泗州之名，始見於北周。北宋時期，泗州隸屬淮南東路，領有盱眙、臨淮、招信三縣。境內有汴河、淮水流經。金得泗州，隸南京路。就地理環境而言，宋代泗州位於淮河流域中下游地區。自古淮河即為南、北方的自然分界線，氣候上，大致沿淮河、秦嶺一線分布，以南屬亞熱帶，以北為暖溫帶。北宋時期，淮河獨流入海，水系沒有太大變化。南宋、金時期，黃河兩次奪淮入海，對淮河下游流域產生重大影響。泗州地區地理水文生變，河水所至之處，帶來大量泥沙淤積，加上金廷治河效果不彰，使民受其害。泗州位於汴河起點，居水路要衝之地，其經濟發展大抵與官商貨物運輸及貿易關係密切，由與之相關配套措施即可見出地區性特色，如置轉般倉以轉輸官物，置堆垛場載運商貨，以及商稅徵收為數頗豐。另，泗州地區的手工業大致有絲織與造船兩方面。紹興和議後，入金版圖，與宋盱眙軍對峙，成為邊城重鎮。戰事興起時，以「形勢險要，為咽喉之地」，成兵家必爭要地；和平無事時，使節往來、國書傳遞亦多由此，且為兩國榷場貿易之中心。人口消長方面，熙豐之際至徽宗崇寧時期，無論在戶數或口數上，都有成長，顯示此時在社會發展與經濟開發方面有一定程度的增長。金代泗州戶數則明顯消退，值得再加深究。

Sizhou name, first appeared in the Northern Zhou. Northern Sung Dynasty, underthe Huainan East Road, ruled Xuyi, Linhuai, Zhaoxin three counties. Territory near theriver,Bain and Huai flows. Jing dynasty acquired Sizhou, was subordinated NanjingRoad.The geographical environment, Sizhou of the Sung Dynasty located the middle todownstresm Huai River region. Since ancient times, the Huai River is the northern andsouthern natural boundary, climate, roughly along the Huai River and Qinling-linedistribution, subtropical south, north to warm temperate. Before the Northern SungDynasty, the Huai River into the sea alone, water did not change much. Southern SungDynasty, the Yellow River taked Huai River into the sea twice, the Huai Riverdownstresm region have a significant impact. Sizhou geographic region has changedhydrology, water can affect even the office, bring a lot of sand deposition, with JingImperial court about river regulation invalid, to make people suffer.Sizhou located near the Bain River starting point, the hub of the waterway, andprobably economic development during the Sung Dynasty official material,commercial cargo transport and trade are closely related, with relevant supportingmeasures by the visibility of the regional characteristics, such as set warehouse in orderto transfer officer material, the official heap field carrying commercial cargo stacking,and the number of business tax levied quite good. The other, roughly the region ofSizhou has two aspects : silk handicraft industry and the shipbuilding industry. Sizhouin Shaoxing Peace Treaty（1142）,was dominated by the Jing, and confronted to theXuyi military administration zone of Sung, became a important border city. Whenrising of the war, with its "advantageous situation for the throat" and a contested; whenpeace no matter, where envoys exchanges, all the necessary credentials to submitthrough, and for the monopoly trade center at border. Population growth and decline,the Xi-Feng to Huizong Chongning period, both in the number of census, the numberof the population suppression, as compared with growth, socio-economic conditions inthe region show a certain degree of growth. In Jing Dynasty, the number of census issignificantly lower, is quite interesting.