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The Maldives, [d] officially the Republic of Maldives, [e] and historically known as the Maldive Islands, is a country and archipelagic state in South Asia in the Indian Ocean. The Maldives is southwest of Sri Lanka and India , about 750 kilometres (470 miles; 400 nautical miles) from the Asian continent's mainland.
Given below are some of the names by which Maldives was known through the centuries. In the early fifth century AD, Palladius, Bishop of Hellenopolis (AD 360–430), a classical Greek bishop, refers to Maldives as Maniolae, in his treatise On the Races of the Indians and the Brahmans, adding that the magnet stone which attracts iron was produced in these islands.
Another theory suggests that the name "Maldives" derives from the Tamil "malai tivu" meaning "island of hills." Some medieval Arab travellers such as Ibn Batuta called the islands "Mahal Dibiyat" from the Arabic word Mahal ("palace")." [4] This is the name presently inscribed in the scroll of the Maldive state emblem.
The history of the Maldives is intertwined with the history of the broader Indian subcontinent and surrounding areas in South Asia and the Indian Ocean. The Maldives is formed of 26 natural atolls, comprising 1,194 islands. Historically, the Maldives has held strategic importance due to its location on the major marine routes of the Indian ...
The malā component may be derived from māla as in Māla-dīv, but, if so, the name would mean 'prince of the Maldives'. The term kalō is a common word for man, used as a term of endearment. The title of former Maldivian kings was kattiri bovana mahaa radun , 'Kattiri' (ކައްތިރި) meaning Kshatriya in Maldivian.
A country demonym denotes the people or the inhabitants of or from there; for example, "Germans" are people of or from Germany. Demonyms are given in plural forms. Singular forms simply remove the final s or, in the case of -ese endings, are the same as the plural forms.
Fact Check: The Maldives is an archipelagic state made up of islands in the Indian Ocean, and it is the smallest country in Asia by land mass. It is known for its picturesque scenery and great ...
The meaning and origin of name of Latvian people is unclear, however the root lat-/let- is associated with several Baltic hydronyms and might share common origin with the Liet-part of neighbouring Lithuania (Lietuva, see below) and name of Latgalians – one of the Baltic tribes that are considered ancestors of modern Latvian people.