dassen island 

Dassen Island lies 9 km off the coast, almost directly opposite the village of Yzerfontein. It is 55 km north of Cape Town, about halfway between Table Bay and Saldanha Bay. With an area of 273 ha, it is the second largest of the offshore islands. It is generally flat and sandy, apart from patches of exposed bedrock, and some areas strewn with huge granite boulders.

At the start of the 20th century, Dassen Island was home to well over a million African Penguins. At this time, about 600 000 penguin eggs were harvested each year. This rate of utilization was not sustainable. As the population size declined, the number of eggs decreased steadily, and egg harvests from Dassen Island finally ended in 1967.

Dassen Island is a South African island in the Atlantic Ocean. It is situated about 10km west of Yzerfontein and 55km north of Cape Town. The flat and low-lying island measures about 3.1 km long northwest-southeast, and 1 km wide, with an area of 2.73 km² [1]. It is a proclaimed nature reserve.

The geological structure of the island is composed of a fine-grained tourmaline granite (with a few areas of biotite granite) outcrop covered with sand. Some of the granite features along the shore - to just above the high-water mark - consists of large, rounded boulders which stick out above the sand. Although temporary pans form during the winter in the interior, there is generally little fresh water on the island.

Except on its eastern side, Dassen Island is surrounded by reefs and consequently many ships have run aground here

Dassen Island (early name Coney Island) lies 9 km off the coast, almost directly opposite the village of Yzerfontein. It is 55 km north of Cape Town, about halfway between Table Bay and Saldanha Bay.

With an area of 273 ha, it is the second largest of the offshore islands. It is generally flat and sandy, apart from patches of exposed bedrock, and some areas strewn with huge granite boulders.

Dassen Island is preferred breeding ground to the majority of African Penguins in the world.Dassen Island is a Nature Reserve and not open to the public.