known in portuguese as 'ilha do governador', this landmass is the largest one within the guanabara bay.

the first europeans to arrive there were the portuguese in 1502, although the temiminó natives were already occupying it at the time.

after the war against the french, the portuguese would then solidify their presence in the region.

it was under this context that in 1567 the governor of the region, mem de sá, decided to offer more than half of the island to his nephew, salvador correia de sá, and according to some this decision was also the origin to the island's name, even though the most important among the two was in fact mem de sá, governor of brazil.