Socotra Archipelago is a small archipelago of four islands and two rocky islets in the Indian Ocean off the Horn of Africa. It is one of the most isolated landforms on Earth of continental origin earning it the “jewel” of biodiversity in the Arabian sea.

Socotra Archipelago is so isolated that 37 percent of Socotra’s 825 plant species, 90 percent of its reptile species, and 95 percent of its land snail species do not occur anywhere else in the world. The flora of Socotra is rank as among the ten most endangered island flora in the world. The image below is the dragon’s blood tree, an tree that is only found in the Socotra Archipelago.

The Great Barrier Reef is considered the world’s largest coral reef system and is the world’s biggest single structure made by living organisms, the coral polyps. It is so large that it can be seen from outer space.

Located in the Coral Sea, off the coast of Queensland in northeast Australia, the Great Barrier Reef is composed of more than 2,900 individual reefs and 900 islands stretching for 1,600 miles over an area of approximately 133,000 sq miles. The Great Barrier Reef supports a wide diversity of marine life.

Northern and Southern Polar Lights, also known as Aurora Borealis and Aurora Australis respectively, are natural colored lights in the sky during the night in the North and South Polar zones. They are produced by the collision of charged particles from Earth’s magnetosphere.

The aurora borealis most often occurs from September to October and from March to April. The locals call this phenomenon the Dance of the Spirits.