As of the 2020 census, its population was 2,188,436 inhabitants and the built-up area made of 3 urban districts is 830 square kilometres (320 sq mi) (815,576 inhabitants) and Sinuju, the North Korean neighboring city (359,341 inhabitants), was home to 1,175,199 inhabitants in 2020. The size of the administrative city (prefecture) is 14,981.4 square kilometres (5,784.4 sq mi).

A significant amount of trade with North Korea flows through the city. It is designated as a major export production centre for the province, and is a port city connected by rail with Shenyang and Sinuiju. Dandong has therefore had a dynamic history because of its strategic location for the northeast's rich natural resources and because of its convenient access to the ocean. To the southwest of the city, the river flows into Korea Bay. It is the largest Chinese border city, facing Sinuiju, North Korea across the Yalu River, which demarcates the Sino-North Korean border.

Dandong ( simplified Chinese: 丹东 traditional Chinese: 丹東 pinyin: Dāndōng), formerly known as Andong, is a coastal prefecture-level city in southeastern Liaoning province, in the northeastern region of People's Republic of China.

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