Composed of a single village, Moisei, it is one of the oldest communes in Maramureș County, first attested in 1213.

It is the site of the Moisei massacre [ro] which occurred on 14 October 1944, when 39 Romanians and 3 Jews were killed by the Hungarian Army.

A monument to the victims of the massacre was built in Moisei by sculptor Gheza Vida in 1965.

Together, these waterways constitute the main landscape of the village, along with the houses that are built on hills up to 800 m high.

The commune is situated in the relief unit called Maramureș Hollow, under the Vișeu corridor.