It is located in the province of Oulu and is part of the Northern Ostrobothnia region. The town has a population of 7,472 (30 June 2015) and covers an area of 789.08 square kilometres (304.67sqmi) of which 23.44km (9.05sqmi) is water. The population density is 9.76 inhabitants per square kilometre (25.3/sqmi).