Topographic map of the districts of Socotra (en)

The Socotra Archipelago ( ar, أرخبيل سقطرى ') or Suqutra is officially one of the governorates of

Yemen Yemen (; ar, ٱلْيَمَن, al-Yaman), officially the Republic of Yemen,, ) is a country in Western Asia. It is situated on the southern end of the Arabian Peninsula, and borders Saudi Arabia to the north and Oman to the northeast an ...

. It is composed of the

Guardafui Channel The Guardafui Channel ( so, Marinka Gardafuul) is an oceanic strait off the tip of the Horn of Africa that lies between the Puntland region of Somalia and Socotra to the west of the Arabian Sea. It connects the Gulf of Aden to the north with t ...

archipelago An archipelago ( ), sometimes called an island group or island chain, is a chain, cluster, or collection of islands, or sometimes a sea containing a small number of scattered islands. Examples of archipelagos include: the Indonesian Archi ...

Socotra Socotra or Soqotra (; ar, سُقُطْرَىٰ ; so, Suqadara) is an island of the Republic of Yemen in the Indian Ocean, under the ''de facto'' control of the UAE-backed Southern Transitional Council, a secessionist participant in Yemen� ...

History

Since before British rule, Socotra had been part of the

Mahra Sultanate The Mahra Sultanate, known in its later years as the Mahra State of Qishn and Socotra ( ar, الدولة المهرية للبر وسقطرى ') or sometimes the Mahra Sultanate of Ghayda and Socotra ( ar, سلطنة المهرة في الغيض� ...

, and remained so after Mahra became part of

Aden Protectorate The Aden Protectorate ( ar, محمية عدن ') was a British protectorate in South Arabia which evolved in the hinterland of the port of Aden and in the Hadhramaut following the conquest of Aden by the Bombay Presidency of British Indi ...

. With the independence of

South Yemen South Yemen ( ar, اليمن الجنوبي, al-Yaman al-Janubiyy), officially the People's Democratic Republic of Yemen (, ), also referred to as Democratic Yemen (, ) or Yemen (Aden) (, ), was a communist state that existed from 1967 to 19 ...

in 1967, the archipelago was attached to the

Aden Governorate Aden ( ar, عدن ' Yemeni: ) is a city, and since 2015, the temporary capital of Yemen, near the eastern approach to the Red Sea (the Gulf of Aden), some east of the strait Bab-el-Mandeb. Its population is approximately 800,000 people. ...

, despite its distance. In 2004, it was moved to the

Hadhramaut Governorate Hadhramaut or Hadramawt or Hadramout ( ar, حضرموت ''Ḥaḍramawt'') is a governorate of Yemen. Lying within the large historical region of Hadhramaut, it is the country's largest governorate. The capital of Hadhramut is the city of Mu ...

. Since December 2013, it has been a governorate of its own. On 30 April 2018, the

United Arab Emirates The United Arab Emirates (UAE; ar, اَلْإِمَارَات الْعَرَبِيَة الْمُتَحِدَة ), or simply the Emirates ( ar, الِْإمَارَات ), is a country in Western Asia ( The Middle East). It is located at ...

, as a part of the ongoing Yemen Civil War, deployed troops and took administrative control of

Socotra Airport Socotra Airport (Arabic:مطار سقطرى) is an airport in Socotra, Yemen . It is the only commercial airport that serves the Yemeni island of Socotra in the Arabian Sea and its capital town of Hadibu. Overview The most remote Yemeni airport ...

and seaport. On 14 May 2018, Saudi troops were also deployed on the island and a deal was brokered between the United Arab Emirates and Yemen for a joint military training exercise and the return of administrative control of Socotra's airport and seaport to Yemen. The

Southern Transitional Council The Southern Transitional Council (STC; ''al-Majlis al-Intiqālī l-Janūbiyy'') is a secessionist organization in South Yemen. The 26 members of the STC include the governors of five southern governorates and two government ministers. It was f ...

seized control of the island in June 2020.

Islands

The archipelago consists of four large islands: Socotra, Abd al Kuri, Samhah, and Darsah, as well as 3 small islets to the north of the archipelago.

Districts

Socotra Governorate is divided into the following 2 districts. These districts are further divided into sub-districts, and then further subdivided into villages: * Hidaybu District (consisting of the eastern two-thirds of Socotra Island) * Qulensya wa Abd al Kuri District (consisting of the western third of Socotra Island, together with Abd al Kuri Island, Samhah Island, and (uninhabited) Darsah Island)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Socotra Governorate Governorates of Yemen