BEIJING, Feb. 2 (Xinhua) -- China has more than 11,000 islands with Zhejiang, Fujian and Guangdong having the largest number, according to a survey by the State Oceanic Administration (SOA).
The number was calculated as of Dec. 31, 2015. The total area of the islands account for about 0.8 percent of the nation's land area, with most of the islands in the nation's southern shore region.
China has built a nationwide island conservation planning system, according to the survey. Since 2010, the nation repaired damaged islands with 3.6 billion yuan (about 525 million U.S. dollars) from the central budget, 2.6 billion yuan from the local budget and 300 million yuan from enterprises, in a total of 169 projects.
Meanwhile, the SOA has successfully finished a census of the names of all the islands. By the end of 2015, the administration had approved the exploration and utilization of 16 uninhabited islands, covering about 1,666 hectares.