Iodine is an essential micronutrient in human body, Iodine deficiency and excess can lead to two kinds of goiters. Compared with iodine deficiency, the harm of high iodine groundwater to human health is more difficult to control. Aiming to the typical areas with rich iodine in China, a contrast research of the environments of the ground water with rich iodine was conducted, and the distribution characteristics and storage environments of shallow groundwater with rich iodine were analyzed . The results showed that: the shallow groundwater with rich iodine mainly distributed in the eastern plains near the sea and the middle and lower reaches of piedmont plain in midwest China. The distributions of the shallow groundwater with rich iodine were affected by the sedimentary environment, the underground runoff conditions, the types of climate and human activities, etc. After having a contrast research of the water environmental characteristics and storage environments of the shallow groundwater with rich iodine, some problems of the shallow rich-iodine groundwater to be solved were proposed. The paper can provide theory guidance for the systematic research of the shallow groundwater with rich iodine in the future.