Owing to the island's location, its sheltered Teplitz Bay has served as a staging area for numerous polar expeditions.

[1] The island was named by the Austro-Hungarian North Pole Expedition in honor of Archduke Rudolf (1858–1889), Crown Prince of Austria, Hungary and Bohemia.

During the second International Polar Year, a weather station established on the island was the northernmost scientific outpost in the world.

[3] Owing to the steep terrain in Rudolf Island, the only airfield access is a small snow strip 300 m (1,000 ft) up a glacier.

[4] Cape Fligely, located on Rudolf Island's northern shore, is the northernmost point of Europe and Russia.