It lies east of Wilhelm Island and northeast of Spitsbergen.

The elongated island has a length of 1.5 kilometers (0.93 mi) with an east–west orientation, but its width does not exceed 300 meters (980 ft).

The island is a low basalt cliff that reaches an elevation of 32 meters (105 ft) above sea level.

The wildlife consists largely of polar bears.

The Bastian Islands were discovered in 1867 by the Swedish-Norwegian polar explorer Nils Fredrik Rønnbeck, who was the first to sail around Spitsbergen.