It is located in the province of Western Finland and is part of the Pirkanmaa region. The town has a population of 7,166 (31 March 2016) and covers an area of 750.37 square kilometres (289.72 sq mi) of which 93.16 km² (35.97 sq mi) is water. The population density is 9.55 inhabitants per square kilometre (24.7/sq mi).

The municipalities next to it are Hämeenkyrö, Jämijärvi, Kankaanpää, Parkano, Sastamala and Ylöjärvi.

The municipality is unilingually Finnish.

The Seitseminen national park is partly located in the municipality.

Ikaalinen is an old tourist attraction in Finland. Its spa tradition dates back to the last century and folk music, especially accordion music is one of its traditions. Its beautiful landscape has always fascinated visitors.

During the last decades Ikaalinen developed into a versatile service centre with good business, educational and recreational facilities. Today about 55% of the population earns its living from the service sector and 15% from agriculture, which has always provided an important source of income.

S. Albert Kivinen, the associate professor of philosophy of the University of Helsinki, is the most famous living native of Ikaalinen, due to his tongue-in-the-cheek horror stories written in Lovecraftian style. His most famous fictional work, Keskiyön Mato Ikaalisissa ("The Midnight Worm in Ikaalinen"), is a Lovecraftian story set in his childhood surroundings in Ikaalinen.

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Wikipedia