Exploring the oddest island on the planet, every step you take feels like you’ve enteгed into another universe.
Socotra is a Yemeni archipelago in the Indian Ocean off the coast of Somalia. It is one of the world’s most isolated continental (non-volcanic) islands, having broken away from Africa about 6 million years ago. Everything about this place is strange, from the geological formations to the presence of extremely rare plants and animals found nowhere else on the planet.
The archipelago consists of four small islands in the Indian Ocean, the largest of which is Socotra, which accounts for 95% of the archipelago; the remaining three small islands are known as Abd al Kuri, Samhah, and Darsa. This location is significant due to its biodiversity. The island’s flora and fauna are diverse and abundant. 95% of the snail sрeсe in Socotra are found nowhere else in the world. This location is also the “common home” of 192 рeсe of birds, including some endangered рeсe.
Despite the island’s arid climate, the plant life is diverse and distinctive. Therefore, Socotra is also known as “the place possessing the strangest beauty in the world”. In other words, the archipelago provides a unique habitat for unusual flora and fauna. As a result, Socotra is listed on the UNESCO World etаe List.
Many strange plant sрeсe appear on the island, which are more than 20 million years old and are not found anywhere else. Dragon’s blood, for example, is a flowering plant in the asparagus family. This tree is only found on the island. The unusual name is derived from the tree’s blood-red sap.
This tree has very long branches that help to spread the canopy. People have the impression that they are giant mushrooms when viewed from above. Today, the dragon’s blood tree is the most visible of the archipelago’s 900 рeсe. For centuries, indigenous peoples have used this plant as medicine.
Another unusual plant is the “desert pink” Desert Rose, which has an unusually enlarged body. Desert rose has roots that cling to the rocky mountains and have an intense vitality that reaches out on the barren land. Every year in April, this plant blooms. The enlarged trunk serves as a valuable water reservoir during the dry season.
Socotra also has beautiful, wide beaches and 7-kilometer-long limestone caves. Visitors can go diving, fishing, boating, and other water sports, as well as hiking.
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