[2] The island was named after Dutch explorer Willem Barents who, despite discovering Svalbard, never sighted Barentsøya itself.

Barentsøya has an approximately square shape, with maximum lengths and widths of about fifty kilometers,[4] and an area of 1,288 km2 (497 sq mi).

The ice cap of Barentsjøkulen covers a large part of the island, with the largest offspring Besselsbreen (north), Duckwitzbreen (west), Freemanbreen (south), and Hübnerbreen (southeast).

[12] It has a height of 590 m.a.s.l., is the highest mountain of Barentsøya, and is named after German scientist Georg August Schweinfurth.

[14][15] Grimheia is an ice-free mountainous area extending over a length of about thirteen kilometers at the northern part of the island.