Part of the Hochelaga Archipelago, the island lies between Lake Saint-Louis and Lac des Deux-Montagnes.

The island was granted by the Intendant Talon of New France to its founder François-Marie Perrot then-Governor of Montreal on 28 October 1672.

Île Perrot holds the only working windmill in Quebec, dating from the time Île-Perrot was a seigneury in the French colony of New France.

Over parts of the island, this till is covered with clay which is nutrient-rich and much less stony, but poorly drained and classified as gleysol.

Part of the island remains in forest, although housing developments have made significant inroads over recent years.