The distance between Oulu and Hailuoto is 53 kilometres (33 mi), and the sea area between them is called Luodonselkä (literally "open water of the islet").

The coat of arms was designed by Teuvo-Pentti Pakkala and approved by the Hailuoto Municipal Council at its meeting on 28 April 1966.

Queen Christina of Sweden donated the entire island of Hailuoto in 1652 to Colonel Berndt Taube, from whose heirs it was returned to the crown in 1675.

[10] During the Great Northern War (1713–1721), 200 Cossacks of the Tsardom of Russia killed about 800 people in Hailuoto with axes on 29 September 1714.

[15] According to tradition, the bells of Hailuoto Church were drowned in Lake Kirkonjärvi during the Great Northern War, where they were never found again.

[10] Hailuoto is the largest island in the Gulf of Bothnia, consisting of four parts, Luoto, Santonen, Hanhinen and Syökari.

The young surface forms of the island are shaped throughout by sea waves, currents, ice thrust and wind.

[13] The soil consists of sandy materials, which are partly derived from clay sandstone, which is called The formation of Muhos extends to Hailuoto.

[16][17][18] BBC Weather expert George Goodfellow explained the reason for the phenomenon: "The general picture is that they form from pieces of larger ice sheet which then get jostled around by waves, making them rounder.

In the center village of Hailuoto there is a comprehensive school,[21] two grocery stores (K-Market and Sale), a bank (Osuuspankki), a barber shop and a filling station (SEO).

[25] Of the revival movements within the church, Conservative Laestadianism operates in the locality, which has the Hailuoto Peace Association (Hailuodon Rauhanyhdistys).

[26] The entire island of Hailuoto is classified as one of Finland's nationally significant built cultural environments.

In winter an official ice road, approximately 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) long, connects the island to the mainland.