Japan discovered that it has 7,273 more islands than it previously thought within national territory, according to CNN.
The Geospatial Information Authority of Japan (GSI) utilized a digital mapping process to find a total of 14,125 islands across the country, according to CNN. The official island count previously stood at 6,852 courtesy of a 1987 Japanese Coast Guard report.
Islands measured by the GSI had a minimum circumference of at least 330 feet, a representation of the same criterion utilized in the 1987 survey. The count does not include any land artificially reclaimed from the sea, CNN reported.
It’s official: Japan’s number of islands has more than doubled after the first recount in 36 years. There are now 14,125 islandshttps://t.co/hM8CihGgPW
— Hanako Montgomery (@HanakoMontgome1) March 1, 2023
The GSI emphasized that the new survey does not expand the total land area under Japanese control, according to CNN. It instead found more islands within Japanese territory.
Japan maintains an array of territorial disputes regarding island claims, CNN reported. The country maintains a claim to the Russian-held Kuril Islands to the north while China disputes a Japanese claim to the Senkaku Islands in the East China Sea.
Japan and South Korea have also historically contested a set of islets in the Sea of Japan, respectively known as Takeshima by Japan and Dokdo by South Korea, according to CNN. (RELATED: Sen. Mike Lee Torches Key World Ally On Senate Floor For ‘Unjustly’ Imprisoning Navy Lieutenant)
The island nation faces a declining birth rate and recently drew international attention after a mysterious, enormous metal sphere washed up near the coastal city of Hamamatsu.