It is the main subregion of the larger Thompson Country and is often referred to separately, or in combination forms, notably the Thompson-Nicola Regional District.
Other than the several First Nations reserves in the Nicola Country, there are a number of small non-indigenous settlements.
Located in the rainshadow of the Canadian Cascades and the Lillooet Ranges of the Coast Mountains, the climate of the Nicola Country is dry and, in summers, quite hot.
Due to a higher elevation than surrounding basins, it tends to be cooler than Kamloops, the Okanagan, the Shuswap or the lower Thompson areas.
Vegetation in lower elevations tends towards sagebrush and open pine and deciduous, with high-elevation areas thick with coniferous forest.