Chirinkotan is at the far end of a volcanic chain extending nearly 50 km west of the central part of the main Kuril Islands arc.

[1] The island's highest point ("Masaochi" in Ainu) is 742 metres (2,434 feet) high, and is still an active volcano with major eruptions recorded in 1760, 1884, 1900, 1979, 1986, 2004, and 2013.

The caldera is approximately one kilometre (0.62 miles) wide, with a depth of 300 to 400 metres (980–1,310 feet), and is breached on its south-east side.

The shores of the island are steep cliffs, making landing by small boat impossible.

After World War II, the island came under the control of the Soviet Union, and is now administered as part of the Sakhalin Oblast of the Russian Federation.