The Socotra archipelago lies in the northwest Indian Ocean,
close to the mouth of the Gulf of Aden. The archipelago
comprises three islands: Socotra, Abd Alkuri, and Samha
altogether covering a total of 1,584.7 square miles. The area
consists of 12 terrestrial and 25 marine nature sanctuaries.
Included on the UNESCO World Heritage list since 2008, the
Socotra archipelago has worldwide importance in terms of
biodiversity conservation. Socotra is particularly important for
the diversity of its plants; it has 825 species of plants, 307
of which are endemic (found nowhere else on Earth). Due to its
dry climate and the small size of its islands, the archipelago
has low terrestrial animal life with the exception of reptiles.
It is also rich in bird life. The archipelago has a population
of over 1,000 Egyptian vultures which is the largest
concentration of the species in the world. This species is in
serious decline on a worldwide scale; this vulture was
classified as 'endangered' on the IUCN Red List of Threatened