Yemen
Satellite: Sentinel-2 cloudless 2016 by EOX (CC BY 4.0). Outline and points © OpenStreetMap contributors / Natural Earth. North up.
In numbers
39.5km²
Area
43km
Coastline
426m
Highest point
171
People
29°C
Warmest sea
May
187km
To the mainland
When to go to Samhah
Best for the beach from January to March, in June and in September.
The sea is warmest in May (29 °C) and coolest in August (24 °C). You can swim comfortably all year (21 °C or more).
Averages 1991–2020. Sea: NOAA OISST, the water within 35 km of the coast. Air, rain and sun: NASA POWER. Best months weigh warm afternoons (23–30 °C), sea of 24 °C or more and few wet days.
Island in Yemen
Samhah is an island in Yemen. It belongs to Socotra Archipelago. It covers 39.5 km², with 43 km of coastline. Its highest point rises to 426 m. About 171 people live on it. The nearest mainland is 187 km away. It is part of a UNESCO World Heritage site.
Getting there
- Socotra Airport (SCT)nearest airport with scheduled flights · 107 km in a straight line
- 187 km from the mainlanddistance to the nearest continental coast
- From January to March, June and Septemberbest months to go (from 30 years of averages)
Plan the trip
Ferries, stays and things to do
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On the island
What you find on Samhah.
- 1beaches
Counted in OpenStreetMap, the map anyone can edit, inside the island's outline. A low number may only mean nobody has mapped it yet.
The shape of the land.
On average the island stands 286 m above the sea. 48 % of it is below 200 m.
- 16 %0–50 m
- 32 %50–200 m
- 25 %200–500 m
- 27 %500–1,000 m
Share of the island's area in each altitude band, from the Copernicus DEM (30 m, read at 30–240 m on large islands).
Size, for real
Next to islands you may know.
10 km
All outlines drawn to the same scale (Natural Earth and OpenStreetMap).
Month by month
The weather on the island.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Afternoon high (°C) | 26 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 26 | 25 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 27 |
| Night low (°C) | 24 | 24 | 26 | 28 | 28 | 26 | 25 | 25 | 25 | 26 | 26 | 26 |
| Sea (°C) | 26 | 26 | 27 | 29 | 29 | 27 | 25 | 24 | 25 | 27 | 27 | 26 |
| Rain (mm) | 6 | 2 | 4 | 5 | 19 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 3 | 13 | 19 | 12 |
| Wet days | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 3 |
| Sun h/day | 8.3 | 9.5 | 10.1 | 10.3 | 9.2 | 8.2 | 7.9 | 8.3 | 8.0 | 8.8 | 8.2 | 7.9 |
| Wind (km/h) | 21 | 17 | 14 | 13 | 22 | 39 | 47 | 43 | 31 | 14 | 18 | 24 |
Averages 1991–2020 for the ~55 km NASA POWER cell over the island; the sea from NOAA OISST.
Recent years
Warmer and cooler years at sea.
Each month's sea temperature compared with its 1991–2020 average, in degrees.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | +0.7 | ±0.0 | +0.3 | +0.3 | +0.2 | +0.6 | +1.2 | +0.5 | +0.4 | +0.2 | +0.3 | +0.2 |
| 2021 | −0.5 | +0.1 | +0.3 | +0.3 | ±0.0 | −1.0 | +0.5 | +1.1 | +1.2 | ±0.0 | ±0.0 | −0.1 |
| 2022 | +0.3 | ±0.0 | −0.1 | −0.1 | −0.1 | −0.1 | −0.8 | −0.2 | −0.6 | −0.4 | +0.2 | +0.3 |
| 2023 | ±0.0 | +0.3 | +0.3 | +0.6 | +0.6 | +0.8 | −0.1 | +1.4 | +1.6 | +1.2 | +0.9 | +0.5 |
| 2024 | +0.9 | +1.8 | +1.4 | +0.9 | +1.0 | +0.2 | +1.2 | +1.5 | −0.2 | −0.3 | +0.2 | −0.1 |
| 2025 | −0.9 | −0.1 | +0.4 | +0.3 | ±0.0 | −0.4 | −1.4 | ±0.0 | −0.7 | −0.6 | −0.8 | −0.3 |
+1 warmer than usual −1 cooler than usual
Nearby
More islands nearby.
About these numbers
| Names, area, population | Wikidata (Q1807728) · CC0 |
|---|---|
| Outline | © OpenStreetMap contributors · ODbL |
| Sea temperature | NOAA OISST v2.1 · 1991–2020 |
| Climate | NASA POWER · 1991–2020 |
| Relief, 3D model | Copernicus DEM GLO-30 · © DLR e.V., © Airbus Defence and Space GmbH, Copernicus/ESA |
| Beaches, ports, lighthouses, trails | © OpenStreetMap contributors · ODbL |
| Towns | GeoNames · CC BY 4.0 |
| Images | EOX Sentinel-2 cloudless 2016 · CC BY 4.0; Wikimedia Commons |
Every figure is an average, an estimate or a count from a public dataset. Licences and methods: data sources.
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