Kyotanabe City is located in the heart on Kansai, surrounded by Kyoto, Nara and Osaka. It is a town surrounded by nature, with Kannabi Mountain extending out to the Ikoma Mountains in the West and the Kizu River gently flowing in the East. The city is an amalgamation of the formers towns of Tanabe, Oosumi, Miyamaki, Kusauchi, and Fugenji.

Kyotanabe City flourished along ancient trade routes and developed into the administrative, economic, and cultural centre of the Minami-Yamashiro area in southern Kyoto Prefecture. In recent years, the city has experienced a rapid increase in population due to large-scale residential development, improved transport links, and the establishment of the Kansai Science City.