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0483 The Book of Ser Marco Polo : vol.2
The Book of Ser Marco Polo : vol.2 / Page 483 (Grayscale High Resolution Image)

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doi: 10.20676/00000269
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de Laval that the Sultan of the Maldives called himself Ibrahim Sultan of Thirteen
Atollons (or coral groups) and of 12,000 Islands! This is probably the origin of the
proverbial number. Ibn Batuta, in his excellent account of the Maldives, estimates
them at only about 2000. But Captain Owen, commenting on Pyrard, says that he
believes the actual number of islands to be treble or fourfold of 12,000. (P. de Laval
in Charton, IV. 255; I. B. IV. 40; J. R. G. S. II. 84.)

NOTE 7.—The term "India" became very vague from an early date. In fact,
Alcuin divides the whole world into three parts, Europe, Africa, and India. Hence
it was necessary to discriminate different Indias, but there is very little agreement
among different authors as to this discrimination.
The earliest use that I can find of the terms India Major and Minor is in the Liber
Junioris Philosophi published by Hudson, and which is believed to be translated from
a lost Greek original of the middle of the 4th century. In this author India Minor
adjoins Persia. So it does with Friar Jordanus. His India Minor appears to em-
brace Sind (possibly Mekran), and the western coast exclusive of Malabar. India
Major extends from Malabar indefinitely eastward. His India Tertia is Zanjibar.
The Three Indies appear in a map contained in a MS. by Guido Pisanus, written in