Socotra facts for kids
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| Geography | |
|---|---|
| Location | Between the Guardafui Channel and the Arabian Sea |
| Coordinates | 12°30′36″N 53°55′12″E / 12.51000°N 53.92000°E |
| Archipelago | Socotra |
| Administration | |
 Yemen |
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| Demographics | |
| Population | 60,000 |
| Official name: Socotra Archipelago | |
| Type: | Natural |
| Criteria: | x |
| Designated: | 2008 (32nd session) |
| Reference #: | 1263 |
| State Party: | Yemen |
| Region: | Arab States |
Socotra (Arabic: سُقُطْرَى Suquṭra) is an island east of the Horn of Africa. It lies between the Guardafui Channel and the Indian Ocean. Although Socotra belongs to Yemen, in 2018 it was taken over by the United Arab Emirates.
Geography
To its west it is joined by an archipelago of much smaller islands. It is also named the Islands of San Gustav after the navigator who discovered them, Gustav Peter Galle Daniels. It is located 240 kilometres (150 mi) east of the Horn of Africa and 380 kilometres (240 mi) south of the Arabian Peninsula.
Climate
Socotra has a borderline tropical, desert climate and semi-desert climate (Köppen climate classification: BWh and BSh), with an average yearly temperature over 25 °C (77 °F). With a total of only 193 millimetres (7.6 in), the yearly rainfall is light but is fairly spread throughout the year. The total rainfall in the mountains can average as much as 800 millimetres (31 in) per year and can average over 250 millimetres (9.8 in) per month from October to December, during the northeast monsoon. The southwest monsoon season from June to September brings strong winds and high seas.
| Climate data for Socotra | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 30.0 (86.0) |
31.7 (89.1) |
32.8 (91.0) |
37.2 (99.0) |
38.5 (101.3) |
40.6 (105.1) |
37.4 (99.3) |
34.4 (93.9) |
35.6 (96.1) |
37.0 (98.6) |
33.0 (91.4) |
30.6 (87.1) |
40.6 (105.1) |
| Average high °C (°F) | 27.1 (80.8) |
27.8 (82.0) |
29.2 (84.6) |
31.8 (89.2) |
34.6 (94.3) |
33.8 (92.8) |
32.3 (90.1) |
32.4 (90.3) |
33.2 (91.8) |
30.8 (87.4) |
29.6 (85.3) |
28.3 (82.9) |
30.8 (87.4) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 24.8 (76.6) |
24.8 (76.6) |
26.3 (79.3) |
28.7 (83.7) |
31.3 (88.3) |
30.8 (87.4) |
29.5 (85.1) |
29.5 (85.1) |
29.3 (84.7) |
27.9 (82.2) |
27.0 (80.6) |
25.8 (78.4) |
28.0 (82.4) |
| Average low °C (°F) | 22.6 (72.7) |
21.7 (71.1) |
23.3 (73.9) |
25.5 (77.9) |
28.0 (82.4) |
27.9 (82.2) |
26.8 (80.2) |
26.5 (79.7) |
26.4 (79.5) |
24.9 (76.8) |
24.4 (75.9) |
23.3 (73.9) |
25.1 (77.2) |
| Record low °C (°F) | 17.0 (62.6) |
17.2 (63.0) |
18.9 (66.0) |
20.3 (68.5) |
21.2 (70.2) |
22.8 (73.0) |
21.7 (71.1) |
22.0 (71.6) |
22.2 (72.0) |
19.4 (66.9) |
18.9 (66.0) |
17.0 (62.6) |
17.0 (62.6) |
| Average rainfall mm (inches) | 2.5 (0.10) |
2.5 (0.10) |
10.2 (0.40) |
0.0 (0.0) |
2.5 (0.10) |
30.5 (1.20) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
2.5 (0.10) |
10.2 (0.40) |
50.8 (2.00) |
81.3 (3.20) |
193.0 (7.60) |
| Average rainy days (≥ 0.1 mm) | 2.4 | 0.8 | 0.4 | 1.0 | 0.4 | 0.8 | 0.2 | 0.0 | 0.6 | 2.2 | 7.7 | 5.2 | 21.7 |
| Average relative humidity (%) | 70 | 68 | 67 | 66 | 62 | 60 | 58 | 57 | 62 | 69 | 72 | 73 | 65 |
| Source: Deutscher Wetterdienst | |||||||||||||
Wildlife
The island is very isolated and some 30% of its plant species are found only on Socotra. It has been described as the most alien-looking place on Earth. The island is 132 kilometres (82 mi) in length and 49.7 kilometres (30.9 mi) in width.
Country
Socotra belongs to the Republic of Yemen. From late 2017 to mid-2018, Socotra was occupied by the United Arab Emirates. In 2018, the island was also occupied by Saudi Arabia. The Emiratis and later the Saudis came to Socotra because of the Yemeni Civil War (2015–present). Since 2017, Socotra is no longer under the control of the internationally recognized Yemeni government. The island is under the control of the UAE and under the authority of the sessecionist Southern Transitional Council which is supported by UAE troops.
Related pages
- Galápagos Islands, an archipelago of Ecuador which is also famous for its isolated geography and plant and animal species
Images for kids
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Photo of local men from Socotra taken by Charles K. Moser, 1918
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1893 map of the Bombay Presidency including Aden Province and Socotra
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Halah Cave (Arabic: كهف حالة) in the east of the island is several hundred metres deep, with total darkness. Note the size of the stalagmites and stalactites compared to that of the 1.7 metres (5.6 ft) man with the torch.
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Dixam canyon
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Endemic tree species Dracaena cinnabari
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An 1890s photograph of endemic tree species Dendrosicyos socotranus, the cucumber tree, by Henry Ogg Forbes
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A fish market in Socotra
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Socotran children
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Dixam
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Qlinsia
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Wadi
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Nawjad
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Ar'ar
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See also
In Spanish: Socotra para niños
