Heilongjiang is located in Manchuria, also called Northeast China. It borders Jilin in the south and Inner Mongolia to the west; it also borders Russia to the north.

The Amur River marks the border between China and Russia to the north. Heilongjiang contains China's northernmost point (in Mohe County along the Amur) and easternmost point (at the junction of the Amur and Ussuri Rivers).

The interior of the province, which is relatively flat and low in altitude, contains the Songhua River, the Nen River, and the Mudan River, all tributaries of the Amur, while the northern border forms part of the Amur valley.

The agriculture of Heilongjiang, heavily defined by its cold climate, is based upon crops such as soybeans, maize, and wheat. Commercial crops grown include beets, flax, and sunflowers.

Heilongjiang is also an important source of lumber for China. Pine, especially the Korean pine and larch are the most important forms of lumber produced in Heilongjiang. Forests are mostly to be found in the Daxingan Mountains and Xiaoxingan Mountains, which are also home to protected animal species such as the North China Tiger, the red-crowned crane, and the lynx.

Herding in Heilongjiang is centered upon horse and cattle. Heilongjiang has the greatest number of milk cows and the highest production of milk among all the province-level divisions of China.

Petroleum is of great importance in Heilongjiang, and the Daqing oilfields are an important source of petroleum for China. Coal, gold, and graphite are other important minerals to be found in Heilongjiang. Heilongjiang also has great potential for wind power, with an average wind energy density of 200 watts per square metre.

Heilongjiang is part of Northeast China(Manchuria), the traditional base of industry for China. Industry is focused upon coal, petroleum, lumber, machinery and food. Due to its location, Heilongjiang is also an important gateway for trade with Russia. In recent years, however, Manchuria has suffered from stagnation. As a result, the government has started a Revitalize the Northeast Campaign to deal with this problem, using privatization as the preferred method of economic reform.

One of the distinguished characters of the cuisine is the use of uncooked fresh vegetables. In almost every other region of China, vegetables are cooked thoroughly before being eaten. Northeast China is also distinguished by the popularity of extremely strong distilled spirits, known collectively as baijiu or shaojiu.

The Luhuitou or "Deer-turning-head" Peninsula at the southern tip of Hainan memorializes a folktale about a deer who turned around to look at its hunter, changed into a beautiful maiden, married the hunter and lived happily ever after.