Indonesia's geospatial agency identifies 63 new islands in 2024

Jakarta (ANTARA) - Indonesia's Geospatial Information Agency (BIG) confirmed the identification of 63 new islands throughout the Indonesian archipelago following the most recent research this year.

With the discovery, Indonesia currently has 17,380 islands with names and coordinates recognized as of 2024, BIG Chairperson Muh. Aris Marfai stated.

Speaking to the press at the ANTARA Heritage Center building here on Thursday, Marfai remarked that the 63 new islands were spread across the waters of Bangka Belitung, Southeast Sulawesi, North Maluku, and West Kalimantan.

Marfai pointed out that due to the isolated location, the 63 islands were undetected until their discovery during the most recent field research conducted by researchers from BIG, government ministries, and local authorities using technologies such as light detection and ranging (Lidar) and satellite imaging.

Marfai stated that the newly detected islands satisfied the four criteria of small islands mandated by national and government regulations on spatial planning and implementation.

The four criteria for small islands are having a maximum land area of two thousand square meters, naturally formed and not resulting from artificial reclamation, surrounded by waters, and remaining above the highest tide level.

He stated that the discovery of new islands marks a new achievement for Indonesia's geospatial data management, which is beneficial in optimizing natural resources for the people's interests and avoiding territorial claims by external parties.

"As it has been a significant progress for Indonesia, we expect all parties, including the people, the government, and the academic community, to refer to the official data provided by BIG," Marfai remarked.

According to the Geospatial Information Agency's historical data, Indonesia has 17,374 islands officially recorded in 2023, 17,024 in 2022, and 16,771 in 2020.

The agency directorate also conducted updates and evaluations of the existing islands' list last November, which saw several islands reclassified and rectified misidentification to earlier findings before finalizing the number of Indonesian islands to 17,380 in 2024.