The island, together with the eastern coast of what was named Emperor Nicholas II Land, was discovered by Boris Vilkitsky at the time of the 1913 Arctic Ocean Hydrographic Expedition.

Its insularity, however, wasn't proven until 1931, when Georgy Ushakov and Nikolay Urvantsev charted the archipelago during their 1930–32 expedition.

Most of these ice formations do not reach the sea, ending in moraines in valleys or coastal plains having a sparse vegetation of moss and lichen.

[7] Ostrov Tash is a small island located on Bolshevik's southern shore.

The group formed by the smaller Maly Taymyr and Starokadomsky islands is located further offshore off the southeastern end.