Map of the Socotra archipelago

Socotra or Soqotra (Arabic سقطرة Suquṭrah) is a small archipelago of four islands and islets in the Indian Ocean off the Horn of Africa some 350 km south of the Republic of Yemen, which administers Socotra for the Banu Afrar Mahra Sultanate of Qishn and Socotra. Map of the Socotra archipelago, Yemen Extracted from http://www. ... Map of the Socotra archipelago, Yemen Extracted from http://www. ... Arabic (العربية) is a Semitic language, closely related to Hebrew and Aramaic. ... Horn of Africa from space, May 1993 The Horn of Africa is a peninsula in East Africa that juts into the Arabian Sea and lies along the southern side of the Gulf of Aden. ... A sultan (Arabic: سلطان) is an Islamic monarch ruling under the terms of shariah. ...

Geography and climate

The archipelago consists of the mountainous main island of Socotra (3625 km² ) and three smaller islands known collectively as "the Brothers", Abd Al Kuri, Samha, Darsa, plus other uninhabitable rock outcrops. Abd Al Kuri and Samha have a population of a few hundred people between them; Darsa is uninhabited. The principal city is Hadiboh (estimated population in 1984, 51,000) The inhabitants of Socotra raise cattle and goats.

The climate is generally tropical desert, with rainfall being light, seasonal (winter) and more abundant at the higher ground in the interior than along the coastal lowlands. A dune in the Egyptian desert Desert in California In geography, a desert is a landscape form or region that receives little precipitation. ...

Socotra has three geographical terrains: the narrow coastal plains, a limestone plateau permeated with karstic caves, and the Haghier mountains. Limey shale overlaid by limestone. ... Karst topography occurs when a landscape is marked by underground drainage patterns. ...

Satellite image of Socotra

Socotra is one of the most isolated bits of land on earth of continental landmass origin (i.e., not of volcanic origin). The island probably detached from Africa as a fault block during the Middle Pliocene (ca 6 mya), in the same set of rifting events that have opened the Gulf of Aden to its northwest. The long geological isolation of the archipelago and its fierce heat and drought have combined to create a unique and spectacular endemic flora that would be highly vulnerable to change; surveys have revealed that more than a third of the 800 or so plant species of Socotra are found nowhere else. Botanists rank the flora of Socotra among the ten most endangered island flora in the world. The archipelago is a site of global importance for biodiversity conservation and a possible center for ecotourism. Even the South Arabian Semitic language, Soqotri, is spoken only there, although it is related to other South Arabian languages on the Arabian mainland such as Mehri. Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1280x948, 159 KB)Satellite image of Socotra, made using NASA World Wind using Landsat imagery. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1280x948, 159 KB)Satellite image of Socotra, made using NASA World Wind using Landsat imagery. ... A volcano is a geological landform (usually a mountain) where magma (rock of the Earths interior made molten or liquid by high temperature along with a reduction in pressure and/or the introduction of water or other volatiles) erupts through the surface of the planet. ... The Pliocene epoch is the period in the geologic timescale that extends from 5. ... The Gulf of Aden is located in the Indian Ocean between Yemen on the south coast of the Arabian Peninsula and Somalia in Africa. ... This article is about the ecological meaning of endemic. See also endemic (epidemiology). ... Ecotourism essentially means ecological tourism, where ecological has both environmental and social connotations. ... Semitic is an adjective referring to the peoples who have traditionally spoken Semitic languages or to things pertaining to them. ... Soqotri is the native language of the island of Socotra off the southern coast of Yemen. ...

One of the most striking of Socotra's plants is the dragon's blood tree (Dracaena cinnabari), which is a very strange-looking, umbrella-shaped tree. Its red sap was the dragon's blood of the ancients, sought after as a medicine and a dye. Species See text Dracaena is a genus of about 40 species of trees and succulent shrubs in the family Ruscaceae, or, according to some treatments, separated (with Cordyline) into a family of their own, Dracaenaceae or in the Agavaceae. ...

As with many isolated island systems, bats are the only mammals native to Socotra. In contrast, the marine biodiversity around Socotra is rich, characterized by a unique mixture of species that have originated in farflung biogeographic regions: the western Indian Ocean, the Red Sea, Arabia, East Africa and the wider Indo-Pacific. Families Pteropodidae Emballonuridae Rhinopomatidae Craseonycteridae Rhinolophidae Nycteridae Megadermatidae Vespertilionidae Molossidae Antrozoidae Natalidae Myzopodidae Thyropteridae Furipteridae Noctilionidae Mystacinidae Mormoopidae Phyllostomidae Bats are flying mammals in the order Chiroptera with forelimbs developed as wings. ...

The monsoonal climate is strong: from June to September the island has traditionally been inaccessible, because of exceedingly strong monsoon winds and high seas and strong winds. In July 1999 a new airport opened Socotra to the outside year round. Most Socotris still live without electricity, running water or a paved road. At the end of the 1990s a United Nations Development Programme was launched with the aim of providing a close survey of the island of Socotra. 1999 is a common year starting on Friday of the Common Era, and was designated the International Year of Older Persons by the United Nations. ... // Events and trends The 1990s are generally classified as having moved slightly away from the more conservative 1980s, but keeping the same mind-set. ... The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) is the largest multilateral source of grant technical assistance in the world. ...

History

Socotra appears as Dioskouridou ("of the Dioscurides") in the 1st century Periplus of the Erythraean Sea, a navigation aid. In the notes to his translation of the Periplus, G.W.B. Huntingford remarks that the name Socotra is not Greek in origin, but from the Sanskrit dvipa sukhadhara ("island of bliss"). A local tradition held that the inhabitants were converted to Christianity by Thomas in AD 52, and in the 10th century the Arab geographer Abu Zaid Hassan stated that in his time most of the inhabitants were Christians. Pedanius Dioscorides Pedanius Dioscorides (c. ... (1st century BC - 1st century - 2nd century - other centuries) The 1st century was that century which lasted from 1 to 100. ... The Periplus of the Erythraean Sea (Periplus Maris Erythraei ) is a Greek periplus, describing navigation and trading opportunities from Roman Egyptian ports like Berenice along the coast of the Red Sea, and others along East Africa and India. ... The Sanskrit language ( संस्कृता वाक्) is one of the earliest attested members of the Indo-European language family and is not only a classical language, but also an official language of India. ... Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as presented in the New Testament writings of his early followers. ... The Incredulity of Saint Thomas by Caravaggio. ... For other uses, see number 52. ... ( 9th century - 10th century - 11th century - other centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 10th century was that century which lasted from 901 to 1000. ...

The explorer Tristão da Cunha put ashore in the early 16th century and considered Socotra conquered for Portugal, at which time Christianity had disappeared from the island except for stone crosses at which Alvares said people worshipped. However, during a visit of the island in 1542, Francis Xavier found a group of people claiming to be descended from the converts made by St. Thomas. Tristão da Cunha or Tristan da Cunha (~1460 - ~1540) was nominated first viceroy of Portuguese India in 1504, but did not take up this post owing to temporary blindness; in 1506 he became commander of a fleet which operated on the east coast of Africa and in the Indies... (15th century - 16th century - 17th century - more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 16th century was that century which lasted from 1501 to 1600. ... Events War resumes between Francis I of France and Emperor Charles V. This time Henry VIII of England is allied to the Emperor, while James V of Scotland and Sultan Suleiman I are allied to the French. ... Saint Francis Xavier (Chinese: 沙勿略) (April 7, 1506 - December 2, 1552) was a pioneering Christian missionary and co-founder of the Society of Jesus (Jesuit Order). ...

The islands passed under the control of the Mahra sultans in 1511, but eventually became a British protectorate in 1886, for whom it was an important strategic stop-over. With the independence of Yemen, the islands arrived at their current arrangement. Events Diego Velázquez and Hernán Cortés conquer Cuba; Velázquez appointed Governor. ... 1886 is a common year starting on Friday (click on link to calendar) // Events January 18 - Modern field hockey is born with the formation of The Hockey Association in England. ...

References

• Casson, Lionel. 1989. The Periplus Maris Erythraei. Princeton University Press. ISBN 0-691-04060-5 .
• Doe, D. Brian. 1970. Socotra: An Archaeological Reconnaisance in 1967. Edited by Henry Field and Edith M. Laird. Field Research Projects, Miami.
• Schoff, Wilfred H. 1912. The Periplus of the Erythraean Sea. Longmans, Green, and Co., New York, Second Edition. Reprint: New Delhi, Oriental Books Reprint Corporation. 1974. (A new hardback edition is available from Coronet Books Inc. Also reprinted by South Asia Books, 1995, ISBN 8-121506-99-9 )

External links

• Introduction to Socotra, emphasizing biodiversity, bird life, traditional lifestyles.
• Cave-exploring in Socotra.
• Assessing marine diversity in Socotra
• [1] (The Royal Botanic Garden, Edinburgh site). See especially, p. 5 for information on dragons' blood.