- Overijssel or Overissel is located in the central-eastern part of the Netherlands.
- The province's name means "Lands across the river Issel", from the perspective of the bishopric of Utrecht by which it was held until 1528.
- The capital city of Overijssel is Zwolle and the largest city is Enschede.
- The province has a population of 1,113,529 inhabitants.
- Overijssel is bordered by Germany to the east, Gelderland to the south, Flevoland to the west, and Friesland and Drenthe to the north.
- To the southeast, the province's surface is mostly sandy, interspersed with small rivers such as the Regge and Dinkel and other brooks.
- In the northwest, the geology is dominated by sediments from the Overijsselse Vecht and clay.
- The extreme northwest is dominated by a system of lakes formed by former peat-mining, the Weerribben, which is a valuable wetland.