Petit Bois Island (Mississippi)

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Petit Bois Island is an island off the coast of the U.S. state of Mississippi, south of Pascagoula. It is part of Jackson County, Mississippi. Since 1971 it has been a part of Gulf Islands National Seashore, administered by the U.S. National Park Service.

Petit Bois Island is located at 30°11′55″N, 88°27′04″W. According to the United States Geological Survey, variant names are l'Isle de Petit Bois (French) and Petitbois Island.

Location of Petit Bois Island, south of Pascagoula, Mississippi.

Petit Bois originally extended about 7 miles east of the Alabama-Mississippi state line and was effectively located in both states. During the period between 1933 and 1968, the eastern end of the island eroded (due to the effects of hurricanes and natural shoreline movement) until it was 1/2 mile inside the Mississippi state line.

'Petit Bois' in French means "little woods". The island was so named by the early French explorers due to a small wooded section located on this mostly sand and scrub covered island. Following the island's inundation during Hurricane Katrina, most of the trees comprising the little woods section have died.