The village is located on a peninsula on the mainland of Norway, along the Nesnakroken strait, just north of the Ranfjorden and south of the Sjona fjord.

The Norwegian County Road 17 crosses the Ranfjorden on a ferry which docks in the village before heading north along the coastline.

Nesna has regular ferry connections to the nearby islands of Handnesøya, Hugla, and Tomma.

[4] The 1.08-square-kilometre (270-acre) village has a population (2023) of 1,346 and a population density of 1,246 inhabitants per square kilometre (3,230/sq mi).

[1] Nesna Church is located in the village, and the village is also host to a campus of Nord University.