Tombo Island is an island in the Atlantic Ocean

Atlantic Ocean

The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's oceanic divisions. With a total area of about , it covers approximately 20% of the Earth's surface and about 26% of its water surface area...

 at the tip of the Guinea

Guinea

Guinea , officially the Republic of Guinea , is a country in West Africa. Formerly known as French Guinea , it is today sometimes called Guinea-Conakry to distinguish it from its neighbour Guinea-Bissau. Guinea is divided into eight administrative regions and subdivided into thirty-three prefectures...

n Kaloum Peninsula, approximately 4 km (2.5 mi) east of the Loos Islands

Iles de Los

Îles de Los are an island group lying off Conakry in Guinea. There are three main islands: Tamara , Kassa and Roume, while Coraille, Blanche and Cabris are smaller islands to the south.The islands have been inhabited for a long time...

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The island is the site where the capital Conakry

Conakry

Conakry is the capital and largest city of Guinea. Conakry is a port city on the Atlantic Ocean and serves as the economic, financial and cultural centre of Guinea with a 2009 population of 1,548,500...

 was built on. It is the site of the old city of Conakry while the new colonial city is located at Kaloum. It is linked to the peninsula by a causeway

Causeway

In modern usage, a causeway is a road or railway elevated, usually across a broad body of water or wetland.- Etymology :When first used, the word appeared in a form such as “causey way” making clear its derivation from the earlier form “causey”. This word seems to have come from the same source by...

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The island was placed under a French protectorate

Protectorate

In history, the term protectorate has two different meanings. In its earliest inception, which has been adopted by modern international law, it is an autonomous territory that is protected diplomatically or militarily against third parties by a stronger state or entity...

 by the king of Dubréka

Dubréka

Dubréka is a town in Guinea, lying immediately north of Conakry.Population 8,300 .- Overview :As the birthplace of president Lansana Conté, it has a good infrastructure and is also known for its mangrove swamps.- References :...

 on 20 January 1880. This step was aimed to counter the English influence growing in the region. On 24 December 1885, the Germans renounced to be established on the Island of Tombo and obtain a territory at the border between Togo

Togo

Togo, officially the Togolese Republic , is a country in West Africa bordered by Ghana to the west, Benin to the east and Burkina Faso to the north. It extends south to the Gulf of Guinea, on which the capital Lomé is located. Togo covers an area of approximately with a population of approximately...

 and Dahomey

Dahomey

Dahomey was a country in west Africa in what is now the Republic of Benin. The Kingdom of Dahomey was a powerful west African state that was founded in the seventeenth century and survived until 1894. From 1894 until 1960 Dahomey was a part of French West Africa. The independent Republic of Dahomey...

. The island became a French territory after its acquisition on 8 June 1889.