The relief structure of Śląskie is varied. Uplands, depressions, and basins are found in the north. Within the Beskid (Beskid Mountains) range, the Beskid Żywiecki, Beskid Niski, and Beskid Makowski mountains lie to the south. Forests, consisting mainly of pine and spruce, cover one-third of the province. The climate is mild in the north but cooler in the mountainous south, with overall average annual precipitation of 26–39 inches (650–1,000 mm).Śląskie is the most densely populated province in Poland, and four-fifths of the population lives in cities. The largest urban centres (all with populations exceeding 150,000) are Katowice, Częstochowa, Sosnowiec, Gliwice, Bytom, Zabrze, and Bielsko-Biała. The Upper Silesian Industrial District, centred on Katowice, is the largest conurbation in Poland, with a population of more than 3,000,000 at the beginning of the 21st century.

The mountains and uplands of Śląskie are popular recreational destinations. The West Beskid Mountains include major ski resorts such as Szczyrk, Wisła, and Ustroń. The limestone outcroppings of the Kraków-Częstochowa upland, with cliff-top ruins of medieval castles, are part of a much-traveled tourist route known as the Eagles' Nests Trail. The Paulite monastic complex of Jasna Góra in Częstochowa houses a famed Roman Catholic icon, the Black Madonna, which attracts some four million pilgrims annually.Over the centuries the Silesian community has developed a distinctive regional consciousness, culture, and dialect. Museums focusing on Silesian culture and tradition include the Upper Silesian Ethnographic Park in Chorzów. The region's coal-mining tradition is the focus of a museum in Tarnowskie Góry that was once a working mine. In Katowice the Museum of Silesia has a fine collection of 19th- and 20th-century Polish paintings. Noteworthy festivals held in the province include the Festival of Contemporary Dance in Bytom, the “Metalmania” Rock Festival, and the Rawa Blues Festival, the latter two held in Katowice.

During the 16th century, along with other Czech lands, Silesia came under the rule of the Austrian Habsburgs (Habsburg, House of). In the 17th century the western portion of the province became part of the Polish state. After the Thirty Years' War (1618–48), Silesia was subdued by Prussia. Following the Partitions of Poland (Poland, Partitions of) (1772, 1793, and 1795), the southeastern portion of the area (Żywiec, Bielsko-Biała) fell under Austrian rule, whereas the northwestern part (Częstochowa, Będzin) was annexed by Prussia. During the 1800s many mines were built to exploit the region's coal reserves, and steelmaking enterprises were established. These newly industrialized districts, however, belonged to three different states. The Upper Silesian Basin (Katowice, Gliwice, and Bytom) was part of German Silesia, the Dąbrowa Górnicza Basin (Dąbrowa Górnicza, Sosnowiec, and Będzin) and the Częstochowa Industrial District part of the Kingdom of Poland (Congress Kingdom of Poland), and the Kraków Basin (Jaworzno) and the Bielsko-Biała Industrial District part of Austrian Galicia. New roads and railway lines were built, and an industrial conurbation (second in size in Europe only to the Ruhr Basin in Germany) began to emerge.

During the early 1900s, 57 percent of the local community was Polish-speaking (mainly miners, workers, and peasants). A German-speaking population, with higher levels of skill and education, prevailed in larger towns and cities. After World War I, Upper Silesia was the scene of three uprisings (in 1919, 1920, and 1921) prompted by the Polish-speaking community's desire for the area to be incorporated into Poland (see Korfanty Line). Ultimately, Upper Silesia was divided into two parts; 29 percent of the area (Katowice and Tarnowskie Góry) was annexed to Poland. During the Great Depression local industry suffered a severe setback. In 1939 Silesia was annexed to the German Reich (except for Częstochowa). During the occupation most of the Poles living in Silesia were included on the so-called Volksliste (“German National List”), with a large number of men conscripted into the German army. Numerous labour, prisoner, and concentration camps were established in the area, and local industries were forced to supply the German army. After World War II, Silesia was reincorporated into the Polish state, and the remaining German population was replaced by incoming Poles.