Rizhao has 2 districts and 2 counties: Donggang District, Lanshan District, Ju County, and Wulian County,*** with 16 streets, 35 towns, and 4 townships. The municipal government is located in Donggang District.

Rizhao City, is a prefecture-level city under the jurisdiction of Shandong Province. The city faces the Yellow Sea to the east, across the sea from Japan and South Korea, while Linyi is close by to the west, Qingdao and Weifang to the north, and Lianyungang to the south.