When Paulo Dias de Novais, a Portuguese navigator, arrived here in 1575 with several hundred soldiers and settlers, the island was inhabited by the Axi-lwanda, a subgroup of the Ambundu people which was tributary to the Kongo Empire.

The island was an important location to collect zimbo, the shells that constituted the currency of the Kongo king before the arrival of the Portuguese.

The Ilha, as it is called colloquially by the population, is connected with the city through a narrow passage[3] and is located at the foot of the Fortress of São Miguel.

A wide variety of hotels and clubs with bars and restaurants, as well as flea markets and marinas attract visitors.

The Clube Náutico da Ilha de Luanda sports club is situated on the island.