Indonesia: Survey shows country is bigger than originally thought
Indonesia, the nation made up of thousands of islands, has discovered that it has 584 more islands than it originally thought.
The country’s authorities took satellite pictures of all areas of land that measured more than 30 square metres – and discovered that there were in fact some 18,108 islands within the nation’s borders.
But, the BBC online news service points out, many of the islands could only be there on a “part-time” basis, according to the rising and falling tide.
However, even the smallest islands are surrounded with coral, which is a major draw when it comes to attracting tourists – an important factor in days when Indonesia is desperate to attract as many foreign visitors as possible following the Bali bombing last October.
Authorities are hoping the “discovery” of the new coral will attract more scuba-diving enthusiasts in years to come. To read the full article visit http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/2784461.stm.
