Dog Island, Gambia

During low tide the island is connected to the mainland, but during high tide it is separated by about 150 metres from the headland of Dog Island Point on the north bank of the river.

The first European known to land on the island was Alvise Cadamosto, a Venetian captain in the service of the Portuguese Prince Henry the Navigator in 1456, who named the island Ilha de Santo André, on account of a deceased crew member named "André" who they buried there.

In 1661, the English captain Robert Holmes arrived on behalf of the Royal African Company to establish an English presence in the Gambia river (and, less explicitly, to eject the Courlanders from the area).

Dog Island served as a quarry for the construction of Banjul, and has remained uninhabited since.

Currently, tourists are occasionally ferried from Banjul to Dog Island to observe the dolphins swimming in the Gambia River estuary.