Lakshadweepa means "one hundred thousand islands" in Sanskrit. It is a somewhat poetical term, not related to actual geographical facts. The word Lakshadweepa refers to the five archipelagoes stretching southwards into the Indian Ocean from the sea off the southwestern shores of India:

• The Laccadive and Aminidiv archipelagoes, presently the Union Territory of Lakshadweep, India.
• The Maldive and Suvadive archipelagoes, presently the island-nation of Maldives.
• The Chagos Archipelago (belonging to the British Indian Ocean Territories).

Formerly one of the titles of the Kings and Queens of Maldives was "Ruler of the one hundred thousand islands".

References

• Vaman Shivram Apte, Sanskrit-English Dictionary. Motilal Banarsidass. New Delhi 1985