Etymology[edit]
The name "Gili Islands" is a misnomer, because Gili simply means "small island" in Sasak. As a result most of the islands around the coast of Lombok have Gili in their names, although confusion is averted by referring (in English) to the other Gilis around the Lombok coast by their proper names only.
The Indonesian word for water is Air (AH-yer)[2] and Gili Air was named for the being the only island of the three to have subterranean fresh water. This is acknowledged as a finite resource with some resorts and restaurants shipping in the water from the mainland.