Saarijärvi is a town and municipality of Finland. It is located in the Central Finland region. The municipality has a population of 8,847 (31 December 2023) and covers an area of 1,422.72 square kilometres (549.32 sq mi) of which 170.8 km2 (65.9 sq mi) is water. The population density is 7.07 inhabitants per square kilometre (18.3/sq mi).

Central Finland is a region in Finland. It borders the regions of Päijät-Häme, Pirkanmaa, South Ostrobothnia, Central Ostrobothnia, North Ostrobothnia, North Savo, and South Savo. The city of Jyväskylä is the regional centre and by far the largest city in the area. The Central Finland lies slightly south of the geographical centre of Finland. The landscape is hilly and a large part of the province belongs to the Finnish Lakeland.