Bottineau county is located in northern North Dakota abutting the Canadian border with the town of Bottineau serving as the county seat. The county population on July 1, 1999, was 7,241, a decrease of 770 over the 1990 census.
County features include Lake Metigoshe and Lake Metigoshe State Park in the northeastern part of the county and Lords Lake which straddles the Rolette County line. In addition, the Mouse River flows through the middle of the county before crossing into Canada.
