In 2008, stone tools used by early
Homo erectus have been discovered near Hadibu, and suggests possible habitation dating back to more than a million years. While navigation and trade with the islands existed for centuries, the
Indians landed in the islands in the 4th century BCE, before it was captured by the
Greeks. In the 1st century CE, its inhabitants included
Arabs, Indians and
Greeks, and was ruled by the king of
Hadramaut. In 52 CE,
St. Thomas came to the island and converted the islanders to
Christianity. In the later years, the island lost its commercial importance. In the 15th Century, it came under the rule of
Shihr. In 1507 CE, the
Portuguese fleet commanded by
Tristao da Cunha and
Afonso de Albuquerque killed the local Mahri ruler, and established a garrison. In 1511, Portuguese withdraw from Soqotra, and the
British East India Company arrived in Hadibo in April 1608. The British used the island for the next few centuries, using it as a base to seize
Aden in 1839. In 1876, a treaty was signed between Britain and the local Sultan. During the
Second World War, the
allies used it as a base. In 1967, it became part of the independent
South Yemen, before it became part of Yemen Republic in the 1990s. == Geography and demographics ==