Administratively they belong to Milne Bay Province in the southeastern region of Papua New Guinea.

The islands were encountered by the French explorer Antoine Bruni d'Entrecasteaux on 13 June 1793 and he named them îles Renard.

The Renard Islands are located on a 21 by 6 km (13 by 3.7 mi) wide sandbank in a rectangular shape.

Kimuta Island is 5.9 kilometers (3.7 mi) long, with widths averaging at 550 meters (1,800 ft).

Bagaium is a tiny island (less than one hectare (2.5 acres)) about 2 kilometers (1.2 mi) southwest of Kimuta.