Socotra
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Socotra
, Sokotra, Suqutra an island in the Indian Ocean, about 240 km (150 miles) off Cape Guardafui, Somalia: administratively part of Yemen. Capital: Tamrida. Area: 3100 sq. km (1200 sq. miles)
Collins Discovery Encyclopedia, 1st edition © HarperCollins Publishers 2005
The following article is from The Great Soviet Encyclopedia (1979). It might be outdated or ideologically biased.
Socotra
(also Sokotra, Soqotra), a group of islands in the Indian Ocean, the largest of which is Socotra. The islands, located east of Cape Guardafui in Africa, belong to the People’s Democratic Republic of Yemen. They cover an area of 3,600 sq km and are composed chiefly of crystalline rocks. The maximum elevation is 1,503 m, on the island of Socotra. The climate is tropical and dry. The average temperature is 21°C in January and 28°C in June. Annual precipitation is between 250 and 300 mm. The islands have semidesert vegetation, with groves of xerophytic trees in the east and in the mountainous regions. The population engages in the cultivation of date palms, the raising of sheep and goats, and fishing.
The Great Soviet Encyclopedia, 3rd Edition (1970-1979). © 2010 The Gale Group, Inc. All rights reserved.