It was discovered by the First Russian Antarctic Expedition in 1821, led by Fabian Gottlieb von Bellingshausen and Mikhail Lazarev.
It was mapped in detail from aerial photos taken by the Ronne Antarctic Research Expedition in 1947–48, and later by Searle of the Falkland Islands Dependencies Survey in 1960.
[1] The formation was named by the United Kingdom Antarctic Place-Names Committee for the sloop Vostok, commanded by Bellingshausen.
The name means "east", although the cape is located on the western point of the island.
[2] This article incorporates public domain material from "Cape Vostok".