YemenSocotra ArchipelagoIslandUNESCO World Heritage
Socotra
3,796 km² rising to 1,503 m out of the Arabian Sea.
Satellite: Sentinel-2 cloudless 2016 by EOX (CC BY 4.0). Outline and points © OpenStreetMap contributors / Natural Earth. North up.
In numbers
3,796km²
Area
317km
Coastline
measured on a simplified outline
1,503m
Highest point
42,842
People
30°C
Warmest sea
May
225km
To the mainland
When to go to Socotra
Best for the beach from January to March, in June and in September.
The sea is warmest in May (30 °C) and coolest in August (24 °C). You can swim comfortably all year (21 °C or more).
Averages 1991–2020. Sea: NOAA OISST, the water within 35 km of the coast. Air, rain and sun: NASA POWER. Best months weigh warm afternoons (23–30 °C), sea of 24 °C or more and few wet days.
Main island of Socotra Archipelago in the Guardafui Channel
Socotra is an island in Yemen. It belongs to Socotra Archipelago. It covers 3,796 km², with 317 km of coastline. Its highest point rises to 1,503 m. About 42,842 people live on it. The nearest mainland is 225 km away. It is part of a UNESCO World Heritage site.
Getting there
- Socotra Airport (SCT)airport on the island, with scheduled flights
- FerriesAl Mukalla - Socotra
- 225 km from the mainlanddistance to the nearest continental coast
- From January to March, June and Septemberbest months to go (from 30 years of averages)
Plan the trip
Ferries, stays and things to do
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On the island
What you find on Socotra.
- 8beaches
- 2viewpoints
- 1ferry terminals
- 3marinas
- 25named peaksMashanig, Dagam, Di Rahmum and 22 more
- 12waterfalls
- 4ruins and archaeological sitesHoq Cave and 3 more
- 9campsitesDihamri, Arher, Detwah and 6 more
- 2hotels, guesthouses and apartments
- 3restaurants, cafés and bars
Counted in OpenStreetMap, the map anyone can edit, inside the island's outline. A low number may only mean nobody has mapped it yet.
The shape of the land.
On average the island stands 308 m above the sea. 40 % of it is below 200 m.
- 18 %0–50 m
- 22 %50–200 m
- 39 %200–500 m
- 20 %500–1,000 m
- 1 %1,000–2,000 m
Share of the island's area in each altitude band, from the Copernicus DEM (30 m, read at 30–240 m on large islands).
Size, for real
Next to islands you may know.
100 km
All outlines drawn to the same scale (Natural Earth and OpenStreetMap).
Towns on the island
- Hadibu8,545 people
- Qalansīyah3,500 people
Month by month
The weather on the island.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Afternoon high (°C) | 26 | 27 | 29 | 31 | 31 | 29 | 27 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 29 | 27 |
| Night low (°C) | 22 | 22 | 23 | 26 | 27 | 25 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 25 | 24 | 23 |
| Sea (°C) | 26 | 26 | 27 | 29 | 30 | 28 | 25 | 24 | 25 | 27 | 27 | 26 |
| Rain (mm) | 8 | 4 | 5 | 3 | 19 | 8 | 12 | 13 | 8 | 15 | 20 | 14 |
| Wet days | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 3 |
| Sun h/day | 8.3 | 9.4 | 10.1 | 10.3 | 9.2 | 8.2 | 7.9 | 8.3 | 8.0 | 8.8 | 8.1 | 7.9 |
| Wind (km/h) | 21 | 18 | 14 | 11 | 19 | 40 | 47 | 44 | 32 | 14 | 19 | 24 |
Averages 1991–2020 for the ~55 km NASA POWER cell over the island; the sea from NOAA OISST.
Recent years
Warmer and cooler years at sea.
Each month's sea temperature compared with its 1991–2020 average, in degrees.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | +0.5 | ±0.0 | +0.2 | +0.2 | +0.3 | +0.8 | +1.0 | +0.8 | +0.7 | +0.4 | +0.2 | +0.2 |
| 2021 | −0.6 | −0.1 | +0.2 | +0.3 | +0.1 | −0.9 | +0.2 | +0.8 | +1.1 | −0.2 | +0.2 | −0.2 |
| 2022 | +0.2 | +0.2 | ±0.0 | +0.1 | −0.2 | +0.3 | −1.0 | −0.5 | −0.1 | −0.5 | +0.1 | +0.2 |
| 2023 | +0.1 | +0.3 | +0.4 | +0.8 | +0.6 | +1.0 | −0.1 | +1.3 | +1.3 | +0.9 | +0.9 | +0.5 |
| 2024 | +0.9 | +1.9 | +1.4 | +0.8 | +0.7 | +0.5 | +1.0 | +1.6 | +0.5 | ±0.0 | +0.2 | −0.1 |
| 2025 | −0.8 | ±0.0 | +0.3 | +0.5 | +0.1 | −0.1 | −1.1 | −0.2 | −0.3 | −0.4 | −0.5 | −0.4 |
+1 warmer than usual −1 cooler than usual
Photos
Seen by visitors.
Nearby
More islands nearby.
About these numbers
| Names, area, population | Wikidata (Q82859) · CC0 |
|---|---|
| Outline | Natural Earth · public domain |
| Sea temperature | NOAA OISST v2.1 · 1991–2020 |
| Climate | NASA POWER · 1991–2020 |
| Relief, 3D model | Copernicus DEM GLO-30 · © DLR e.V., © Airbus Defence and Space GmbH, Copernicus/ESA |
| Beaches, ports, lighthouses, trails | © OpenStreetMap contributors · ODbL |
| Towns | GeoNames · CC BY 4.0 |
| Images | EOX Sentinel-2 cloudless 2016 · CC BY 4.0; Wikimedia Commons |
Every figure is an average, an estimate or a count from a public dataset. Licences and methods: data sources.
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