List of islands of Indonesia
The exact number of islands comprising Indonesia varies among definitions and sources. According to a geospatial survey conducted between 2007 and 2010 by Badan Koordinasi Survei dan Pemetaan Nasional (Bakorsurtanal), the National Coordinating Agency for Survey and Mapping, Indonesia has 13,466 islands. However, according to earlier survey in 2002 by National Institute of Aeronautics and Space (LAPAN), the Indonesian archipelago has 18,307 islands, and according to the CIA "World Factbook", there are 17,508 islands. The discrepancy of the numbers of Indonesian islands was because that the earlier surveys include "tidal islands"; sandy cays and rocky reefs that appear during low tide and are submerged during high tide. According to estimates made by the government of Indonesia 8,844 islands have been named, with 922 of those permanently inhabited.The following islands are listed by province:
"199 islands"
List of beaches in Indonesia
Indonesia is located in a region of abundant coral reefs known as the Coral Triangle as well as being the country with the most volcanoes in the world. Some beaches are derived from fluvial sands and gravels, others from cliff erosion. Coral reefs form white or yellow sanded beaches, while beach sediments derived from volcanic rocks are typically black or grey, such as those of northern Bali and southern Java. In the granitic zone of the Riau, Bangka and Belitung Islands, white quartz sands as well as granite boulders dominate. Sandy backshores are colonized by coastal vegetation, notably "Ipomoea pes-caprae" and "Spinifex littoreus", then coconut and casuarina trees. Coastal dunes are poorly developed in the humid tropics, but on the southern shores of Java and Sumatra, prograded beaches are backed by dunes, some of which carry woodland vegetation. Large deposits of lava and ash from volcanic eruptions may transport large quantities of pyroclastic sediment down to the coast, such as at Mount Merapi in southern Java and Mount Agung in Bali. The area within the Coral Triangle is associated with rich marine biodiversity. Beaches in the area, such as those that are important turtle nesting beaches, are protected by the government.