Generally speaking, Helgeland refers to the part of Nordland county that is located south of the Arctic Circle.

There are four towns in the district: from south to north these are Brønnøysund, Mosjøen, Sandnessjøen, and Mo i Rana.

People living on the coast have settled on this lowland (while inland towns, such as Mo and Mosjøen, are situated in valleys).

Some islands are fairly large, often with unique mountains, such as Torghatten, De syv søstre (The Seven Sisters), Hestmannen, Rødøyløva (in Rødøy Municipality), Dønnamannen (picture), and several small islands in Træna Municipality.

There are several sea bird colonies, such as Lovund (picture Archived 2007-09-29 at the Wayback Machine) with thousands of puffins.