Due to being relatively young, the island is very hilly with large fraction of area over 200 meters elevation, and flat land is limited to marginal coastal plains.

The coastline is highly indented and feature a large cliffs along the entire north-west coast facing East China Sea, except for river mouths.

[2] From 1613, the ships of William Adams started operating from Hirado Island too, but the British trade mission was closed in 1623.

Hirado Island is located in the humid subtropical climate zone (Köppen Cfa), with four distinct seasons.

The island's weather is affected by the nearby Liman current [ja] while being shielded from the warm Kuroshio Current by the Kyushu island, resulting in wetter and colder climate than should be expected at lower 30's latitudes.

The climate of Hirado Island is greatly moderated by the surrounding sea, resulting in reduced seasonal and diurnal temperature variations.