Η
Σοκότρα είναι ένα μικρό νησί στον Ινδικό Ωκεανό από την πλευρά της Σομαλικής ακτής που θεωρείται μέρος της Αφρικής. Το μέγεθός του είναι 3.600 χλμ και αποτελεί περιοχή της
Υεμένης, της νοτιότερης χώρας της αραβικής χερσονήσου.
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Socotra is one of the most isolated landforms on Earth of continental origin (i.e., not of volcanic origin). The archipelago was once part of the supercontinent of Gondwana and detached during the Middle Pliocene (ca 6 million years ago), in the same set of rifting events that opened the
Gulf of Aden to its northwest.
The archipelago consists of the main island of Socotra (3,625 km² or 1,400 sq mi), three smaller islands —
Abd al Kuri,
Samhah,
Darsa — and small rock outcrops like Ka’l Fir’awn and Sābūnīyah that are uninhabitable by humans but important for birds.
The main island has three geographical terrains: the narrow coastal
plains, a
limestone plateau permeated with
karstic caves, and the Haghier Mountains. The mountains rise to 5,000 feet (1,525 m). The island is a little over 80 miles (130 km) long east to west and typically 18-22 miles (30-35 km) north to south.
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 faunaSocotra is considered the "jewel" of biodiversity in the
Arabian sea. 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, 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.
"A journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step." -- Lao Tzu
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