The coastline is very jagged and has numerous fjords that cut inland from the open ocean.

The island is surrounded by the Norwegian Sea on the north and the Sørøysundet strait to the south.

Across the Sørøysundet to the south are three large islands: Stjernøya, Seiland and Kvaløya.

[4] During World War II, a guerrilla group operated on the island, fighting against the occupying German forces.

[5] On 15 February 1945, less than three months before the end of World War II in Europe, 525 Norwegian civilians were evacuated from Sørøya by four British Royal Navy destroyers and brought to safety in Scotland via Murmansk in the Soviet Union.