Since before British rule, Socotra had been part of the Mahra Sultanate but later it was captured by the British and they made Socotra a part of Bombay Presidency in British India and it remained its part till 1937. In 1937 British made it part of Aden Protectorate. With the independence of South Yemen in 1967, the archipelago was attached to the Aden Governorate, despite its distance. In 2004, it was moved to the Hadhramaut Governorate.[2] Since December 2013, it has been a governorate of its own.[3]
On 30 April 2018, the United Arab Emirates, as a part of the ongoing Yemen Civil War, deployed troops and took administrative control of Socotra Airport and seaport.[4][5] On 14 May 2018, Saudi troops were also deployed on the island and a deal was brokered between the United Arab Emirates and Yemen for a joint military training exercise and the return of administrative control of Socotra's airport and seaport to Yemen.[6][7]
Socotra Governorate is divided into the following 2 districts. These districts are further divided into sub-districts, and then further subdivided into villages:
Hidaybu District (consisting of the eastern two-thirds of Socotra Island)
Qulensya wa Abd al Kuri District (consisting of the western third of Socotra Island, together with Abd al Kuri Island, Samhah Island, and (uninhabited) Darsah Island)
^Mukhashaf, Mohammed; El Yaakoubi, Aziz (21 June 2020). Kasolowsky, Raissa (ed.). "Yemen separatists seize remote Socotra island from Saudi-backed government". Reuters. On Saturday, the STC announced it had seized government facilities and military bases on the main island of Socotra, a sparsely populated archipelago which sits at the mouth of the Gulf of Aden on one of the world's busiest shipping lanes.