Socotra Island, Yemen

Socotra or Soqotra (/skotr, so-, sktr/;[1] Arabic: Suqur; Somali: Suqadara) is the largest of the four islands in the Socotra archipelago, located between the Guardafui Channel and the Arabian Sea. The area, which is nominally part of Yemen and was previously a subdivision of the Aden Governorate, is located near key shipping routes. It was annexed by the Hadhramaut Governorate in 2004, which is far closer to the island than Aden (albeit the closest governorate was the Al Mahrah Governorate). The archipelago was given its own governorate, Socotra Governorate, in 2013.

The island of Socotra makes up about 95 percent of the Socotra archipelago's landmass. It is located 380 kilometers south of the Arabian Peninsula (240 miles). Socotra and the rest of its archipelago are a continental fragment that is geographically part of Africa, but being officially a part of Yemen, which is located on the Arabian Peninsula and thus part of Western Asia. Because of its isolation, the island is home to a large number of endemic species. Up to a third of the plant life on the island is endemic. The island, which stretches 132 kilometers (82 miles) in length and 49.7 kilometers (30.9 miles) in breadth, has been dubbed "the most alien-looking spot on Earth." Socotra was designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2008.

Socotra is a Greek name derived from Dh-akrid (S3krd), the name of a South Arabian tribe found in Sabaic and Aramaic inscriptions. Another theory is that Socotra got its name from Sanskrit: "Even the island's name is taken from Sanskrit-Dwipa Sukhadara (Island of Bliss)."