Indonesia has so many islands it has never been able to fully count or name them. A 1996 law estimated the number of islands in the world's biggest archipelago at 17,508. But the government is now hoping to get a definite number in time for a United Nations meeting in August. <br/><br/>They hope registering them all with the UN will help protect Indonesia's vast territory and its rich fishing resources. Under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, an island is defined as a naturally formed area of land, surrounded by water, which is still exposed at high tide. The name of an island can be officially recognised if it is known by at least two local people. <br/><br/><br/>