The municipality of Nordeste is located in the extreme north/ northeast part of São Miguel Island, from Ribeira da Salga (at West) to Grota da Fonte (at East). It is surrounded by the municipality of Ribeira Grande at west and east and by the municipality of Povoação at south (by a range of mountains).

Its total area is of 101 km2, more precisely 10.151 hectares.
According to several historians Nordeste (Northeast) owes its toponym most probably because of its location in the Northeast. Gaspar Frutuoso refers that Nordeste is "so called for facing that wind, so that its opposite wind on this point is northeast, near the hillock that from twenty to thirty miles from the sea is first seen by the navigators coming from east”.
Geographically this municipality is known for its landscape covered with trees, exotic flowers and endemic vegetation and for its high mountains, its gorges and its deep valleys.
It is probably the municipality where nature was less touched by man and is one of the Island’s most appreciated treasures.