The name of the island in this story is Ship-Trap Island, and it is located somewhere in the Caribbean. Rainsford passes by this island at night on his way to Brazil for a hunting trip. Readers are told that sailors are exceptionally wary of the island because ships are lost near it with alarming frequency. Readers find out that this is because Zaroff has placed lights in the water that indicate a channel where no channel is actually present. Consequently, ships are guided toward their doom and run aground on the rocks. This alerts readers to the fact that the island doesn't have the typically imagined white sand beaches of many Caribbean islands. The island is described as "large" by Whitney, but that is a relative term, and readers are not given actual measurements for the island's real size. We know that Zaroff's house is located on the edge of the island and is surrounded by cliffs on three sides. The interior of the island is dense jungle. It is described as a "closely knit web of weeds and trees." Finally, readers are told that the island also has a swamp. It is appropriately named the "Death Swamp" because it has taken the life of both men and a dog. The swamp is located on the southeast corner of the island.

The island, Ship-Trap Island, a fictional island somewhere in the Caribbean, is the setting for this story. This island, as the name suggests, is capable of wrecking ships as it is surrounded by jagged rocks. On the island is dense jungle and the Death Swamp, along with the chateau which is the home base for General Zaroff from which he can conduct his hunting excursions. The island in its isolation allows the game to be played!