Gorée is a small island sheltered by the Cap-Vert Peninsula. Now part of the city of Dakar, it was a minor port and site of European settlement along the coast. Being almost devoid of drinking water, the island was not settled before the arrival of Europeans. The Portuguese were the first to establish a presence on Gorée in 1450 AD, where they built a small stone chapel and used land as a cemetery. The island was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1978.