The area in the vicinity of the cape is a desolate place, exposed to bitter Arctic winters.

[2] It belongs administratively to the Arkhangelsk Oblast of the Russian Federation.

The cape was named by Dutch explorer William Barents in 1595 as Den Hoeck der Begeerte, which means "Cape Desire".

[3][4] There was a Soviet Arctic station in Cape Zhelaniya in World War II which was shelled by the Kriegsmarine during Operation Wunderland.

[5] It became a secret experimental station during the Cold War while a multitude of nuclear tests, including 88 atmospheric ones, were conducted in Novaya Zemlya.