Govt to give names to 9,000 islets

Govt to give names to 9,000 islets

JAKARTA: The government is expected to name some 9,000 islets
across the archipelago before submitting them to the United
Nations in 2009, in a bid to affirm the country's sovereignty.

Minister of Maritime and Fisheries Freddy Numberi said on
Friday that the government will name the islets according to
local suggestions.

"We'll discuss it during a meeting next month," he said,
referring to a meeting of the Indonesian Maritime Council.

There are about 14,000 islands in Indonesia, most of which
have no name and are not inhabited. --JP