Japan unexpectedly found 7,000 islands that it didn’t know existed
Japan listed its own islands, and it turned out that there are 7,000 more than previously thought, writes CNN .
Digital mapping conducted recently by Japan’s Geospatial Information Authority (GSI) revealed that Japan has 14,125 islands, more than double the figure of 6,852 that has been officially used by the government since 1987, following a report by the Japan Coast Guard.
A GSI representative emphasized that the new figure reflects advances in geodetic technology and map detail used for the count. That is, the area of the territory of Japan did not change after the change in the number of islands.
According to a GSI representative, although there is no international agreement on how islands should be counted, they used the same size criteria as in previous studies 35 years ago. It is about counting all natural areas of land with a circumference of at least 100 meters. The new number of 14,125 islands does not include any man-made islands.