Socotra is a Yemeni archipelago of 6 islands located in the Indian Ocean off the coast of the Horn of Africa, near the Gulf of Aden, 350 km away on the Arabian Peninsula.
The archipelago includes the Socotra Islands, Darsa, Samaha, Abd al-Kuri, Sayal 'Abd al-Kuri and Sayel Socotra, as well as seven other rocky islands, namely Sira, Rashad, Adilah, As-Sakhr, Sahir, Za'nil and Jallas.
Socotra Island is the largest of the Arabian islands. It is 125 km long and 42 km wide. The length of the coastline is about 300 km and the capital is Hadibou. According to statistics for 2004, it has a population of 175020 inhabitants.
The island was named one of the World Heritage Sites in 2008. It was named "the most exotic area in the world" and was named the world's most beautiful island by the New York Times in 2010 due to its unique biodiversity, environmental importance and its impact on the world.
In October 2013, the Socotra Archipelago became an independent province of Hadramout.