Tag: Number

India received highest number of UK student visas in 2022: Envoy

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New Delhi: The UK issued a total of 2,836,490 visas in 2022, out of which 25 per cent went to India, the highest number issued to any country, British High Commissioner to India Alex Ellis said on Tuesday.
Indian nationals received the highest number of student visas which went up by 73 per cent from 2021. India was also issued 30 per cent of visit visas, which is the largest share compared to any other country, Ellis said, adding that the work visas increased by 130 per cent in the year 2022.
Nearly a quarter of all international students in Britain are from India, and Indian investment into the UK supports 95,000 jobs across the UK.
The UK Immigration Statistics, published in August 2022, showed that nearly 118,000 Indian students received a student visa in the year ending June 2022 — an 89 per cent increase from the previous year.
India has overtaken China as the largest nationality being issued sponsored Study visas in the UK.
The announcement came even as India and Britain opened their visa application process for students to apply for the new Young Professionals Scheme (YPS) under the India-UK Migration and Mobility partnership.
Launched last month, the scheme allows Indian citizens between 18 and 30 years old to live and work in the UK for up to two years.
Announcing the scheme’s opening on Tuesday, Indian High Commissioner to the UK Vikram Doraiswami said: “Under the Young Professionals Scheme, announced about a month ago, young citizens of India and the UK can visit each other for up to two years at a time.”

“I am pleased to be able to tell you that the scheme goes live from February 28. We will be launching this simultaneously in Delhi and in London, respectively for Indians to come to the UK and British citizens to go to India,” he added.
The UK government announced that 2,400 visas will be made available to eligible Indians under the scheme for which the last date of application is set on March 2 at 2:29 pm (IST).
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( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

February 28, 2023
WC skiing | Statistics reveal stark numbers – the number of junior skiers in Finland has collapsed

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Finnish Cross-country medal production has been on the shoulders of a few athletes, and the situation is not getting any better.
The number of juniors skiing in races has literally collapsed in 20 years. While in 2002 nearly 9,000 juniors claimed a ski pass or a competition license, last year there were only 3,000 who acquired a license and a ski pass.
The number of juniors skiing the race has decreased fairly steadily from year to year, although the gap caused by the corona epidemic has now been bridged.
The decrease in the number of juniors means that future top athletes are also being screened from an even smaller group.
Has the group of young competitive skiers already shrunk too small?
Are there enough top individuals left in skiing who can grow into new Olympic winners and world champions?
“
“The number of junior athletes is never large enough.”
The ski association managing director Ismo Hämäläinen admit that the situation could be better.
To the question whether the number of junior skiers is already too small from the point of view of elite sports, Hämäläinen gives a round answer.

“The number of junior athletes is never large enough.”
Hämäläinen is a long-time professional coach. He has coached, among other things, Finnish and German cross country teams and worked Aino-Kaisa Saarinen as a personal trainer.
According to Hämäläinen, the big challenge facing Finnish society is whether young people choose the path of movement or immobility. Too many fall for the latter.
“I’m not in favor of competition between sports, but I hope for versatile physical activity, from which talents can be screened.”
However, skiing is not necessarily first or even third on the list when sporty young people choose their own sports. For example, there are many potential young people playing in the rings of Liiga clubs, who could also have become top skiers.
The matter is well known in the ski association.
“The numbers are decreasing and we have thought about what factors affect it. Now, during the snowy winters, the interest in skiing is good, but juniors should also be attracted to clubs, thereby competitive activities, and maybe someone can also be guided on the path of a top athlete.”
In the public domain, the Ski Federation is profiled as a top sports organization, but the future peaks will still grow in clubs.
“We have around 500 clubs, but too few strong clubs that support the whole.”
Hämäläinen admits that the clubs have been left too alone.
“It is a clear target for development.”
We will try to support the clubs better in the future, even if there is not too much money to share.
“We should get more parents involved in club activities and get attached in such a way that an adult stays in the club, even if the child stops skiing. Any sport is good for a young person, but of course we hope that Snow Sports would be of interest.”
Ski Association CEO Ismo Hämäläinen. Picture: Samuli Ikäheimo / Magazine photo
The number of junior skiers has decreased in other Nordic countries as well. In Norway, however, the starting level is so exceptional that the reduced number of enthusiasts is irrelevant.
“When four clubs organize an event at Oslo’s Kollen, there are 2,000 juniors there.”
In Finland, we have to follow with envy the medal celebrations of the neighboring countries at the World Championships in Planica.
Hämäläinen is not too worried about Finland’s slow success. He admits that it is somewhat below expectations when the results are compared to the World Cup.
“The competition gives a picture of how the whole operation works. Are the tops great and the flops tolerable.”
Now that’s not necessarily the case. Sweden has also run away for a long time.
“
“The figures are the largest in the history of EHS.”
Model Skiers can apply for development work, for example, from the Espoo Ski Association, which runs upstream in junior activities.
EHS currently has more than a hundred juniors in its training groups. On top of this, there are 60 ski school students.
“The figures are the largest in the history of EHS”, the president of the club Patrik Ehrnrooth says.
For the past five years, EHS has been Finland’s best junior club in skiing and now also the number one in the entire club classification.
Ehrnrooth says that the basis of success is “the productization of junior activities”.
The club started building the model with the current head coach of the national ski team Teemu Pasanen in charge ten years ago.
Pasanen worked at EHS, among other things, as a salaried employee and head of a ski school before moving to the Ski Federation.
Marjo Matikainen, a member of the Espoo Ski Club, won, among other things, Olympic gold and three World Championship golds in her career. Picture: Pentti Nissinen
According to Ehrnrooth, the club is now able to offer high-quality coaching, and it is not dependent on one person.
There are a total of seven different coaching groups, five of which are aimed at young people. When joining the club, the junior knows exactly what kind of coaching he will receive and what the activities include. This is not self-evident in all clubs.
With clear group work, EHS has succeeded in tackling, among other things, the teenage drop out phenomenon.
“We’ve had big groups in the youth before, but they started to get smaller in the 15-year-olds. Now we got three relay medals from four races at the Junior Championship. That also shows that we offer high-quality coaching and the team will continue for longer.”
“
“Only one Marjo Matikainen has come here. There could be more of them.”
EHS’s activities have proven to be of such high quality that it has attracted skiers from other clubs in the surrounding area.
“Unfortunately, it has impoverished other clubs. Although skiing is an individual sport, young people want a sense of community,” Ehrnrooth sums up.
EHS has also managed to attract good coaches. Among others, there is a former national team skier Laura Mononen and also skied in the World Cup Maija Hakala.
“I believe that our girls are excited that their role models and not just enthusiastic parents are coaching them. This is where the Norwegian model is realized. There, many national team athletes pay back their sport in this way.”
Ehrnrooth admits that the decrease in the number of junior skiers may soon be reflected in the national team. So far, there have been enough talented individuals for top skiing, but a critical limit may be reached.
The majority of national team athletes come from smaller towns, but the biggest ski clubs are located in growth centers such as the capital region, Jyväskylä and Tampere.
There is a big contradiction here.
“Only one Marjo Matikainen has come here. There could be more of them.”
Read more: The World Cup threatens to become a classless bet – one thing unites Finland’s worst games
Read more: Kerttu Niskanen got tired of taking exams: “You can ask questions about other things too”
Read more: Krista Pärmäkoski sleeps so soundly that she doesn’t even wake up to the fire alarm – “You have to come get me”
Read more: Finland was humiliated on the World Cup track – responsible coach: “We’re not really bad at sprinting”
Read more: The World Cup threatens to become a classless bet – one thing unites Finland’s worst games
Read more: The Finns have messed up on the World Cup tracks while working – this is how the coach responds to criticism
Read more: Arsi Ruuskanen crashed violently into a fence at a speed of 50 kilometers per hour – this is how the dangerous run out happened
IIvo Niskas has Olympic gold from three different competitions. Picture: Rio Gandara / HS
#skiing #Statistics #reveal #stark #numbers #number #junior #skiers #Finland #collapsed
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( With inputs from : pledgetimes.com )

February 28, 2023
Animals | The Guardian: A record number of dead dolphins washed up on French shores

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According to those who campaign for animals, the time for dolphin populations is coming to an end. The French government has been called on to ban fishing in areas where animals are at risk.
A record number dead dolphins have recently washed up on the shores of the Atlantic in France, writes a British newspaper The Guardian.
Animal activists believe that this is only a fraction of the injuries and deaths of dolphins caused by fishing vessels.
According to researchers at Pelagis, a marine mammal and bird observatory connected to the University of La Rochelle, entanglement in fishing gear is the main cause of death for dolphins, writes The Guardian.
Researchers recorded 370 dead dolphins in the Bay of Biscay between December 1 and January 25.
Last year, 669 dolphins were found on French beaches. Most of them were found between mid-December and early April.
Marine conservation organization Sea Shepherd France has also reported on a case where a dolphin washed up on a French beach had been mutilated.
The leader of the organization Lamya Essemlal according to the number of dolphins washed ashore is only the tip of the iceberg. According to the organization, the actual mortality of dolphins on the west coast of France could be up to 11,000 of the dolphin population, which is estimated at 180,000-200,000 individuals.

“The majority of captured and released dolphins drown in the sea and their bodies sink,” he said, according to The Guardian.
As a solution to the problem, it has been proposed, among other things, to allow fishing only in certain areas at certain times. The French government has also been called on to suspend certain non-selective fishing practices.
#Animals #Guardian #record #number #dead #dolphins #washed #French #shores
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( With inputs from : pledgetimes.com )

February 28, 2023
Saudi Arabia: No limit on number of times pilgrims can perform Umrah

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Riyadh: The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) said there is no maximum or minimum limit on the number of times for a piligrim to perform Umrah in the kingdom, local media reported.
“However, it is mandatory to comply with the directive to take an appointment for the specific time for performing the pilgrimage,” the Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Haj and Umrah said while replying to queries.
The ministry stressed the importance of adhering to guidelines for making an appointment to perform the pilgrimage.
The ministry said that whoever arrived in the Kingdom on a visit, tourist or work visa can perform Umrah.
The pilgrim can also change the means of transportation he used for his arrival while leaving the kingdom.
In January 2023, Saudi Arabia launched a stopover transit visa that allows the holder to perform Umrah, visit the Prophet’s Mosque, and attend various events across the kingdom. The four-day transit visa is valid for 90 days.
In recent months, Saudi Arabia has unveiled a range of facilities for Muslims wishing to come to the country to perform the Umrah.
Umrah is an Islamic pilgrimage to Makkah for Muslims, which can be performed at any time of the year. It consists of performing rituals in the Masjid Al Haram. In other words, one performs Umrah to rid the soul of past sins.

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( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

February 27, 2023
Atp Santiago, Musetti seeded number 1: victory of the tournament at 7.50

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After premature exits in Buenos Aires and Rio de Janeiro, Lorenzo will be the No. 1 seed in Chile
Musetti, take a hit. The away match on clay in South America so far has gone badly: defeat in the second round in Buenos Aires, even in the first round in Rio de Janeiro. In both tournaments, Lorenzo was the number 3 seed: more was expected of him. He also expected it himself, who chose red to bring home points and instead, until now, has remained empty-handed. The last attempt will be in Santiago, to then go to Indian Wells for the first Masters 1000 of the season: Musetti seeks redemption in Chile.
Can Musetti win in Santiago?
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Simone Tartarini’s pupil will be the No. 1 seed in Santiago and the only player in the top 30 in the world. He will have all the pressure on him and he will have to be good at managing it: not obvious. On the one hand we must therefore consider the non-performance in the last two tournaments (and in general a complicated start to the season), on the other hand the fact that clay is Musetti’s favorite surface anyway. On clay he won the first tournament of his career, last year in Hamburg against Carlos Alcaraz. If he’s fine, he can express his best. For several betting sites he is the main favorite to win the final: the odds are 7.50 for Better and Sisal, but also 6.00 for Betfair.
The main rivals
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But Musetti does not detach the others in the ranking before the start of the tournament. Also because, net of the standings, Lorenzo’s main opponents will be specialists on clay. The first seeds after Lorenzo will be Argentine players who grew up in these conditions: Francisco Cerundolo, Sebastian Baez and Diego Schwartzman. Watch out for Baez, according to what the bookmakers tell us: the victory of the tournament is given at 7.50 by Sisal, 6.50 by Better (lower than that of Musetti) and Betfair. The podium of the favorites is completed by Nicolas Jarry, who beat Musetti in Rio and reached the semifinals (ko with Alcaraz): his victory is given at 7.50 by Better, Betfair and Sisal. While there are few chances, according to the bookies, for Fabio Fognini: 31.00 for Better, 25.00 for Sisal, 23.00 for Betfair.
February 27 – 1:51 pm
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( With inputs from : pledgetimes.com )

February 27, 2023
Djokovic in the legend: he surpasses the Graf, 378 weeks as number 1

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Seven years as first in the standings for the Serbian who also leaves the German behind: he is the player who has been in the lead for the longest time
And in the end the unbeatable Steffi Graf was beaten. It seemed unimaginable a few years ago that anyone could even come close to the incredible 377 weeks as world number one of “Our Lady of the Straight”, and it took another alien, Novak Djokovic, to break such a record. From today, Monday 27 February, the Serbian is in fact the human being with the most weeks at the top of the ranking, whether it is ATP or WTA, a good 378. Seven years up there, number one of the number ones, where no one had ever reached.
The new challenge
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For those who live on goals like this, for those who feed on this food, like Djokovic, this is a goal that will give further fuel to their inexhaustible tank. This isn’t just the latest record broken, and it won’t be the last either. That of the slams, 22, so far only equaled, in company with Rafael Nadal, the next goal, perhaps the most ambitious one. But the list is already long. Very long. Seven times Nole has finished the season number one in the world, more than Federer and Sampras, and is the oldest to do so (34 years and 7 months), and has been at the top of the rankings for at least one week in 12 years. In Grand Slams, at the age of 20 years and 250 days, he was the youngest tennis player to reach the semifinals of each of the four tournaments. No one has played more slam finals than him, 33. He is the player who has won the most consecutive matches in the big four, 30, and he is the only tennis player in history to have reached the quarterfinals at Roland Garros for 13 consecutive years. No one has won more slam titles on hard courts (13), the only one to have won a slam seven times (Australia, 10, and Wimbledon, 7), and he is the tennis player who has participated in the most slam tournaments as a No. 1 seed (30). Even in his 1000m his records are monstrous. Djokovic is the only player in history to have won all 9 tournaments in the category, and is in first place all-time by number of successes (38), ahead of Nadal and Federer, with the record for finals played (56).
How many records
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Holds all-time record for most consecutive wins (31) in Masters 1000 tournaments and is the player with the best winning percentage in Masters Series/ATP Tour Masters 1000 tournament history over a year 96.875% (2011) with 31 games won and only one defeat. He has won the ATP Finals 6 times (tied with Roger Federer), but Djokovic is the only tennis player in history to have won the year-end Masters for four consecutive years (2012, 2013, 2014 and 2015). He leads the Open Era all-time in winning percentage (83.51 with 1043 wins and 206 losses), ahead of Nadal (82.98). Finally, he is the tennis player who has earned the most in the history of tennis with prize money, ahead of Nadal (second) and Federer (third), with almost 167 million euros earned in his career. A cannibal resume, and few times in history there has been one, in any sport, like Novak Djokovic. And he’s still hungry. Very hungry.
February 27, 2023 (change February 27, 2023 | 07:22)
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( With inputs from : pledgetimes.com )

February 27, 2023
Census to enumerate total number of vultures in South India

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Chennai: The vulture census, which is being conducted jointly in Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Karnataka, will give an exact number of the vultures in South India.
The census is being conducted by 30 teams with five members in each team consisting of two from the forest department, two students pursuing wildlife biology, and one volunteer.
The modus operandi of the census is to climb atop the hills in the South Indian states and conduct an exact study of the vultures that are flying across. The hills are selected for the census as they would give a clear view of the plains that will help enumerate the numbers of vultures as well as the different species prevalent.
The team, according to Tamil Nadu forest department officials, has identified red-headed, long-billed, and white-rumped vultures in addition to Egyptian vultures.
A researcher, while speaking to IANS, said that the number of vultures in Kerala and Karnataka are lower when compared to Tamil Nadu as per a research paper presented during a national seminar in Ooty in 2018.
The study also revealed that the vultures have shifted their nesting locations into deeper forest areas in Madumalai Tiger Reserve (MTR) but the number of nesting places have not come down in any significant manner.
Shivakumar, a volunteer at MTR, while speaking to IANS, said, “We found that the vultures have shifted their nesting place from Siriyur to Gudalpatti but there is no fall in the numbers, it seems.”
The Tamil Nadu forest department which is coordinating the survey will be announcing the results in three weeks.

The forest department is also planning to conduct an awareness programme for farmers across the state to make them aware of the ill use of certain veterinary drugs to domestic animals including cows, goats, and dogs as the vultures that eat the carcasses of these domestic animals would face serious health consequences.
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( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

February 26, 2023
Pakistan to cut number of missions abroad under austerity measures

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Islamabad: Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has issued instructions to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to slash down a number of foreign missions abroad and reduce their offices, staff, and other measures to cut down expenditures by 15 per cent.
“The Prime Minister is pleased to direct that a well-considered proposal/plan in this respect may please be submitted to this office within two weeks positively,” The News quoted a directive issued by the PMO as saying.
This official communication titled “Rationalisation of Foreign Mission Abroad” states that in view of the ongoing economic constraints and the consequent need for fiscal consolidation and control of external deficit, the Prime Minister was pleased to constitute a National Austerity Committee (NAC).
The committee has recommended, inter-alia, that the expenditure on Pakistan Missions abroad may be reduced by 15 per cent.
“This may be achieved by curtailing the number of Foreign Missions, reduction in the number of officers and staff posted there and other suitable measures,” it further stated.
There have been increasing frustrations among the political-cum-technocratic members of the federal cabinet for reluctance on the part of the government not to implement the recommendations given by the NAC which was constituted by the premier himself but so far no action got implemented, The News reported.
For instance, one federal minister consumes 1,000 liters of petrol on monthly basis. He possesses a luxurious vehicle and three other official cars, The News reported.
Another minister demonstrating austerity has written a letter to return a vehicle to the government and also made the letter public.

But he didn’t disclose that he had utilised his ministry’s limit on petrol just in a couple of months of the ongoing financial year.
There is another practice in the Federal Secretariat as hiring was being done in name of specialists, experts, and young fellows without consideration of actual requirements and well-defined Key Performance Indicators (KPIs).
The majority of bureaucrats is taking the monetisation of vehicles but is also using official cars and petrol through different heads, The News reported.
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( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

February 22, 2023
India to record highest number of cashless transactions in world: Jaishankar at Raisina@Sydney

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Sydney: India is moving ahead to record the largest number of cashless transactions in the world, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said on Saturday at the Raisina @ Sydney Business Breakfast.
“If you look at our cashless transactions, the UPI, I think we record the largest number of cashless transactions in the world. So there’s been a kind of a technology leapfrogging in the psyche of people, and that’s been actually a very big difference,” Jaishankar said at the Raisina@Sydney Business Breakfast.
Raisina@Sydney Business Breakfast was organized jointly by the Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI) and India’s Observer Research Foundation (ORF) at the InterContinental Hotel in Sydney.
“The digital was ensuring the integrity of delivery and transaction that would not have been possible equally on the financial side because we encouraged people to open bank accounts, sometimes bank accounts with no money.
But we were, again, during the same period, put money into the bank accounts of 415,000,000 people who are the lowest income in the country. And if you ask me, how did you get through COVID, I cannot overstate the importance of financially supporting people and feeding people and ensuring that this works on the ground,” he said.
Jaishankar also stated that digital governance has now become the basic mechanism today to do socioeconomic delivery.
“India is trying to demonstrate that the country can construct a social, comprehensive social welfare system, even at the scale of income. And the scale of income is USD 2,000 per capita,” he said.
Talking about the social programs, Jaishankar said that in the last four years, India has been able to cover about 500 million people in health schemes, about the same number covered by pension schemes.
“There was a program to replace firewood with cooking gas. And the cooking gas, the initial lot of cooking gas, you get free of cost. Now, that program was as big as 80 million people.

We have a housing program, a housing program. We have already delivered 30 million houses, and at five people, a family in India, which means 150,000,000 people have been covered,” Jaishankar said.
“So I’m giving you these numbers because it actually tells you the scale which digital backbone makes possible.We couldn’t have done this ten years ago because we didn’t have that backbone, and we didn’t have the strategic understanding to activate and utilize that backbone. And you can see this in the lifestyle of people as well today,” he added.
He also said that Australia will get really deployable 5G technology from India this year and which is something that will be of great global interest. “Today you can see the change in infrastructure in India. The transformation has happened because of an integrated infrastructure policy,” he added.
Raisina@Sydney Conference, which began today with ‘Business Breakfast’, will involve ministerial and high-level government representations as well as participation from industry and civil society.
This mega event will also include panel and keynote addresses by leading regional think tanks on issues ranging from geopolitics to technology and economics.
After the keynote address of Jaishankar, a panel session will be held that would cover topics like “Next steps in the Australia-India economic partnership: stability, security and sovereignty,” and it will be addressed by keynote speakers: Vivek Lall, Chief Executive, General Atomics Global Corporation; Jodi McKay, National Chair, Australia-India Business Council; Vikram Singh, Vice President, and Country Head – ANZ, Tata Consultancy Services and facilitated by Bec Shrimpton, Director, The Sydney Dialogue, Australian Strategic Policy Institute.
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( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

February 18, 2023
Japan sees its number of islands double after recount

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It can’t be easy keeping count of the number of islands scattered around an area of more than 370,000 square kilometres, in a country that is regularly subjected to volcanic activity and extreme weather.
While Japan has seen the formation of new islands, and the quiet disappearance of another, geographers have said official statistics showing it is made up of around 6,000 islands are way off the mark.
Using digital mapping technology, geographers will soon announce that Japan’s island count is actually double the previously recognised number, according to media reports.
In the first survey of its kind for 35 years, the Geospatial Information Authority of Japan has totted up a total of 14,125 islands – 7,273 more than previously thought.
The government body, which is due to release its findings within the next few weeks, said the new information was unlikely to change the size of Japan’s territory or territorial waters, according to the Kyodo news agency.
The authority launched the new study following criticism that the previous data were out of date, meaning the actual number of islands could be dramatically higher.
An MP from the ruling Liberal Democratic party called for a recount, telling parliament in 2021 that “an accurate understanding of the number of islands … was in the national interest”.
In the last survey, released in 1987 by the coast guard, paper maps were used to tally islands – defined as land masses with a circumference of at least 100 metres – resulting in the previously accepted figure of 6,852.

In the most recent study, officials used the same size criterion, but counted islands using digitised maps and cross-referenced the information with past aerial photographs and other data to exclude artificially reclaimed land, Kyodo said.
Some of Japan’s 47 prefectures comprise huge numbers of islands. The northern prefecture of Hokkaido – one of the four main islands, along with Honshu, Shikoku and Kyushu – has 1,473, according to the new survey, while Nagasaki in the south-west has 1,479.
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( With inputs from : www.theguardian.com )

February 16, 2023