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7448 Islands

The 7448 Spice islands, from a Muenster map of 1545

According to Marco Polo, the China Sea contained exactly 7448 islands.  He goes on to say "And I assure you that in all these islands there is no tree that does not give off a powerful and agreeable fragrance and serve some useful purpose- quite as much as aloe wood, if not more so.  There are, in addition, many precious spices of various sorts...But they are so far away that the voyage thither is fraught with difficulty." (Latham, 1958)