With reference to Socotra Island, which of the following statement/s is/are correct ?
1. It is an Island of Oman, situated in the Arabian Sea.
2. It was designated as a world natural heritage site by

Question

With reference to Socotra Island, which of the following statement/s is/are correct ?
1. It is an Island of Oman, situated in the Arabian Sea.
2. It was designated as a world natural heritage site by UNESCO in 2008.
Select the correct answer using the codes given below.
Codes :

UnlockIAS · Accepted Answer

Correct — B, Only 2. Statement 2 is true: the Socotra Archipelago was inscribed by UNESCO as a World Natural Heritage Site in 2008, recognised for its exceptional biodiversity and high level of endemism. Statement 1 is false in one crucial detail: Socotra lies in the Arabian Sea (near the mouth of the Gulf of Aden), but it belongs to YEMEN, not Oman. Because the 'Oman' claim is wrong while the UNESCO-2008 claim is right, only statement 2 is correct — option (b).

Why the other options are wrong — (a) Wrong — statement 1 misstates the owning country. Socotra is an island of Yemen, not Oman, so statement 1 is false (while statement 2 is in fact true).  (c) Wrong — statement 2 is correct, but statement 1 wrongly assigns the island to Oman; Socotra belongs to Yemen.  (d) Wrong — statement 2 is correct: UNESCO designated Socotra a World Natural Heritage Site in 2008.

Concept: The Socotra Archipelago is a group of four islands in the northwestern Indian Ocean, lying in the Arabian Sea near the mouth of the Gulf of Aden, roughly between the Horn of Africa and the Arabian Peninsula. Politically it is part of YEMEN. Its long isolation has produced remarkable endemic flora and fauna — most famously the umbrella-shaped Dragon's Blood Tree (Dracaena cinnabari) — earning it the nickname 'the Galapagos of the Indian Ocean'. UNESCO inscribed it as a World Natural Heritage Site in 2008.

State PCS 2021 Q53 — Geography PYQ with Answer

State PCS 2021 Q53 — Geography PYQ with Answer