The East Indies (or simply the Indies), is an archaic term used in historical narratives of the Age of Discovery. The Indies refers to various lands in the East or the Eastern hemisphere, particularly the islands and coasts found in and around the Indian Ocean by Portuguese explorers after the Cape route was discovered. As the name suggests, east of the Indian subcontinent, most particularly Maritime Southeast Asia and parts of East Asia. In a more strict sense, the Indies were used from a European perspective to refer to the islands of Southeast Asia, especially the Indonesian Archipelago and the Philippine Archipelago.