Topography
 The province is high in the north and low in the south. Mountains make up 31.7% of the total area, hilly areas 28.5%, terraced farmland 16.1% and plains 23.7%. It has 3.12 million hectares of farmland, 10.25 million hectares devoted to forestry and 570,000 hectares of underdeveloped grasslands.
 
Climate
 Most areas enjoy a subtropical monsoon climate with adequate rainfall, long summers and warm winters. Annual precipitation averages 1,336 mm while annual evaporation averages 1,100 mm so Guangdong is moist. Its average annual temperature is 22¡ãC and it averages 1,828 hours of sunshine a year. Guangdong is a green place where plants grow vigorously all the year round.
 
Natural resources
 Guangdong boasts rich mineral resources. So far, a total of 17 minerals have been discovered, and reserves of 13 minerals have been proven.

Forests cover 57% of the province with standing timber reserves of 300 million cubic meters. Species include pine, Chinese catalpa, fir and eucalyptus.

The province has extensive access to the sea together with a network of interconnected waterways with many reservoirs and fish ponds. It is rich in aquatic products. Its marine breeding areas cover 780,000 ha and it has a further 430,000 ha of freshwater breeding areas. The main crops are rice, vegetables and fruit. Zhanjiang is the main center for sisal hemp while fruit production is predominately based around Maoming. Among the 200 varieties of fruit grown in Guangdong are pineapples, bananas and litchi, together with longans and oranges.

The province faces a shortage of water resources. The per capita share of water resources in 2004 was 1,390 cubic meters, 24.0% down from the 2003 figure. At the year-end, the total water storage in 31 large reservoirs amounted to 10.85 billion cubic meters, a reduction of 34 million cubic meters. The annual water consumption of the province was 45.4 billion cubic meters.

The year 2004 saw a reduction of 21,489 ha of cultivated land as a result of construction, disasters and readjustment of agricultural structures.

(Statistics as of 2004)