It is administrated by as part of Indonesia's Central Tapanuli Regency in the province of North Sumatra.

Mursala island is located off the south coast of Sumatra in the Indian Ocean.

[2] The island is known for a large waterfall on its western side.

[2][3] A smaller islet on Mursala's eastern side, Pantai Pulau Putri, is known for its beaches.

Mursala island is one of the only known habitats for Dipterocarpus cinereus, a species of plant considered to be extinct until the 2010s.