns, and two townships.

Updated: Sept 10, 2025

Sources: Shanghai Municipal Statistics Bureau, Information Office of Shanghai Municipality