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