The Maldives,[c] officially the Republic of Maldives,[d] and historically known as the Maldive Islands, is an archipelagic country in South Asia, located in the Indian Ocean, near the southeastern boundary of the Arabian Sea. The Maldives is located southwest of India and Sri Lanka, about 750 kilometres (470 miles; 400 nautical miles) from the Asian continent's mainland. The Maldives' chain of 26 atolls stretches across the equator from Ihavandhippolhu Atoll in the north to Addu Atoll in the south.
According to legends, the first settlers of The Maldives were people known as Dheyvis.[18] The first Kingdom of the Maldives was known as Kingdom of Dheeva Maari.[19] During the 3rd century BCE visit of emissaries, it was noted that the Maldives was known as Dheeva Mahal.[18]
During c. 1100 – 1166, the Maldives was also referred to as Diva Kudha, and the Laccadive archipelago which was a part of the Maldives was then referred to as Diva Kanbar by the scholar and polymath al-Biruni.[20]
The name Maldives may also derive from Sanskrit माला mālā (garland) and द्वीप dvīpa (island),[21] or මාල දිවයින Maala Divaina ("Necklace Islands") in Sinhala.[22] The Maldivian people are called Dhivehin. The word Dheeb/Deeb (archaic Dhivehi, related to Sanskrit द्वीप, dvīpa) means "island", and Dhives (Dhivehin) means "islanders" (i.e., Maldivians).[23] In Tamil, "Garland of Islands" can be translated as Mālaitīvu (மாலைத்தீவு).[24]
The venerable Sri Lankan chronicle Mahavamsa mentions an island designated as Mahiladiva ("Island of Women", महिलादिभ) in Pali, likely arising from an erroneous translation of the Sanskrit term, signifying "garland".