Pudasjärvi is a town and a municipality of Finland. It is located in the province of Oulu and is part of the Northern Ostrobothnia region, 87 kilometres (54 mi) northeast of the city of Oulu and 130 kilometres (81 mi) southwest of the town of Kuusamo. The town has a population of 7,345 and covers an area of 5,867.23 square kilometres (2,265.35 sq mi) of which 228.67 km2 (88.29 sq mi) is water. The population density is 1.3 inhabitants per square kilometre (3.4/sq mi). In terms of area in square kilometres, Pudasjärvi is the second largest township in Finland and one of the largest in the world. It's also one of the most sparsely inhabited.