The Socotra archipelago is an isolated island chain in the Indian Ocean. One-third of the flora on Socotra grows nowhere else on the planet, including these curious dragon's blood trees (Dracaena cinnabari).

In 1856, seabird guano was an in-demand fertilizer, so the the United States Congress passed The Guano Islands Act. This legislation was a precursor to American imperialism, as it allowed citizens to claim bird-crap-covered islands in the USA's name.

Photographer Christian Houge's Arctic Technology series offers a look at large-scale scientific installations on the Norwegian island of Svalbard.