The municipality lies about 25 kilometres (16 mi) to the southwest of the city of Stavanger in southwestern Norway.

[8] This was changed to mimic the pronunciation of the local dialect (the d in dal is pronounced t because of the voiceless consonant s in front).

On 26 June 1964, a royal resolution changed the spelling of the name of the municipality back to Gjesdal as part of a border adjustment that was to take effect on 1 January 1965.

[9] This change in spelling was made to bring the name back to the etymologically correct form of Gjesdal.

The official blazon is "Azure, a ram's head caboshed argent" (Norwegian: I blått et sølv værhode sett forfra).

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

The ram was chosen as a symbol because sheep breeding and wool manufacturing have both been important throughout the history of Gjesdal.

It originally was much smaller than it is today, centered on the Gjesdalen valley in the western part of the present-day municipality.

The municipal council (Kommunestyre) of Gjesdal is made up of 27 representatives that are elected to four year terms.