Its only incorporated municipality is the City of Powell River, although it includes a number of unincorporated areas.

The district encompasses a land area of 5,075.33 square kilometres (1,959.60 sq mi).

Because of frequent confusion between the identical names of Powell River district and city, the district's name was changed in 2018 to qathet, from q̓at̓ᶿɛt, meaning "working together, bringing together" in the ʔayʔaǰuθəm language of the ɬəʔamɩn, k̓ómoks, χʷɛmaɬkʷu, & ƛohos Nations.

On the mainland, this includes the area southeast of Powell River to the ferry terminal at Saltery Bay and from Wildwood, northwest of Powell River to Desolation Sound and the terminus of Highway 101 in Lund.

The district is governed by a board of seven directors: five electoral area directors who are elected for a four-year term by voters in the electoral areas, and two municipal directors who are first elected to the City of Powell River’s council and then appointed by council to the regional board.