Information AboutSocotra |
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Socotra or '''Soqotra''' ( Arabic '''سقطرى ;''' '''Suquṭra''') is a small Archipelago of four islands and islets in the Indian Ocean off the Horn Of Africa , some 350 Km south of the Arabian Peninsula . It is a part of the Republic Of Yemen . GEOGRAPHY AND CLIMATE Socotra is one of the most isolated bits of land on Earth of Continent al origin (i.e., not of Volcanic origin). The archipelago probably detached from Africa as a Fault Block during the Middle Pliocene (''ca'' 6 million years ago), in the same set of Rift ing events that opened the Gulf Of Aden to its northwest. The archipelago consists of the main island of Socotra (3625 km² or 1400m² — slightly smaller than Rhode Island ), three smaller islands known collectively as "the Brothers" — Abd Al Kuri, Samha, Darsa — and other uninhabitable rock outcrops. The main island has three geographical terrains: the narrow coastal Plain s, a Limestone Plateau permeated with Karst ic caves, and the Haghier Mountains. The mountains rise to 5000 feet (1525 meters). 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. The Monsoon season brings strong winds and high seas. FLORA AND FAUNA The long geological isolation of the Socotra archipelago and its fierce heat and drought have combined to create a unique and spectacular Endemic Flora (which may, therefore, be vulnerable to Introduced Species such as goats and to Climate 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 . One of the most striking of Socotra's plants is the dragon's blood tree ('' Dracaena Cinnabari ''), which is a strange-looking, umbrella-shaped tree. Its red sap was the Dragon's Blood of the ancients, sought after as a medicine and a dye. Another unusual plant is ''Dorstenia gigas''. As with many isolated island systems, , Arabia, East Africa and the wider Indo-Pacific. PEOPLE AND ECONOMY Almost all inhabitants of Socotra live on the main island. The principal city is Hadiboh (estimated population 43,000 in 2004). Abd Al Kuri and Samha have a population of a few hundred people between them; Darsa is uninhabited. Traditionally, the archipelago has been inaccessible from June to September due to monsoon weather. However, 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. The Semitic language Soqotri is spoken only in Socotra, although it is related to other Modern South Arabian languages on the Arabian mainland such as Mehri . The chief products of the island are Dates , Ghee , Tobacco , and Fish . Also, cattle and goats are raised. 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. HISTORY Socotra appears as ''Dioskouridou'' ("of the Dioscurides ") in the '' Periplus Of The Erythraean Sea '', a 1st Century A.D. Greek 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 derives from the Sanskrit ''dvipa sukhadhara'' ("island of bliss"). A local tradition holds that the inhabitants were converted to Christianity by Thomas in AD 52 . In the 10th Century the Arab geographer Abu Mohammed Al-Hassan Al-Hamdani stated that in his time most of the inhabitants were Christians. The explorer Tristão Da Cunha put ashore in the early 16th Century and considered Socotra conquered for Portugal . By this time Christianity had disappeared from the island, except for stone crosses at which Alvares said people worshipped. However, during a visit to the island in 1542 , Francis Xavier found a group of people claiming to be descended from the converts made by St. Thomas. The islands passed under the control of the Mahra sultans in 1511 . It 1886 it became a British protectorate, along with the remainder of the Mahra State Of Qishn And Socotra . For the British it was an important strategic stop-over. The P&O ship ' Aden ' sank after being wrecked on a reef near Socotra, in 1897 , with the loss of 78 lives. In 1967 the Mahra sultanate was abolished. Upon its independence, Socotra became part of the People's Republic Of South Yemen (later to become the People's Democratic Republic Of Yemen ); now it is part of Yemen. REFERENCES
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