Gujarat is situated on the Western Indian coast having a 1,600kms long Arabian Sea coastline that encloses Gujarat from three sides like a girdle. It stretches from Kutch in the West to Daman in the South and the hilly tract from Aravalli in the East to the Western hills with lush green forests, rivers as well as plains. It lies to the north east of the Gulf of Cambay. On its western and southwestern boundaries lies the Arabian Sea. To the northwest lies the country of Pakistan. Northeast lies the State of Rajasthan, east lies the State of Madhya Pradesh and to the southeast lies the State of Maharashtra.

Geographically, the State is made up of three main areas. The Eastern (mainland) region includes the major cities of Ahmedabad, Surat, and Vadodara (Baroda). The Kathiawar peninsula, also known as Saurashtra, is the coastal plain that is divided from the mainland by the Gulf of Cambay. The Kutch area, separated from Saurashtra by the Gulf of Kutch is virtually an island, cut off from the rest of Gujarat to the east and Pakistan to the north by the low lying Ranns (deserts). Gujarat derives its name 'Gujaratta' meaning the land of Gurjars. The Gurjars passed through the Punjab and settled in some parts of Western India, which came to be known as Gujarat.