The Penza region lies in the temperate geographical zone, at the junction of the forest, forest-steppe and steppe natural zones.
The climate in the region is moderately continental. Continentality is gradually increasing from west to east. The most unstable element of the climate is the precipitation. The annual precipitation in the region varies between 450-500 mm, in dry years it drops to 350 mm, and in wet years it rises to 775 mm. Spring droughts are typical, and summer and autumn droughts are also common.
The natural conditions of the area are quite diverse. Flat, slightly hilly terrain creates favorable conditions for human economic activity. A vast part of the territory is occupied by the western slopes of the Volga Upland, and only the extreme west is the eastern outskirts of the Oka-Don plain.
There are over 200 rivers in the region. The largest ones are Sura, Moksha, Khopyor, Vorona.