The Socotra Archipelago belongs to Yemen. It lies in the northwestern Indian Ocean, near the Gulf of Aden and east of the Horn of Africa, and is administered as Yemen’s Socotra Governorate.
The archipelago consists principally of Socotra, Abd al Kuri, Samhah, and Darsah, along with smaller rocky islets. Socotra is by far the largest island and contains the governorate’s main population centres, including Hadibu, its administrative capital.
Socotra is famous for its extraordinary endemic wildlife and plants. A substantial share of its plant species occur nowhere else, including the distinctive dragon’s blood tree, whose umbrella-shaped crown and red resin have become symbols of the island. Its long geological isolation helped produce this unusual biodiversity.
The islands are sometimes mistakenly associated with Somalia, Oman, or the nearby African coast because of their location. Geographically, however, the archipelago is part of Yemen, and its political status is distinct from the surrounding mainland countries and waters.