Samhah or Samha ( ar, سمحة) is an inhabited island in the
Guardafui Channel
The Guardafui Channel ( so, Marinka Gardafuul) is an oceanic strait off the tip of the Horn of Africa that lies between the Puntland region of Somalia and Socotra to the west of the Arabian Sea. It connects the Gulf of Aden to the north with the ...
. A part of the
Socotra
Socotra or Soqotra (; ar, سُقُطْرَىٰ ; so, Suqadara) is an island of the Republic of Yemen in the Indian Ocean, under the ''de facto'' control of the UAE-backed Southern Transitional Council, a secessionist participant in Yemen ...
archipelago, it is located between the island of Socotra and
Somalia
Somalia, , Osmanya script: 𐒈𐒝𐒑𐒛𐒐𐒘𐒕𐒖; ar, الصومال, aṣ-Ṣūmāl officially the Federal Republic of SomaliaThe ''Federal Republic of Somalia'' is the country's name per Article 1 of thProvisional Constituti ...
.
Like the whole group, it belongs to
Yemen
Yemen (; ar, ٱلْيَمَن, al-Yaman), officially the Republic of Yemen,, ) is a country in Western Asia. It is situated on the southern end of the Arabian Peninsula, and borders Saudi Arabia to the north and Oman to the northeast and s ...
and is part of
Socotra Governorate
The Socotra Archipelago ( ar, أرخبيل سقطرى ') or Suqutra is officially one of the governorates of Yemen. It is composed of the Guardafui Channel's archipelago of Socotra.
History
Since before British rule, Socotra had been pa ...
. There is a dispute between Yemen and Somalia's government over the island's sovereignty.
Statistics
It measures in area, making it the smallest of the three inhabited islands of the group, after the main island of Socotra and
Abd al Kuri. The population of some 100 lives in a village on the western part of the north coast. Samhah and neighboring
Darsah ( to the east) are collectively known as "Al Akhawain" ( ar, الأخوين) which means "The Brothers".
The island of Samhah measures in length and in width.
Important Bird Area
The island of Samhah (along with neighbouring Darsa) has been recognised as an
Important Bird Area
An Important Bird and Biodiversity Area (IBA) is an area identified using an internationally agreed set of criteria as being globally important for the conservation of bird populations.
IBA was developed and sites are identified by BirdLife Inte ...
(IBA) by
BirdLife International
BirdLife International is a global partnership of non-governmental organizations that strives to conserve birds and their habitats. BirdLife International's priorities include preventing extinction of bird species, identifying and safeguarding ...
because it supports breeding
Jouanin's petrels.
[ ]
References
Socotra archipelago
Important Bird Areas of Socotra
Islands of Somalia
Disputed islands
Territorial disputes of Yemen
Territorial disputes of Somalia
Seabird colonies
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