Jishou is the prefecture-level administrative capital of Xiangxi Tujia and Miao Autonomous Prefecture in Hunan Province. The city borders Luxi County in the southeast, Huayuan County in the northwest, Fenghuang County in the southwest, Baojing County and Guzhang County in the north.

Jishou is located between 28°08 '~ 28°29' north latitude and 109°30 '~ 110°04' east longitude. The total area is 1078.33 square kilometers. Jishou is located in the hinterland of Wuling Mountain area, backed by Wuling Mountain. The climate of Jishou is typical subtropical monsoon humid climate.

In 2019, Jishou had jurisdiction over 1 township, 5 towns and 6 streets; As of midnight on November 1, 2020, the city's permanent population was 408,812 (the seventh census). In 2019, the GDP of Jishou was 19,355.6 million yuan, an increase of 7.2% over the previous year. On April 23, 2018, the Hunan provincial government agreed to lift Jishou out of poverty. China's top 100 tourist counties and cities in 2019. In September 2020, it was identified as the second batch of sample cities of prefabricated buildings by the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development.

In 2020, the GDP of Jishou reached 1976,225 million yuan, an increase of 1.2 percent over the previous year. The added value of the primary industry was 1016.92 million yuan, up 4.4%; The added value of the secondary industry was 687.458 million yuan, down 0.4%; The added value of the tertiary industry was 11.87075 million yuan, up by 1.9%.