The Dhivehi Map of Foalhavahi, Chagos

Map illustrating the geography of Maldivian atolls, Fehendheeb (Foalhavahi) marked with local Dhivehi script, showcasing the layout and names of islands surrounded by the Indian Ocean.

The late Mohamed Ibrahim Haleem G. Dunfini, also known as Badialibeyge Haleem, compiled information on the names used by Maldivian seafarers and fishermen for the islands of Foalhavahi, modern-day Chagos. This information can be found in the book "Foalhavahi Furayfu" on pages 27, 28, 29, 52, and 53.

The Chagos Archipelago: Portuguese Naming and the Mid-16th Century Context During the Cape Era, Prior to the Suez Canal's Opening

The Chagos Archipelago, consisting of coral atolls and islands, played a significant role during the Cape Era, an era marked by Portuguese dominance in the Indian Ocean following Vasco da Gama's journey around the Cape of Good Hope in 1498, which lasted until the early 17th century. Portuguese navigators named the archipelago under Sultan Hasan IX (later known as Dom Manuel), illustrating how even remote atolls were integral to the expansive Portuguese maritime network before the Suez Canal (opened in 1869) altered trade routes and reduced the prominence of Cape-era sailing paths. This period coincided with Portuguese involvement in the Maldives, providing regional context. Sultan Hasan IX ascended the throne around 1551 amid dynastic challenges. In 1552, he converted to Christianity, adopting the name Dom Manuel, married a Portuguese woman, and sought refuge in Goa under Portuguese protection. From 1552 to 1554, the Maldives were governed by a Council of Ministers. Dom Manuel was nominally reinstated as king from 1558 to 1573, although he remained in Goa, while a Portuguese Catholic regent, Andiri Andirin (also known as Andreas Andre), managed affairs in Malé alongside a Portuguese garrison established in 1558 by Viceroy Constantino de Bragança.

Maldivian oral traditions and historical records describe the Chagos (locally known as Foalhavahi or its variants) as part of a broader maritime sphere, with Maldivian fishermen occasionally becoming stranded there. A document attributed to Sultan Hasan IX/Dom Manuel around 1560–1561 reportedly asserted sovereignty over southern islands, including references to "seven islands of Pullobay." This period of governance from Goa enabled closer Portuguese interaction with Maldivian pilots, traders, and informants. Local Divehi (Dhivehi) knowledge of the atolls' hazardous reefs and channels was crucial for navigation and control. Portuguese officials, missionaries, and cartographers likely created detailed charts incorporating local Divehi names for atolls and islands, marking a transition from generic depictions to more precise, practical maps. These manuscript charts or rutters (navigation guides) served administrative, trade, and military purposes, such as garrison support and cowrie export oversight. While no single surviving map from exactly 1552–1554 or 1558 is universally recognized as "the first detailed one," historical evidence strongly suggests that the earliest focused Portuguese mapping of the Maldives, with greater accuracy on atoll layouts and possibly Divehi toponyms, emerged during this period of exile, regency, and occupation.

The role of the Chagos Archipelago evolved after the Cape Era. In the late 18th century, the French established coconut plantations (for copra) using enslaved African labor from 1783–1793, administered from Mauritius. Britain assumed control in 1814 through the Treaty of Paris. The opening of the Suez Canal in 1869 revolutionized Indian Ocean trade, shortening routes and reducing reliance on Cape circumnavigation, although the Chagos' strategic significance resurfaced in the 20th century with the U.S.-U.K. military base on Diego Garcia. The Portuguese naming of the Chagos during the mid-16th century, linked to religious symbolism and navigational necessity, encapsulates the essence of the Cape Era: a period when isolated atolls gained importance through their position on global maritime routes. Although not a bustling hub, the archipelago served as a silent sentinel on paths connecting Europe, Africa, and Asia, with echoes in the Portuguese, Maldivian interactions of Dom Manuel's time. This legacy persists in the names that continue to define the islands today.