It is located in the province of Oulu and is part of the Northern Ostrobothnia region. The municipality has a population of 1,055 (31 December 2023) and covers an area of 231.63 square kilometres (89.43 sq mi) of which 1.8 km (0.69 sq mi) is water. The population density is 4.59 inhabitants per square kilometre (11.9/sq mi).

The municipality is unilingually Finnish.

Notable people

• Juhani Alaranta, an ex-member of parliament
• Erkki Haukipuro, a late member of parliament, minister and governor
• Alvar Saukko, an ex-member of parliament
• Tuomas Myllylä, a cartoon artist