It is located in the province of Oulu and is part of the Northern Ostrobothnia region. The municipality has a population of 5,179
(30 June 2015) and covers an area of 800.88 square kilometres (309.22sqmi) of
which 13.55km (5.23sqmi)
is water. The population density is
6.58 inhabitants per square kilometre (17.0/sqmi).