Besides the town of Mandal, the municipality also includes the villages of Bykjernen, Skjebstad, Sånum-Lundevik, Skogsfjord-Hesland, Krossen, Harkmark, Skinsnes-Ime, and Tregde-Skjernøy.

Mandal has many small, white-painted wooden houses, which is typical of towns at the South Coast of Norway (Sørlandet).

On 1 January 1965, an unpopulated area of Mandal called Svalemyren was transferred to the neighboring municipality of Søgne.

The coat of arms was granted on 2 July 1921, just after Mandal became a town, and it was in use until 1 January 2020 when the municipality was dissolved.

The official blazon is "Azure, three salmon naiant argent" (Norwegian: I blått tre hvite lakser, 1-1-1).

This means the arms have a blue field (background) and the charge is three salmon shown swimming horizontally and stacked vertically.

The salmon have a tincture of argent which means they are commonly colored white, but if the arms are made out of metal, then silver is used.

The municipal council (Kommunestyre) of Mandal was made up of 35 representatives that were elected to four year terms.

Sjøsanden (The Sea Sand) is the most famous beach, as it stretches for almost a kilometre just outside the town centre.

The city center is known for its charming concentration of old, white, wooden houses and the Mandalselva river running through it.

Also, the library, art gallery, cinema, concert hall, and theater is located in the Buen kulturhus (culture house) which was built in 2012.

Mandal is also famous for its annual Shellfish festival (Skalldyrfestivalen) the second weekend of August when many people gather in downtown to eat Norwegian seafood.