"time, the UAE also established a military base on the island as part of the Saudi led intervention. In 2017, some Yemeni political factions have accused the United Arab Emirates of looting, claiming that Emirati forces had ravaged the flora of the Island. On January 29, 2018, the local Southern Transitional Council leadership on the archipelago declared their support for the STC during Hadi infighting in and around Aden. On April 30, 2018, the United Arab Emirates, as part of the ongoing Saudi-led intervention in Yemen, landed troops on the island and took control of Socotra Airport and seaport. On"
"the island of Socotra on 1 April 2017. The vessel was a dhow carrying wheat and sugar, and sailing from Dubai to Bosasso in Puntland, Somalia with 11 crew members on board. All crew members were Indian citizens. The pirates took the dhow onshore into the central Galmudug state of Somalia. Somali security forces raided the dhow which led to the pirates fleeing to the hilly areas between El-Hur and Hardheere with nine crew members as hostages. Somali forces rescued the dhow, its cargo and the two crew members who had been abandoned by the pirates amidst the clashes. A"
"Socotra Rock Socotra Rock () is a submerged rock below sea level (at low tide) located in the Yellow Sea. International maritime law stipulates that a submerged rock outside of a nation's territorial sea (generally 12 nautical miles) can not be claimed as territory by any nation. However, the rock is the subject of a maritime dispute between South Korea and China, which consider it to lie within their respective exclusive economic zones. The rock is located southwest of Marado (just off Jeju island) in Korea. For China, Yushan Island of Zhejiang, is away from the rock. The rock serves"
"the Union Government of India. Lakshadweep comes from Lakshadwipa, which means ""one hundred thousand islands"" in Sanskrit. The islands form the smallest Union Territory of India: their total surface area is just . The lagoon area covers about , the territorial waters area and the exclusive economic zone area .The islands are the northernmost of the Lakshadweep-Maldives-Chagos group of islands. Astola Island, also known as ""Jezira Haft Talar"" in Balochi, or 'Island of the Seven Hills', is a small, uninhabited island in the northern tip of the Arabian Sea in Pakistan's territorial waters. Socotra also spelled ""Soqotra"" is the largest"
"is usually grouped with the Western Asian countries as part of the Middle East, while Egypt's western neighbor Libya is grouped with the remaining North African countries as the Maghreb. However, they are both members of the Arab League as well as the African Union. The Seychelles, Mauritius, and Comoros are island nations in the Indian Ocean associated with Africa. The island of Socotra may be considered African as it lies on this continent's shelf, but is part of Yemen, an Asian country. The border between North America and South America is at some point on the Isthmus of Panama."
"Samhah Samhah or Samha () is an inhabited island in the Guardafui Channel. A part of the Socotra archipelago, it is located between the island of Socotra and Somalia. Like the whole group, it belongs to Yemen, and is part of Socotra Governorate. There is a dispute between Yemen and Somalia's government over the island's sovereignty. It measures in area, making it the smallest of the three inhabited islands of the group, after the main island of Socotra and Abd al Kuri. The population of some 100 lives in a village on the western part of the north coast. Samhah"
"Geography of the British Indian Ocean Territory The British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT) is an archipelago of 55 islands in the Indian Ocean South of India, it is situated approximately halfway between Africa and Indonesia. The islands form a semicircular group with an open sea towards the east. The largest, Diego Garcia, is located at the southern extreme end. It measures and accounts for almost three-quarters of the total land area of the territory. Diego Garcia is the only inhabited island and is home to the joint UK-US naval support facility. Other islands within the archipelago include Danger Island, Three"
"of Socotra received more than of rain from Cyclone Chapala in November 2015. Socotra is considered the jewel of biodiversity in the Arabian Sea. In the 1990s, a team of United Nations biologists conducted a survey of the archipelago’s flora and fauna. They counted nearly 700 endemic species, found nowhere else on earth; only New Zealand, Hawaii, New Caledonia, and the Galápagos Islands have more impressive numbers. The long geological isolation of the Socotra archipelago and its fierce heat and drought have combined to create a unique and spectacular endemic flora. Botanical field surveys led by the Centre for Middle"
"part of the ongoing Saudi-led intervention in Yemen, landed troops on the island of Socotra. The Independent newspaper reported that the UAE has politically annexed the island and built a communications network, as well as conducted census and provided Socotra residents with free healthcare and work permits in Abu Dhabi. Two weeks later on 14 May, Saudi troops were also deployed to the archipelago 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 United Arab Emirates is"
"covered the Simien and Bale Mountains but melted at the beginning of the Holocene. The mountains descend in a huge escarpment to the Red Sea and more steadily to the Indian Ocean. Socotra is a small island in the Indian Ocean off the coast of Somalia. Its size is 3,600 km (1,390 sq mi) and it is a territory of Yemen. The lowlands of the Horn are generally arid in spite of their proximity to the equator. This is because the winds of the tropical monsoons that give seasonal rains to the Sahel and the Sudan blow from the west."
"Socotra cormorant The Socotra cormorant (""Phalacrocorax nigrogularis"") is a threatened species of cormorant that is endemic to the Persian Gulf and the south-east coast of the Arabian Peninsula. It is also sometimes known as the Socotran cormorant or, more rarely, as the Socotra shag. Individuals occasionally migrate as far west as the Red Sea coast. Despite its name, it was only confirmed in 2005 that it breeds on the Socotra islands in the Indian Ocean. The Socotra cormorant is an almost entirely blackish bird with a total length of about . In breeding condition, its forecrown has a purplish gloss"
"India India (IAST: ), also known as the Republic of India (IAST: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country (with over 1,200 crore (1.2 billion) people), and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the south, the Arabian Sea on the southwest, and the Bay of Bengal on the southeast, it shares land borders with Pakistan to the west; China, Nepal, and Bhutan to the northeast; and Bangladesh and Myanmar to the east. In the Indian Ocean, India is in the vicinity of"
"Seychelles Seychelles ( ; French: ), officially the Republic of Seychelles (; Creole: ""Repiblik Sesel""), is an archipelago country in the Indian Ocean. The capital of the 115-island country, Victoria, lies east of mainland East Africa. Other nearby island countries and territories include Comoros, Mayotte (region of France), Madagascar, Réunion (region of France) and Mauritius to the south. With a population of roughly , it has the smallest population of any sovereign African country. Seychelles is a member of the African Union, the Southern African Development Community, the Commonwealth of Nations, and the United Nations. After proclamation of independence from"
"the Conservation of African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbirds"" (AEWA) applies. Socotra cormorant The Socotra cormorant (""Phalacrocorax nigrogularis"") is a threatened species of cormorant that is endemic to the Persian Gulf and the south-east coast of the Arabian Peninsula. It is also sometimes known as the Socotran cormorant or, more rarely, as the Socotra shag. Individuals occasionally migrate as far west as the Red Sea coast. Despite its name, it was only confirmed in 2005 that it breeds on the Socotra islands in the Indian Ocean. The Socotra cormorant is an almost entirely blackish bird with a total length of about . In"
"and neighboring Darsah ( to the east) are collectively known as ""Al Akhawain"" () which means ""The Brothers"". The island of Samhah measures in length and in width. Samhah Samhah or Samha () is an inhabited island in the Guardafui Channel. A part of the Socotra archipelago, it is located between the island of Socotra and Somalia. Like the whole group, it belongs to Yemen, and is part of Socotra Governorate. There is a dispute between Yemen and Somalia's government over the island's sovereignty. It measures in area, making it the smallest of the three inhabited islands of the group,"
"Guatemala, Guinea, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Hungary, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Ivory Coast, Jamaica, Japan, Jordan, Kenya, Korea, Kuwait, Laos, Lebanon, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Maldives, Mali, Malta, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mexico, Monaco, Mongolia, Morocco, Mozambique (in that time an overseas province of Portugal), Muscat and Oman, Nauru, Nepal, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Niger, Nigeria, Norway, Pakistan, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Romania, Rwanda, San Marino, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Solomon Islands (in that time a British overseas possession), Somalia, South Africa, Southern Yemen, Soviet Union, Spain, Sudan, Swaziland, Sweden,"
"are found nowhere else on Earth. The archipelago previously formed two districts of the Hadhramaut Governorate: In 2013, however, the archipelago was removed from the Hadramaut Governorate and created a governorate (Socotra Governorate) in its own right, consisting of the two above-mentioned districts. The primary occupations of the people of Socotra have traditionally been fishing, animal husbandry, and the cultivation of dates. Monsoons long made the archipelago inaccessible from June to September each year. In July 1999, however, a new airport opened Socotra to the outside world all year round. There is regular service to and from Aden and Sana'a."
"Scattered Islands in the Indian Ocean The Scattered Islands in the Indian Ocean ( or ""Îles Éparses de l'océan Indien"") consist of four small coral islands, an atoll, and a reef in the Indian Ocean, and have constituted the 5th district of the French Southern and Antarctic Lands (TAAF) since February 2007. They have never had a permanent population. Two of the islands—Juan de Nova and Europa—and the Bassas da India atoll lie in the Mozambique Channel west of Madagascar, while a third island, Tromelin, lies about east of Madagascar and the Glorioso Islands lies about northwest of Madagascar. Also"
"Madagascar Madagascar (; ), officially the Republic of Madagascar ( ; ), and previously known as the Malagasy Republic, is an island country in the Indian Ocean, off the coast of East Africa. The nation comprises the island of Madagascar (the fourth-largest island in the world) and numerous smaller peripheral islands. Following the prehistoric breakup of the supercontinent Gondwana, Madagascar split from the Indian subcontinent around 88 million years ago, allowing native plants and animals to evolve in relative isolation. Consequently, Madagascar is a biodiversity hotspot; over 90% of its wildlife is found nowhere else on Earth. The island's diverse"
"British Indian Ocean Territory The British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT) is an overseas territory of the United Kingdom situated in the Indian Ocean halfway between Tanzania and Indonesia. The territory comprises the seven atolls of the Chagos Archipelago with over 1,000 individual islandsmany very smallamounting to a total land area of . The largest and most southerly island is Diego Garcia, , the site of a joint military facility of the United Kingdom and the United States. The only inhabitants of the territory are US and British military personnel and associated contractors, who collectively number around 2,500 (2012 figures). The"
"Geology of Socotra The geology of Socotra is part of the national geology of Yemen, however, the island is geologically more closely related to the geology of Oman and rifted away from Arabia within the past 60 million years. Ancient Precambrian metamorphic rocks are intruded by younger igneous rocks, overlain by limestones and other marine sediments that deposited during marine transgression periods in the Cretaceous and the past 66 million years of the Cenozoic. Initially, Socotra was part of what is now the Dhofar region in southern Oman. The island has crystalline igneous and metamorphic basement rock from the Precambrian,"
"this remote and isolated archipelago consists of four islands and two rocky islets delineating the southern limit of the Gulf of Aden. The site has a rich biodiversity. Nowhere else in the world do 37% of Socotra's 825 plants, 90% of its reptiles and 95% of its snails occur. It is home to 192 bird species, 253 species of coral, 730 species of coastal fish, and 300 species of crab and lobster, as well as a range of ""Aloes"" and the Dragon's Blood Tree (""Dracaena cinnabari""). The cultural heritage of Socotra includes the unique Soqotri language. The adult literacy rate"
"coasts of peninsular India though Southeast Asia, the Indo-Australian Archipelago and northern Australia to the Solomon Islands. This includes Bangladesh, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, China (Hainan), the Philippines (Luzon, Cebu and Batayan), Malaysia, Indonesia (Sumatra, Java, Borneo, Flores, Timor, Sulawesi, Ternate, Ambon, and coastal Irian Jaya), Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands the coast along northern Australia (Northern Territory and eastern Queensland). No type locality was given with the original description, although Smith (1943) gives ""India"" and Saint-Girons (1972) gives ""Inde."" According to Shine (1991), 50% of the acrochords tested for stomach contents"
"Cape Guardafui Cape Guardafui (), also known historically as Aromata promontorium, is a headland in the autonomous Puntland region in Somalia. Coextensive with the Gardafuul administrative province, it forms the geographical apex of the Horn of Africa. Its shore at 51°27'52""E is the second easternmost point on mainland Africa after Ras Hafun. Its adjacent locality is called Ras Asir. The offshore oceanic strait Guardafui Channel (or ""Marinka Gardafuul"") is named after it. Cape Guardafui is located at , next to the Guardafui Channel. The archipelago of Socotra lies off the cape in the Indian Ocean. Fifteen leagues (45 miles) west"
"and the return of administrative control of Socotra's airport and seaport to Yemen. In 2016, the UAE increased supplies delivered to Socotra that had been largely abandoned and forgotten during the ongoing conflict. In October 2016, the 31st cargo aircraft landed in Socotra Airport containing two tons of aid. At that time, the UAE also established a military base on the island as part of the Saudi led intervention. In 2017, Emirati troops had already been deployed on the island as part of the Saudi-led intervention, some Yemeni political factions accused the UAE of attempting to occupy Socotra and looting"
"Indian Ocean Commission The Indian Ocean Commission (, COI) is an intergovernmental organization that was created in 1982 at Port Louis, Mauritius and institutionalized in 1984 by the Victoria Agreement in Seychelles. The COI is composed of five African Indian Ocean nations: Comoros, Madagascar, Mauritius, Réunion (an overseas region of France), and Seychelles. Notwithstanding their different characteristics (Reunion as a French overseas region; Mauritius and Seychelles as Middle-Income Countries whereas Comoros and Madagascar are amongst the Least-Developed Countries), the five islands share geographic proximity, historical and demographic relationships, natural resources and common development issues. COI's principal mission is to strengthen"
"Comoros The Comoros (; , '), officially the Union of the Comoros (Comorian: ""Udzima wa Komori,"" , '), is an island country in the Indian Ocean located at the northern end of the Mozambique Channel off the eastern coast of Africa between northeastern Mozambique, the French region of Mayotte and northwestern Madagascar. The capital and largest city in Comoros is Moroni. The religion of the majority of the population is Sunni Islam. At , excluding the contested island of Mayotte, the Comoros is the third-smallest African nation by area. The population, excluding Mayotte, is estimated at . As a nation"
"Comoro Islands The Comoro Islands or Comoros (Shikomori ""Komori""; , ""Juzur al-Qomor""; French Les Comores) form an archipelago of volcanic islands situated off the south-east coast of Africa, to the east of Mozambique and north-west of Madagascar. The islet of Banc du Geyser and the Glorioso Islands are part of the archipelago. The islands are politically divided between Union of the Comoros (pop. 795,601) and two territories of France : the region of Mayotte (pop. 212,645) and the Glorioso Islands, a part of the Scattered Islands in the Indian Ocean, the 5th district of the French Southern and Antarctic Lands."
"Eritrea, Estonia, Ethiopia, Finland, France, Gambia, Ghana, Greece, Guatemala, Guinea, Guyana, Haiti, Holy See, Honduras, Hungary, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Iran (Islamic Republic of), Iraq, Ireland, Jamaica, Japan, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Latvia, Lebanon, Lesotho, Libyan Arab Jamahiriya, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macedonia, Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Maldives, Mali, Malta, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mexico, Monaco, Montenegro, Morocco, Mozambique, Myanmar, Namibia, Nepal, Nicaragua, Niger, Nigeria, Norway, Oman, Pakistan, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Portugal, Qatar, Republic of Korea, Romania, Russian Federation, Rwanda, Samoa, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Serbia, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, Solomon Islands, South Africa, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Surinam, Swaziland, Sweden,"
"and consent to ratification. The status of the Indian Ocean island of Diego Garcia, controlled by the United Kingdom and used as a military base by the United States, with regard to the Treaty is unclear. Diego Garcia is part of the Chagos Archipelago claimed by Mauritius. The other islands of the Chagos Archipelago are considered in Africa and are under the treaty, but neither the United States nor the United Kingdom recognizes Diego Garcia as being subject to the Treaty. To allow for the verification of its nuclear non-proliferation undertaking, the Treaty requires parties to conclude comprehensive safeguards agreements"
"and Spratly Islands in the South China Sea, which are currently being developed by China (PRC). Article 1 of the Constitution of the Union of the Comoros begins: ""The Union of the Comoros is a republic, composed of the autonomous islands of Mohéli, Mayotte, Anjouan, and Grande Comore."" Mayotte, geographically a part of the Comoro Islands, was the only island of the four to vote against independence from France (independence losing 37%–63%) in the referendum held December 22, 1974. Mayotte is currently a department of the French Republic. All of the European colonies on the Indian subcontinent which were not"
"has played and continues to play a key role developing the military of Seychelles. After handing over two SDB Mk5 patrol vessels namely INS Tarasa and INS Tarmugli to Seychelles Coast Guard, built by GRSE which were subsequently renamed SCG Constant and SCG Topaz, India also gifted a Dornier Maritime Patrol aircraft built by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited. India also signed a pact to develop Assumption Island, one of the 115 islands that make up the country. Spread over , it is strategically located in the Indian Ocean, north of Madagascar. The island is being leased for the development of infrastructure,"
"Archipelago of San Bernardo The Archipelago of San Bernardo () is a set of nine coastal coral islands and one artificial island (ten in total) belonging to and governed by Colombia, located in the Gulf of Morrosquillo in the Caribbean Sea, with an approximate area of 213 km². Administratively, the archipelago belongs to the Bolívar Department, with the exception of Boquerón Island, which belongs to the Sucre Department. It consists of Boquerón Island, Cabruna Island, Ceycén Island, Mangle Island, Múcura Island, Palma Island, Panda Island, Santa Cruz del Islote (English: Santa Cruz Islet, an artificial island), Tintipán Island and Maravilla"