Dodingo, now known as Dodinga, lay to the right of the island of Ternate on the Halmahera coast. According to Pieter van Dam, who recorded the history of the VOC in 1701, Dodingo was badly suited to agriculture. Here a neighbouring tribe known as the Alfoer had once built a small fort in a bid to prevent skirmishes between the Company and the Tidorese. Later, in 1713, under Governor David van Peterson, Dodinga was occupied by the VOC in a move to prevent disputes over Ternate and Tidore. The occupation meant the Company was able effectively to protect the bay of Dodinga, in which the islands of Ternate and Tidore lay.
