Socotra is part of the Yemen Republic and located off the Arabian Peninsula in waters of the Indian Ocean. (12°29′20.97″N 53°54′25.73″E / 12.4891583°N 53.9071472°E).
I stumbled upon this island by pure fortune when having a look to the Unesco World Heritage sites list. The place is really amazing and if you look at some pictures of it you’ll realize it deserves being tagged as “the most alien looking place on Earth” as someone called it.
Socotra detached from the Gondwana continent during the dawn time of our planet and remained isolated from the mainland since then. This and the harsh climate boosted the development of endemic species which are not be found anywhere else on Earth.
Among these the most impressive to the uneducated eye of the common traveller are the plants. The most peculiar is certainly the dragon's blood tree which is a weirdly shaped as an umbrella top supported by mangroves like branches. The name’s come from the tree’s red sap which was used by the ancient dwellers as a medicine and dye. Another strange looking plant is the Dorstenia gigas which looks like a big sweet potato. All these plants put in in such exotic place make Socotra resembling a perfect location for the next Star Wars movie.
So if you dream of catching up with Dr. Moreau or exploring King Kong's Skull Island, then grab your compass and head for Socotra!
Pictures by Alexbip released under this Creative Commons license.
Map pictures are copyright of Google Inc. They are here reproduced under the terms of the Fair Use.
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