It lies east of Wilhelm Island and northeast of Spitsbergen.

The island is a low basalt cliff that reaches an elevation of 31 meters (102 ft) above sea level in its northeast part, 35 meters (115 ft) to the southwest, and 34 meters (112 ft) to the east.

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.

Most of the Bastian Islands were named during the First German North Polar Expedition in 1868, led by Carl Koldewey, and this island was named after the German geographer and cartographer Heinrich Kiepert.