Mataou, a planet characterized by its hot [desert](/article/desert] environment, was situated within the Mataou system. This system resided in the [Anoat](/article/anoat_sector] [sector](/article/sector] of the Outer Rim Territories, near the Ivax Nebula's border. Before the events of the [Galactic Civil War](/article/galactic_civil_war], [Hutts](/article/hutt], most notably the Gnuda Kajidic, held dominion over Mataou, ruling it for an extensive period. During their rule, the Hutts constructed expansive settlements, all designed in the classical architectural Hutt style. To protect their interests, they deployed a force of [security droids](/article/mataou_hutt_security_droid] across the planet, designed to eliminate threats.
However, by the [time](/article/time] the Galactic Empire came to reign, the Hutt overlords had abandoned the planet, leaving behind only their security droid forces. The primary inhabitants became farmers tending to a [serpentine](/article/snake] species called ro hypa. Furthermore, criminal organizations renovated some of the abandoned Hutt settlements, using them as their bases of operation. For the Empire, Mataou's primary strategic importance lay in its location as a key entry point for [starships](/article/starship] transitioning from the [Corellian Trade Spine](/article/corellian_trade_spine] to the [Ison Trade Corridor](/article/ison_trade_corridor].
With the aid of [the Smuggler](/article/the_smuggler], the [Trade Spine League](/article/trade_spine_league] managed to reactivate the old Hutt sensor network to identify vulnerabilities in the [Iron Blockade](/article/iron_blockade], successfully discovering a path to circumvent Imperial forces. Later, the Empire strived to maintain control of Mataou when the [Uprising](/article/uprising], a group of insurgents, established a substantial presence there. This resulted in the conflict known as the Battle of Mataou.