Socotra Island: The Beauty Of Most Alien-Looking Place on Earth

Almost all of us at some point in our lives were fascinated with aliens. The cartoons, movies, and science fiction that came to market at the time raised our curiosity, and perhaps, if you are very imaginative, you would surely have imagined many fake scenarios in your head where aliens were involved.

The mystery and the unknown have always attracted the human mind and this is one cause behind many breath-taking creations in the world. Even though most of the mysteries on Earth are almost resolved, we found a beautiful place which is known as the most alien-looking place on Earth because of the flora and fauna present there.

Socotra is a small island which is an offshore territory of Yemen. It lies exactly between Guardafui Channel and the Arabian Sea. This island is known among many because of the unique vegetation present there and according to experts, 30% of its plant life does not grow anywhere else.

This is the reason why this island is named as the “most alien-looking place on Earth”. This island is included even in the UNESCO-certified world Natural Heritage Sites and one prominent feature of the island is that there are three geographical terrains: coastal plains, a limestone plateau with caves, and the Higher Mountains.

However, you may not find humans living there as the island is very much isolated and the home for many endemic species. This island is also known as the “jewel of the Arabian sea” because of this rich biodiversity. Some of the endemic species on this island are the dragon’s blood tree, the cucumber tree, and the rare Socotran. You will also find some unique varieties of birds, mammals, and amphibians on this island.

Before the Yemen war, the island was visited by over 1000 tourists each year but now you cannot see the tourism industry prospering on the island. However, you can see some of the flora and fauna on this island and when you look at them you would understand the reason for calling this island the most alien-looking place on Earth.