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Socotra
Socotra, locally known as Saqatri, is a Yemeni island in the Indian Ocean. Situated between the Guardafui Channel and the Arabian Sea, it lies near major shipping routes. Socotra is the largest of the six islands in the Socotra archipelago as it comprises around 95% of the landmass of the archipelago. It lies south of the Arabian Peninsula and east of the Horn of Africa. The inhabitants of the island are called Soqotri people, Socotrans, and they speak Arabic and Soqotri language, Soqotri. Socotra is home to a high number of unique species that are endemism, endemic to it. Up to a third of its plant life is unique. Due to the island's unusual geography, it has been described as "the most alien-looking place on Earth". The island measures in length and across at its widest. In 2008, Socotra was recognised as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The island is under the control of the Southern Transitional Council (STC), a United Arab Emirates-backed, pro-Presidential Leadership Co ...
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Socotra Governorate
The Socotra Archipelago ( '), officially the Socotra Archipelago Governorate ( '), abbreviated to Socotra Governorate ( '), is one of the governorates of Yemen, governorates of Yemen. It includes a number of islands in the Indian Ocean south of mainland Yemen, the largest of which is Socotra. Etymology Scholars' views vary regarding the origin of the name of the island. The name Socotra may derive from: * A Greek name that is derived from the name of a South Arabian tribe mentioned in Sabaean language, Sabaic and Hadramautic language, Ḥaḑramitic inscriptions as Dhū-Śakūrid (S³krd). * The Arabian terms suq, market, and qutra, a vulgar form of qatir, which refers to dragon's blood. History Since before British Empire, British rule, Socotra had been part of the Mahra Sultanate but later the British captured it and made Socotra a part of Bombay Presidency in British India and so it remained till 1937. In 1937 British made it part of Aden Protectorate. With the indepen ...
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Socotra Archipelago
The Socotra Archipelago ( '), officially the Socotra Archipelago Governorate ( '), abbreviated to Socotra Governorate ( '), is one of the governorates of Yemen. It includes a number of islands in the Indian Ocean south of mainland Yemen, the largest of which is Socotra. Etymology Scholars' views vary regarding the origin of the name of the island. The name Socotra may derive from: * A Greek name that is derived from the name of a South Arabian tribe mentioned in Sabaic and Ḥaḑramitic inscriptions as Dhū-Śakūrid (S³krd). * The Arabian terms suq, market, and qutra, a vulgar form of qatir, which refers to dragon's blood. History Since before British rule, Socotra had been part of the Mahra Sultanate but later the British captured it and made Socotra a part of Bombay Presidency in British India and so it remained till 1937. In 1937 British made it part of Aden Protectorate. With the independence of South Yemen in 1967, the archipelago was attached to the Aden Gov ...
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Southern Transitional Council Takeover Of Socotra
On 21 June 2020, the United Arab Emirates-backed Southern Transitional Council took over the Socotra Archipelago Governorate. Background After the Arab Spring reached the capital of the island, Hadibu, locals began to rise against then-Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh. During this period of instability, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has sought to expand its presence in the region, framing its actions as humanitarian aid missions. This engagement has contributed to the increasing politicization and militarization of Socotra. Protests in Socotra followed the theme in mainland Yemen, calling for "political reform" and " the end of the regime and its corruption". With the rise of internet access, locals shifted into two camps: those calling for a Socotran governorate independent of the Hadhramaut Governorate of eastern mainland Yemen, and those demanding an autonomous federal region. In 2013, the Socotra Archipelago became the Socotra Governorate. A series of cyclones, ...
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Yemen
Yemen, officially the Republic of Yemen, is a country in West Asia. Located in South Arabia, southern Arabia, it borders Saudi Arabia to Saudi Arabia–Yemen border, the north, Oman to Oman–Yemen border, the northeast, the south-eastern part of the Arabian Sea to the east, the Gulf of Aden to the south, and the Red Sea to the west, sharing maritime boundary, maritime borders with Djibouti, Eritrea, and Somalia across the Horn of Africa. Covering roughly 455,503 square kilometres (175,871 square miles), with a coastline of approximately , Yemen is the second largest country on the Arabian Peninsula. Sanaa is its constitutional capital and largest city. Yemen's estimated population is 34.7 million, mostly Arabs, Arab Muslims. It is a member of the Arab League, the United Nations, the Non-Aligned Movement and the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation. Owing to its geographic location, Yemen has been at the crossroads of many civilisations for over 7,000 years. In 1200 BCE, the Sab ...
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Guardafui Channel
The Guardafui Channel (, ) is an oceanic strait off the tip of the Horn of Africa that lies between the Puntland region of Somalia and the Socotra governorate of Yemen to the west of the Arabian Sea. It connects the Gulf of Aden to the north with the Indian Ocean to the south. Its namesake is Cape Guardafui, the very tip of the Horn of Africa. Extent Its width is roughy between Ras Asir (Gardafuul) and Abd al Kari, and roughly between Ras Asir and Socotra. Ras Asir, formerly named Gardafuul, a province of the semi-autonomous region of Puntland, is named after it. In its narrower sense, Marinka Gardafuul, in English called the Guardafui Channel, refers to the strait between Puntland and Abd al Kuri. Names The oceanic strait goes by many names, including the ''Ras Hafun Strait'', named after the headland of Ras Hafun, near the town of Foar, the ''Ras Asir-Socotra Strait'', the ''Cape Guardafui Strait'', the Guardafui-Socotra Channel Guardafui Channel Cape Guardafui Chann ...
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Hadibu
Hadibu ( '), formerly known as Tamrida (), is a coastal town in northern Socotra, Yemen. It is the largest town in the small archipelago, with a population of 8,545 as of the 2004 census. Hadibu is the capital of the Socotra Governorate and the larger eastern district of Socotra's two administrative districts, Hidaybū. Animal husbandry is the main source of income for the town's inhabitants. Socotra Airport is located about west of Hadibu, and close to the third-largest town in the archipelago, Qād̨ub. Diesel generators make electricity widely available in Socotra. A paved road runs along the north shore from Qalansiyah in the west to Hadibu and then to the DiHamri area in the east. Another paved road runs from the northern to the southern coast, through the Dixsam Plateau. The former capital of Socotra, Suq, is located a few kilometers to the east of Hadibu. See also *List of cities in Socotra archipelago The following are towns and cities in the island archipelago, So ...
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Hajhir Mountains
The Hajhir massif is a mountain range situated on the island of Socotra, Yemen. It is the highest point of the island. Geography The granite spires of the Hajhir massif are located in the hinterland of Socotra and are most easily accessed via the valley approaches north of the coastal town of Hadibo. The highest point of the range is the peak of Mashanig which lies at approximately above sea level. Other peaks of local prominence include Girhimitin, Hazrat Muqadriyoun and Herem Hajhir. Etymology The name "Hajhir" ( Soqotri: ), sometimes transliterated as "Hagghier" or "Hagher" in English, likely derives from the Arabic "ḥijr" (, meaning "stone"). Other possible origins of the range's name include the word "hajar" (, meaning "to flee"). The name "Mashanig" (Soqotri: , meaning "the split one"), likely derives from the Arabic verb "inshaq" (, meaning "to split"), from which one gets the word "munshuq" (, meaning "splittist"). Climbing history Bedouin goatherds have a long hist ...
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Soqotri Language
Soqotri (; ) is a South Semitic language spoken by the Soqotri people on the island of Socotra and the two nearby islands of Abd al Kuri and Samhah, in the Socotra archipelago, in the Guardafui Channel. Soqotri is one of six languages that form a group called Modern South Arabian languages (MSAL). These additional languages include Mehri, Shehri, Bathari, Harsusi and Hobyot. All are spoken in different regions of Southern Arabia. Classification Soqotri is often mistaken as a variety of Arabic but is typically classified as an Afro-Asiatic, Semitic, South Semitic and South Arabian language. Scholars believe there are no longer any grounds for associating the Modern South Arabian languages so directly with Arabic. They consider these dialects to be not Arabic, but Semitic languages in their own right. Dialects The Soqotri dialectology is very rich, especially considering the surface of the island and number of inhabitants. Soqotri speakers live on their islands, but r ...
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Soqotri People
The Soqotri people, sometimes referred to as Socotran, are a South Arabian Peninsula, Arabian ethnic group native to the Gulf of Aden island of Socotra. They speak the Soqotri language, a Modern South Arabian languages, Modern South Arabian language in the Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic family. General The Soqotri primarily inhabit the Socotra Archipelago, on Socotra island and the Abd al Kuri, Darsah and Samhah districts of the Amanat Al Asimah governorate, Yemen. According to ''Ethnologue'', there are an estimated 71,400 Soqotri. As of the last 1990 Socotra census, they numbered around 57,000. Most Soqotri are Sunni Muslim. Historically, Soqotri were Nestorianism, Nestorian Christianity, Christians, from the Christianization of the island between the 4th and 6th centuries up until the 15th century, when the island was occupied by the Mahra Sultanate, Mehri Sultanate in 1480. This led to slow Islamisation of the Soqotri. Language The Soqotri speak the Soqotri langua ...
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Mehri People
The Mehrialso al-Mahrah, al-Meheri, al-Mahri or al-Mahra (), also known as the al-Mahrah tribe (), are an Arab ethnographic group primarily inhabiting South Arabia especially in the Al-Mahra Governorate in Yemen and the island of Socotra in the Guardafui Channel. They are named after Mahra bin Haydan. They can also be found in the Sultanate of Oman, and the eastern region of the Arabian Peninsula. They have participated in the conquests of North Africa, Morocco and Andalusia, and they lived there. Some of them work in fishing, and some of them live in the desert, and it is to them that the Mahri camels are attributed in the Arab heritage. The Mahra were famous for their Mahri language, which is a Semitic language belonging to the eastern family within the group of South Semitic languages, and it is a language closely related to other neighboring languages, such as the Shehri and Socotri languages. They have an ancient history, and they were mentioned in a number of Sabaea ...
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Governorates Of Yemen
The Republic of Yemen is divided into twenty-one governorates ('' muhafazah'') and one municipality ( amanah): The governorates are subdivided into 333 districts (''muderiah''), which are subdivided into 1,996 sub-districts, and then into 40,793 villages and 88,817 sub villages (as of 2013). Before 1990, Yemen existed as two separate entities. South Yemen consisted of modern Aden, Abyan, Mahrah, Dhale, Hadramaut, Socotra, Lahij, and Shabwah Governorates, while the rest made up North Yemen. For more information, see Historic Governorates of Yemen. List of governorates Notes: a - Also known as Sanaa City, it is not part of any federal region b - Socotra Governorate was created in December 2013 from parts of the Hadhramaut Governorate, data included there See also * ISO 3166-2:YE References {{DEFAULTSORT:Governorates of Yemen Subdivisions of Yemen Yemen, Governorates Yemen 1 Governorates, Yemen Yemen geography-related lists Yemen Yemen, officially ...
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Arabian Sea
The Arabian Sea () is a region of sea in the northern Indian Ocean, bounded on the west by the Arabian Peninsula, Gulf of Aden and Guardafui Channel, on the northwest by Gulf of Oman and Iran, on the north by Pakistan, on the east by India, and on the southeast by the Laccadive Sea and the Maldives, on the southwest by Somalia. Its total area is and its maximum depth is . The Gulf of Aden in the west connects the Arabian Sea to the Red Sea through the strait of Bab-el-Mandeb, and the Gulf of Oman is in the northwest, connecting it to the Persian Gulf. Geography The Arabian Sea's surface area is about .Arabian Sea
Encyclopædia Britannica
The maximum width of the sea is approximately , and its maximum depth is . The biggest river flowing into the sea is the Indus River. The Arabian Sea has two ...
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