Socotra

Welcome! Meet the island paradise of Socotra near the country of Yemen!

Socotra is part of an archipelago of four islands. The island is only 250 km

long, however many say that this mysterious island is ‘a wonder of the world’ since it has not been touched for many centuries and holds many fascinating secrets. Places like this are not found all over the world. Places such as Socotra are rare but real. Very real.

This island is the pure definition of miracle, based upon its wide variety of animal and plant species and extravagant land features that are solely found on this island. Specifically, this extraordinary island is also rumored to have trees that have lived for over twenty million years! No one lives on the island, however tourists don’t let that fact lay them down. Some tourists have said from their travels that “the sand is so bright that you have to squint to look at it” or that “The water is so blue, that when you take a photo, it almost looks photoshopped.”

Even if the word ‘paradise’ is a fitting name for the island, another word that can be used to describe the island would be ‘treacherous’. Winds exceeds high speeds all throughout the island. The average wind speed is a whopping 39 mph on a normal basis. In fact, the trees of the island actually grow inside out to adapt to the wind. Such trees are called Dragon’s Blood Trees.

There is also a wide variety of animals living on the island. Hundreds of birds,

such as the Starling Birds, live all throughout the island, and in fact, 10 species of birds on the island are not found anywhere else. Land snails climb up the various types of trees and the Chamaeleo monachus (chameleon) roams the island freely, as the island is its species’ only home. Even some strange looking plants inhabit the island too. For instance, the Cucumber Trees (that look similarly to cucumbers poking out of the ground) and the Dragon’s Blood Trees (as mentioned above) live on the island in their own respective ways.

Socotra is very enigmatic, but gorgeous and vibrant with life at the same time.

Link to a video from Weather Channel https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Bay8rVaJwIo