Binzhou, formerly Putai, is a prefecture-level city in northern Shandong Province in the People's Republic of China. The city proper sits on the northern bank of the Yellow River, while its administrative area straddles both sides of its lower course before its present delta. As of the 2020 Chinese census, its population was 3,928,568 inhabitants, and its built-up area made of Bincheng and Zhanhua urban Districts was home to 1,188,597 inhabitants.