Borkum is the only East Frisian island that is under the influence of the North Sea all year round thanks to its 30-kilometre (16-nautical-mile) distance from the mainland.

The maritime climate is influenced by the Gulf Stream and the west wind zone with correspondingly high humidity throughout the year.

This had to do with the aggressive and successful campaign of German tourists to keep Borkum free from Jewish visitors, as celebrated in the antisemitic "Borkum-Lied".

[4] In 1910, British officers Captain Bernard Frederick Trench and Lieutenant Vivian H. Brandon were imprisoned for espionage for photographing the military installations on the island.

In November 2024, the German press revealed the existence of Klaasohm festival, held every 5th of December for decades and still ongoing.

This hidden festival allows packs of young men to chase women and spank them with cows' horns, sometimes causing bruises and hematomas.