It lies east of Cape Weyprecht on Spitsbergen.

The island is a low basalt cliff and its highest point does not exceed 5 meters (16 ft) above sea level.

The wildlife consists largely of polar bears.

The island was discovered in 1867 by the Swedish-Norwegian polar explorer Nils Fredrik Rønnbeck.

The island is named after the Norwegian skipper and ice-pilot Isak Nils Isaksen (1842–1920),[3][4] who participated in several scientific expeditions in the Arctic.