Avatanak Island is the second-largest (with a length of 10 mi) of the Krenitzin Islands

Krenitzin Islands

The Krenitzin Islands are a group of small islands located in the eastern portion of the Fox Islands group of the eastern Aleutian Islands, Alaska. The Krenitizins are situated between Unalaska Island to the southwest and Unimak Island to the northeast...

, a subgroup of the Fox Islands

Fox Islands (Alaska)

The Fox Islands are a group of islands in the eastern Aleutian Islands of the U.S. state of Alaska. The Fox Islands are the closest to mainland North America in the Aleutian chain, and just east of Samalga Pass and the Islands of Four Mountains group....

 in the eastern Aleutian Islands in the U.S. state

U.S. state

A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...

 of Alaska

Alaska

Alaska is the largest state in the United States by area. It is situated in the northwest extremity of the North American continent, with Canada to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, with Russia further west across the Bering Strait...

. It lies southeast of Akun Island

Akun Island

Akun Island is one of the Fox Islands subgroup of the Aleutian Islands in Aleutians East Borough of southwestern Alaska, USA. It lies east of Akutan Island and southwest of Unimak Island across the Unimak Pass. The Krenitzin Islands lie to its south and southeast across the Avatanak Strait...

, across the Avatanak Strait. Within the Krenitzin Islands, it lies between Rootok Island

Rootok Island

Rootok Island Rootok Island Rootok Island (also called Aektok, Aiaktak, Ouektock, Aiaiepta, Veniaminof, or Goloi (alt: Goly; "bare") is the smallest member of the Krenitzin Islands, a subgroup of the Fox Islands in the eastern Aleutian Islands in Alaska, United States. The island's common spelling...

 (Aayux̂tax̂) to the west, and Tigalda Island

Tigalda Island

Tigalda Island is one of the Krenitzin Islands, a subgroup of the Fox Islands in the eastern Aleutian Islands, Alaska. Tigalda is located about east of Akutan Island, is long and has an area of about . Tigalda is an Aleut name published by Captain Lutke . It was previously called "Kagalga" by...

 to the east.

Avatanak is an Aleut name transcribed by Russian explorers into various spellings and apparently identical with Aiaialgutak of Captain Lt. Krenitzin and Lt. Levashev

Mikhail Levashev

Mikhail D. Levashev was a Russian explorer and Lieutenant of the Imperial Russian Navy...

 (1768). The name Avatanak was published by Father Veniaminov (1840) and Captain Tebenkov (1852), whereas Captain Lutke and the Russian Hydrographic Department (1847) used the spelling Avatanok. Avatanak Strait separates Avatanak from Akun Island

Akun Island

Akun Island is one of the Fox Islands subgroup of the Aleutian Islands in Aleutians East Borough of southwestern Alaska, USA. It lies east of Akutan Island and southwest of Unimak Island across the Unimak Pass. The Krenitzin Islands lie to its south and southeast across the Avatanak Strait...

to the northwest, and Avatanak Bight is a bay on the southeastern coast of Avatanak.