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Socotra Island Xeric Shrublands
The Socotra Island xeric shrublands is a terrestrial ecoregion that covers the large island of Socotra and several smaller islands that constitute the Socotra Archipelago. The archipelago is in the western Indian Ocean, east of the Horn of Africa and south of the Arabian Peninsula. Politically the archipelago is part of Yemen, and lies south of the Yemeni mainland. Socotra has a uniquely diverse ecosystem. The islands are home to a high number of endemic species; up to a third of its plant life is endemic. It has been described as "the most alien-looking place on Earth." Socotra is considered the jewel of biodiversity in the Arabian Sea.FACTBOX-Socotra, jewel of biodiversity in Arabian Sea Reuters, 2008-04-23 In the 1990s, a team of United Nations biologists conducted a survey of ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Dracaena Cinnabari
''Dracaena cinnabari'', the Socotra dragon tree or dragon blood tree, is a dragon tree native to the Socotra archipelago, part of Yemen, located in the Arabian Sea. It is named after the blood-like color of the red sap that the trees produce. It is considered the national tree of Yemen. A related tree of similar appearance, the drago, ''Dracaena draco'', grows in the Canary Islands, more than 7000 km from Socotra. Description The dragon blood tree has an upturned, densely packed crown. This evergreen species is named after its dark red resin, which is known as "dragon's blood". Unlike most monocot plants, ''Dracaena'' displays secondary growth, ''D. cinnabari'' even has growth zones resembling tree rings found in dicot tree species. Along with other arborescent ''Dracaena'' species it has a distinctive growth habit called "dracoid ". Its leaves are found only at the end of its youngest branches; its leaves are all shed every three or four years as new leaves simultan ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Endemic (ecology)
Endemism is the state of a species being found only in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found elsewhere. For example, the Cape sugarbird is found exclusively in southwestern South Africa and is therefore said to be ''endemic'' to that particular part of the world. An endemic species can also be referred to as an ''endemism'' or, in scientific literature, as an ''endemite''. Similarly, many species found in the Western ghats of India are examples of endemism. Endemism is an important concept in conservation biology for measuring biodiversity in a particular place and evaluating the risk of extinction for species. Endemism is also of interest in evolutionary biology, because it provides clues about how changes in the environment cause species to undergo range shifts (potentially expanding their range into a larger area or bec ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Africa
Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent after Asia. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 20% of Earth's land area and 6% of its total surface area.Sayre, April Pulley (1999), ''Africa'', Twenty-First Century Books. . With nearly billion people as of , it accounts for about of the world's human population. Demographics of Africa, Africa's population is the youngest among all the continents; the median age in 2012 was 19.7, when the worldwide median age was 30.4. Based on 2024 projections, Africa's population will exceed 3.8 billion people by 2100. Africa is the least wealthy inhabited continent per capita and second-least wealthy by total wealth, ahead of Oceania. Scholars have attributed this to different factors including Geography of Africa, geography, Climate of Africa, climate, corruption, Scramble for Africa, colonialism, the Cold War, and neocolonialism. Despite this lo ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Abd Al Kuri
Abd al Kuri () is a rocky island in the Guardafui Channel. As a part of the Socotra Archipelago Governorate of Yemen, it lies about 65 miles (105 km) southwest of the main island of Socotra. Its terrain primarily consists of granite and diorite covered with limestone. Schürmann (1974) pp. 24. As of 2022, the island's population is unknown, due to reports of United Arab Emirates occupying forces overseeing the expulsion of the island's communities, by gunpoint, in order to establish a UAE military base and airstrip on the landmass. Geography The terrain of Abd al-Kuri is semi-arid, with little vegetation; annual monsoons, originating from the Indian Subcontinent, deliver vital precipitation each year. Two ranges of large hills, separating near the island's centre, run nearly the entire east-west length of the island. Nautical magazine (1878) pp. 809. The northern coast consists mostly of sandy beaches with a few rocky outcrops and cliffs, while the southern coast consists ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Darsah
Darsah () is an uninhabited island in the Guardafui Channel. It is part of the Socotra Archipelago of Yemen. Darsah and neighboring Samhah ( to the west) are collectively known as "Al Akhawain" () which means "The Brothers". Important Bird Area The island has been recognised as an Important Bird Area (IBA) by BirdLife International because it supports breeding colonies of red-billed tropicbirds and brown boobies The brown booby (''Sula leucogaster'') is a large seabird of the booby family Sulidae, of which it is perhaps the most common and widespread species. It has a pantropical range, which overlaps with that of other booby species. The gregarious brow .... See also * List of islands of Yemen References Uninhabited islands of Yemen Socotra archipelago Important Bird Areas of Socotra Seabird colonies {{Yemen-geo-stub ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Samhah
Samhah (; alt. Samha) is an inhabited island in the Guardafui Channel. A part of the Socotra Archipelago of Yemen, it is located between the island of Socotra and Abd al Kuri. Statistics It measures in area, making it the smallest of the three inhabited islands of the group, after the main island of Socotra and Abd al Kuri. The population of some 100 lives in a village on the western part of the north coast. Samhah and neighboring Darsah ( to the east) are collectively known as "Al Akhawain" (), which means "the two brothers". The island of Samhah measures in length and in width. Important Bird Area The island of Samhah (along with neighbouring Darsah) has been recognised as an Important Bird Area (IBA) by BirdLife International BirdLife International is a global partnership of non-governmental organizations that strives to conserve birds and their habitats. BirdLife International's priorities include preventing extinction of bird species, identifying and safeguardin ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Somalia
Somalia, officially the Federal Republic of Somalia, is the easternmost country in continental Africa. The country is located in the Horn of Africa and is bordered by Ethiopia to the west, Djibouti to the northwest, Kenya to the southwest, the Gulf of Aden to the north, and the Indian Ocean to the east. Somalia has the longest coastline on Africa's mainland. Somalia has an estimated population of 18.1 million, of which 2.7 million live in the capital and largest city, Mogadishu. Around 85% of Somalia's residents are ethnic Somali people, Somalis. The official languages of the country are Somali language, Somali and Arabic, though Somali is the Languages of Somalia, primary language. Somalia has historic and religious ties to the Arab world. The people in Somalia are mainly Muslims, following the Sunni Islam, Sunni branch.. In antiquity, Somalia was an important commercial center. During the Middle Ages, several powerful Somali empires dominated the regional trade, including th ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
World Heritage Site
World Heritage Sites are landmarks and areas with legal protection under an treaty, international treaty administered by UNESCO for having cultural, historical, or scientific significance. The sites are judged to contain "cultural and natural heritage around the world considered to be of outstanding value to humanity". To be selected, a World Heritage Site is nominated by its host country and determined by the UNESCO's World Heritage Committee to be a unique landmark which is geographically and historically identifiable, having a special cultural or physical significance, and to be under a sufficient system of legal protection. World Heritage Sites might be ancient ruins or historical structures, buildings, cities, deserts, forests, islands, lakes, monuments, mountains or wilderness areas, and others. A World Heritage Site may signify a remarkable accomplishment of humankind and serve as evidence of humanity's intellectual history on the planet, or it might be a place of grea ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO ) is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) with the aim of promoting world peace and International security, security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It has 194 Member states of UNESCO, member states and 12 associate members, as well as partners in the Non-governmental organization, non-governmental, Intergovernmental organization, intergovernmental and private sector. Headquartered in Paris, France, UNESCO has 53 regional field offices and 199 National Commissions for UNESCO, national commissions. UNESCO was founded in 1945 as the successor to the League of Nations' International Committee on Intellectual Cooperation.English summary). UNESCO's founding mission, which was shaped by the events of World War II, is to advance peace, sustainable development and human rights by facilitating collaboratio ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Galápagos Islands
The Galápagos Islands () are an archipelago of volcanic islands in the Eastern Pacific, located around the equator, west of the mainland of South America. They form the Galápagos Province of the Republic of Ecuador, with a population of slightly over 33,000 (2020). The province is divided into the Cantons of Ecuador, cantons of San Cristóbal Island, San Cristóbal, Santa Cruz Island (Galápagos), Santa Cruz, and Isabela Island (Galápagos), Isabela, the three most populated islands in the chain. The Galápagos are famous for their large number of Endemism, endemic species, which were studied by Charles Darwin in the 1830s and inception of Darwin's theory, inspired his theory of evolution by means of natural selection. All of these islands are protected as part of Ecuador's Galápagos National Park and Galápagos Marine Reserve, Marine Reserve. Thus far, there is no firm evidence that Polynesian expansion, Polynesians or the indigenous peoples of South America, Indigenous pe ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
