The island is of volcanic origin, and is roughly circular, with an approximate diameter of 20 kilometres (12 mi), with its highest point at the summit of Mount Daimanji at 608 metres (1,995 ft) above sea level.

The Oki Islands have been inhabited since the Japanese Paleolithic era, and numerous artifacts from the Jōmon, Yayoi and Kofun periods have been found by archaeologists.

[5] In 1892, Lafcadio Hearn visited Dōgo Island, spending a month there, and writing about his experiences in Glimpses of Unfamiliar Japan.

Dōgo Island was visited by the American naturalist Charles Henry Gilbert in 1906.

Dōgo Island is connected by regular ferry service from Saigo Port to points on mainland Japan.