Imagine discovering a swag of islands that you previously had no idea existed.
Japan has just "discovered" over 7,000 islands off its extended coastline, Travel Mole reports.
Japan’s Geospatial Information Authority recently completed a comprehensive mapping of its territory for the first time since 1987.
Japan’s total of what was 6,852 islands then is now 14,125 islands - thanks to advances in surveying technology.
There is no globally recognised formula for what constitutes an island and Japan has claims on several small island chains which are disputed.
It has disagreements with Russia, South Korea and China, with some dating back many decades.
The new survey entailed counting all naturally occurring land areas with a circumference of at least 100 metres.
Nagasaki and Kagoshima prefectures in south-western Japan had 1,479 and 1,256 islands, respectively, while 1,473 were listed in Hokkaido, northern Japan, news agency Kyodo reported.
Image: Islands of Kukikushima, Nagasaki
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