Gattaran is one of twenty-eight (28) municipalities (along with one city) that comprise the province of Cagayan in the Cagayan Valley. The town is politically subdivided into fifty (50) barangays, and is a part of the 1st Congressional District of Cagayan.

Gattaran is known for its historic and natural scenic spots which makes it a tourist landmark, including the Maduppaper Caves, the Mapaso Hot Spring and the Tanlagan Falls, whose warm and cold waters meet and flow together on one bed to become the Dummun River. Another pride of Gattaran is Bolos Point, a wildlife sanctuary.