Abd al Kuri
Native name:
عبد الكوري
Photograph by NASA
Geography
Coordinates12°11′8.9″N 52°14′18″E / 12.185806°N 52.23833°E / 12.185806; 52.23833
ArchipelagoSocotra Archipelago[1]
Area133 km2 (51 sq mi)
Length36 km (22.4 mi)
Width5 km (3.1 mi)
Highest pointMount Ṣāliḥ[2]
Administration
Yemen
GovernorateSocotra Governorate[3]
Capital cityKilmia
Demographics
Population450[1]
Pop. density3.38/km2 (8.75/sq mi)

Abd al Kuri (Arabic: عبد الكوري) is a rocky island in the Guardafui Channel.[4] As a part of the Socotra Archipelago[2] of the Socotra Governorate of Yemen,[3] it lies about 65 miles (105 km) southwest of the island of Socotra.[2] It consists of granite and diorite covered by limestone.[5]

Geography

Much of Abd al Kuri is semi-desert with little vegetation.[2] Two ranges of hills separated near the centre occupy the entire length of the island.[6] The northern coast consists mostly of a sandy beach with a few rocky points, while the southern coast consists of steep cliffs.[6][7] Its highest point, Mount Ṣāliḥ, reaches an altitude of over 700 metres (2,300 feet). Most of its inhabitants subsist on fishing.[2] Kilmia is the main village.[8]

Flora and fauna

Abd al Kuri has a number of endemic plant species[2] and an endemic bird, the Abd al-Kuri sparrow with estimated population of fewer than 1,000.[9][10][11] The island has been recognised as an Important Bird Area (IBA) by BirdLife International for the presence of the endemic sparrow as well as for colonies of red-billed tropicbirds and Persian shearwaters.[12]

Two species of lizards which are native to Abd al Kuri, Mesalina kuri and Pristurus abdelkuri, are named for the island.[13][14][15]

History

Thomas Fellowes was sent on HMS Briton 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.[16]

Map

Topographic map of Socotra archipelago; Abd al-Kuri at bottom left

See also

References

  1. 1 2 Socotra Governance & Biodiversity Project - "Welcome to Socotra" Archived 22 May 2018 at the Wayback Machine 10 June 2011.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "ʿAbd al-Kūrī." Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica Online. Encyclopædia Britannica, 2011. Web. 6 October 2011.
  3. 1 2 GeoNames National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency. Retrieved 3 December 2011.
  4. ↑ Steele, John. Ocean Currents: A Derivative of the Encyclopedia of Ocean Sciences. p. 160.
  5. ↑ Schürmann (1974) pp. 24.
  6. 1 2 Nautical magazine (1878) pp. 809.
  7. ↑ National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (2007) pp. 180.
  8. ↑ Abd al Kuri Island
  9. ↑ Abd al Kuri Sparrow Passer hemileucus
  10. ↑ 2010. "Passer hemileucus " In: IUCN 2011. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2011.1. Archived 23 September 2011 at the Wayback Machine Downloaded on 6 October 2011.
  11. ↑ Redman; Fanshawe; Stevenson (2009) pp. 412.
  12. ↑ "Abd al-Kuri (Socotra)". BirdLife Data Zone. BirdLife International. 2021. Retrieved 21 January 2021.
  13. ↑ Beolens, Bo; Watkins, Michael; Grayson, Michael (2011). The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. xiii + 296 pp. ISBN 978-1-4214-0135-5. ("Abd el Kuri", p. 1; "Kur", p. 148).
  14. ↑ "Mesalina kuri ". The Reptile Database. www.reptile-database.org.
  15. ↑ "Pristurus abdelkuri ". The Reptile Database. www.reptile-database.org.
  16. ↑ Symposium, Colston Research Society (1974). Foreign Relations of African States: Proceedings of the Twentyfifth Symposium of the Colston Research Society Held in the University of Bristol, April 4th to 7th, 1973. Butterworths. p. 104. ISBN 978-0-408-70623-0.

Bibliography

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