Native name: عبد الكوري | |
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 Photograph byNASA | |
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| Geography | |
| Location | Guardafui Channel |
| Coordinates | 12°11′8.9″N52°14′18″E / 12.185806°N 52.23833°E /12.185806; 52.23833 |
| Archipelago | Socotra Archipelago[1] |
| Area | 133 km2 (51 sq mi) |
| Length | 36 km (22.4 mi) |
| Width | 5 km (3.1 mi) |
| Highest point | Mount Ṣāliḥ[2] |
| Administration | |
| Governorate | Socotra Governorate[3] |
| Capital city | Kilmia |
| Demographics | |
| Population | [1] |
Abd al Kuri (Arabic:عبد الكوري) is a rockyisland in theGuardafui Channel.[4] As a part of theSocotra Archipelago Governorate ofYemen,[3][2] it lies about 65 miles (105 km) southwest of the main island ofSocotra.[2] Its terrain primarily consists ofgranite anddiorite covered withlimestone.[5]
As of 2022, the island's population is unknown, due to reports ofUnited Arab Emirates occupying forces overseeing the expulsion of the island's communities, by gunpoint, in order to establish a UAE military base and airstrip on the landmass.[6]
The terrain of Abd al-Kuri issemi-arid, with little vegetation; annualmonsoons, originating from theIndian Subcontinent, deliver vitalprecipitation each year.[2] Two ranges of large hills, separating near the island's centre, run nearly the entire east-west length of the island.[7] The northern coast consists mostly of sandy beaches with a few rocky outcrops and cliffs, while the southern coast consists of high, steep cliffs.[7][8] The island's highest point, Mount Ṣāliḥ, reaches an altitude of over 700 metres (2,300 feet). The total area of Abd al-Kuri is 133 km2 (51 sq mi). Most of its inhabitants subsist onfishing.[2]Kilmia is the main village.[9]
Abd al-Kuri has a number ofendemicplant species,[2] including thesubshrub speciesRuellia kuriensis andConvolvulus kossmatii.
The island is home to an endemicbird, theAbd al-Kuri sparrow (Passer hemileucus), which has an estimated population of fewer than 1,000 individuals.[10][11][12] The island has been recognised as anImportant Bird Area (IBA), byBirdLife International, for the presence of the endemic sparrow as well as for breedingcolonies of thered-billed tropicbird (Phaethon aethereus),sooty gull (Ichthyaetus hemprichii) andPersian shearwater (Puffinus persicus).[13]
Two species oflizards native to Abd al-Kuri, the Socotran wall lizard (Mesalina kuri) and the Abd al-Kuri rock gecko (Pristurus abdelkuri), are named after the island.[14][15][16] Additionalreptiles present include the Abd al-Kuri skink (Trachylepis cristinae), the sharpnose leaf-toed gecko (Hemidactylus oxyrhinus) and the Socotra leaf-toed gecko (Hemidactylus forbesii).[17]
Thomas Fellowes was sent onHMSBriton in 1872 to Abd al Kuri, alongside Socotra, by British authorities to see if it would be a suitable place to settle liberated slaves. Fellowes decided against it, citing the poor living conditions on both islands.[18]
In late june of 2022, theYemen Press Agency reported on the expulsion and forced evictions at gun point of residents from their villages on the island of Abd Al kuri in the socotra archipelago. The sources added that the recent displacement came after construction work began to build a military base, which is speculated to host joint UAE and Israeli forces stationed in the archipelago.[6]
In the first half of 2024, an airstrip appeared on satellite imagery of the island and an array of stones that can be seen from a satellite stating "I love UAE." The UAE is currently completing the construction and declined to comment on the subject or claim responsibility.[19]
Media related toAbd al Kuri at Wikimedia Commons| Arabian Sea &Guardafui Channel |
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| Geographic | |
