Socotra is a remote island in the Indian Ocean, far from most other land. It has a unique landscape that looks like something out of a science fiction movie. The island is home to more than 1,000 species of animals and 825 rare species of plants found nowhere else in the world. Many of these plants have been on Earth for millions of years.
Socotra is part of a group of four islands in the Indian Ocean off Somalia and Yemen. It was once part of a larger continent but broke up six million years ago and the island is quite isolated. The island is called “Blissful Island” in Sanskrit. About 50,000 people live in Socotra. They speak a unique language called Socotri, which is only spoken on the island. The people living in Socotra are mainly from southern Arabia but some come from Somalia and India.
People have known about Socotra for a long time. The island was mentioned in a Greek navigation guide from the first century AD. Recently, people have found some writings on the island from more than 2,000 years ago. This text shows that sailors from different places visited Socotra between the first century BC and the sixth century AD.
The island is very old and has not changed much over time. It looks similar to how it looked millions of years ago. This means that the island’s plants and animals have had plenty of time to evolve and change in their own way. This makes Socotra a special place to study and learn about how life itself can evolve.
The island’s climate is hot and dry, which has helped create a special environment for plants and animals to live in. Socotra has many unique plants and animals. 37% of the island’s plants, 90% of reptiles and 95% of land snails are found on Socotra alone. The important flora of Socotra is the aloe plant. This plant is used for medicine and cosmetics.