Etolin Island is an island in the Alexander Archipelago of southeastern Alaska, USA, at . It is between Prince of Wales Island, to its west, and the Alaska mainland, to its east. It is southwest of Wrangell Island. It was first charted in 1793 by James Johnstone, one of George Vancouver's officers during his 1791-95 expedition. He only charted its southwest and east coasts, not realizing it was an island.[1] It was originally named Duke of York Island but was renamed by the United States after the Alaska Purchase.[2] It is named after Adolf Etolin, governor of the Russian American colonies from 1840 to 1845.
The island is 48 km (30 mi) long and 16–35 km (10–22 miles) wide, with a land area of 878.08 km2 (339.03 sq mi), making it the 24th largest island in the United States. As of the 2000 census, Etolin had a population of 15 persons.
It contains a population of introduced elk. The entire island lies within the boundaries of Tongass National Forest. The southern part of the island has been officially designated the South Etolin Wilderness.