Åseral is an inland municipality, bordering Bygland municipality to the north and east, Evje og Hornnes to the east, Lyngdal to the south, Hægebostad to the southwest, and Kvinesdal in the west.

[4][5] For centuries, the large parish of Bjelland encompassed the northern half of the Mandalen valley.

Another theory is that the first element the genitive case of the word áss which means "hill" or "mountain ridge" and the last element is áll which means "long strip" or "eel-shaped", which likely refers to the long, narrow lake Øre which is surrounded by mountains and hills.

The official blazon is "Vert, a horseshoe argent" (Norwegian: På grøn grunn ein sølv hestesko).

The horseshoe has a tincture of argent which means it is commonly colored white, but if it is made out of metal, then silver is used.

It is part of the Otredal prosti (deanery) in the Diocese of Agder og Telemark.

The municipal council (Kommunestyre) of Åseral is made up of 17 representatives that are elected to four year terms.

The tables below show the current and historical composition of the council by political party.

Åseral is a popular winter tourist destination with three ski resorts in the villages of Bortelid, Ljosland, and Eikerapen.