predominantly Soqotris; minority Yemenis, Hadharem, and Mehris
UNESCO World Heritage Site
Official name
Socotra Archipelago
Type
Natural
Criteria
x
Designated
2008 (32nd session)
Reference no.
1263
Region
Arab States
Socotra (/səˈkoʊtrə,soʊ-,ˈsɒkətrə/;[2] Arabic: سُقُطْرَىٰSuquṭrā) or Saqatri (Soqotri: ساقطْريSaqaṭri) is an island of Yemen in the Indian Ocean.[3][4] Lying between the Guardafui Channel and the Arabian Sea and near major shipping routes, Socotra is the largest of the four islands in the Socotra archipelago. Since 2013, the archipelago has constituted the Socotra Governorate.
The island of Socotra represents around 95% of the landmass of the Socotra archipelago. It lies 380 kilometres (205 nautical miles) south of the Arabian Peninsula[5] and 240 kilometres (130 nautical miles) east of Somalia; despite being controlled by Yemen, it is geographically part of Africa.[6] The island is isolated and home to a high number of endemic species. Up to a third of its plant life is endemic. It has been described as "the most alien-looking place on Earth".[7] The island measures 132 kilometres (82 mi) in length and 42 kilometres (26 mi) across at its widest.[6][8] In 2008, Socotra was recognised as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.[9]
Currently, the island is under the de facto control of the UAE-backed, pro-PLC, Southern Transitional Council, a secessionist faction in Yemen's ongoing civil war.[10]
^"Socotra Archipelago".
^"Socotra Definition & Meaning". dictionary.com. Retrieved 4 March 2022.
^Burrowes, Robert D. (2010). Historical Dictionary of Yemen. Scarecrow Press. pp. 361–362. ISBN 978-0-8108-5528-1.
^Robinson, Peg; Hestler, Anna; Spilling, Jo-Ann (2019). Yemen. Cavendish Square. p. 15. ISBN 978-1-50264-162-5.
^"Socotra islands scenery in Yemen". en.youth.cn. China Youth International. 25 April 2008. Archived from the original on 5 September 2017. Retrieved 4 December 2009.
^ ab"Paradise Has an Address: Socotra - Geography". socotra.cz. Socotra Z.S. Society. Retrieved 4 February 2019.
^Huntingford, George Wynn Brereton (1980). The Periplus of the Erythraean Sea. Hakluyt Society. p. 103. ISBN 978-0-904180-05-3.
^Abrams, Avi (4 September 2008). "The Most Alien-Looking Place on Earth". Dark Roasted Blend.
^"EU to protect Socotra archipelago environment". Saba Net. Yemen News Agency (SABA). 15 April 2008.
^"Yemen's Socotra, isolated island at strategic crossroads". The Economic Times. 7 June 2021. Retrieved 4 May 2022.
shipping routes, Socotra is the largest of the four islands in the Socotra archipelago. Since 2013, the archipelago has constituted the Socotra Governorate...
Dracaena cinnabari, the Socotra dragon tree or dragon blood tree, is a dragon tree native to the Socotra archipelago, part of Yemen, located in the Arabian...
of Socotra. Since before British rule, Socotra had been part of the Mahra Sultanate but later it was captured by the British and they made Socotra a part...
The history of Socotra describes the cultures, events, peoples and strategic relevance for sea trade of what is Socotra, an island of the Republic of Yemen...
troops with artillery and armored vehicles to the Yemeni archipelago of Socotra in the Guardafui Channel without prior coordination with the Yemeni government...
The Battle of Socotra was a military engagement that took place on Socotra Island in 1507, and which resulted in the occupation of the Island by the Portuguese...
stand of A. obesum var. socotranum, Socotra A. obesum var. socotranum, trunk of single extreme pachycaul specimen, Socotra Group of plants growing in scrubland...
Socotra Airport (Arabic:مطار سقطرى) is an airport in Socotra, Yemen (IATA: SCT, ICAO: OYSQ). It is the only commercial airport that serves the Yemeni island...
125°10′56.81″E / 32.1229528°N 125.1824472°E / 32.1229528; 125.1824472 Socotra Rock, also known as Ieodo (Korean: 이어도; Hanja: 離於島; MR: Iŏdo), Parangdo...
The Socotra starling (Onychognathus frater) is a species of starling in the family Sturnidae. It is endemic to Socotra island, which is off the southeast...
SS Socotra was a British general purpose cargo ship built for P&O and launched in 1896. The vessel served in commercial cargo service to and from Far...
and Socotra (Arabic: الدولة المهرية للبر وسقطرى Al-Dawlah al-Mahrīyah lil-Barr wa-Suquṭrā) or sometimes the Mahra Sultanate of Ghayda and Socotra (Arabic:...
The Socotra sunbird (Chalcomitra balfouri) is a species of bird in the family Nectariniidae. It is endemic to Socotra. Its natural habitats are tropical...
Portuguese Socotra refers to the period during which the island of Socotra was ruled by the Portuguese Empire. Captured from the Mahra dynasty of Qishn...
The Socotra bunting (Emberiza socotrana) is a species of bird in the family Emberizidae. It is endemic to the island of Socotra, where its natural habitat...
Socotra Swahili is an extinct language that was spoken on Socotra Island in Yemen. It was reported to be spoken by a fifth of the island (c. 2,000 people)...
described by Reginald Innes Pocock in 1897. This tarantula is also called Socotra Island blue baboon tarantula, usually shortened to blue baboon tarantula...
The Socotra warbler (Incana incana) is a species of bird in the family Cisticolidae. It is monotypic within the genus Incana. It is endemic to Socotra. Its...
The Socotra cisticola (Cisticola haesitatus) or island cisticola, is a species of bird in the family Cisticolidae. It is endemic to Socotra Island in...
The Socotra cormorant (Phalacrocorax nigrogularis) is a threatened species of cormorant that is endemic to the Persian Gulf and the south-east coast of...
The flag of Yemen (Arabic: علم اليمن, romanized: Alam al-Yaman) was adopted on May 22, 1990, the day that North Yemen and South Yemen were unified. The...
The Socotra Island xeric shrublands is a terrestrial ecoregion that covers the large island of Socotra and several smaller islands that constitute the...
socotraensis, the Socotra dottyback, is a species of ray-finned fish in the family Pseudochromidae. It is found in the Indian Ocean around the Socotra Archipelago...
flowering plant in the family Lythraceae. It is endemic to the island of Socotra (Yemen). Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical dry forests. The...
and remote island groups, including Hawaii, the Galápagos Islands and Socotra, because of the potential for isolation and therefore evolution through...
Islands, Kamaran, and Perim, as well as Socotra in the Arabian Sea, belong to Yemen; the largest of these is Socotra. Many of the islands are volcanic; Jabal...
Global Information
Yemen
Hadhramaut