Throughout PopFi’s history, we’ve discussed a lot of unusual places, both past and future, and odd creatures, but we’ve never discussed something as crazy as Socotra, an island located somewhere between the Horn of Africa and the Arabian Peninsula.  Due to its isolated island location and harsh climate, Socotra is home to more than 800 species of plant and animal, over a third of which are found only on the four tiny islands and little rocky outcroppings that form the archipelago.  Check out the full image gallery at Dark Roasted Blend.Here are some facts about the main island, Socotra.  The capital city, Hadiboh, has a population of 8,545 as of the 2004 census.  The island just got its first two roads in 2006.  There is no electricity in the capital city between 5 AM and 9 AM local time.  Before the airport opened in July 1999, the island was isolated from June until September during monsoon season, and now there are only weekly flights back to the island’s governing country, Yemen.As a UNESCO World Heritage Site, Socotra is one of the world’s premier destinations for ecotourism, and a glimse back into Earth’s distant past, as some of the plant and animal species on the island have survived unchanged for over 20 million years.  This is one of the freakiest, most beautiful places on earth.  I’d love to visit there for a week!

Tags: Socotra Island, Socotra, weird places, nature, unusual animals, Earth, world heritage sites, UNESCO sites, rare plants, Yemen

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