the Muslims of Kerala. "Mappila" (originally meaning "the great child" and now often used as a synonym for son-in-law/bridegroom) was a respectful, and honorific title given to foreign visitors, merchants and immigrants to Malabar Coast by the native Hindus. The Muslims were referred to as Jonaka or Chonaka Mappila ("Yavanaka Mappila"), to distinguish them from the Nasrani Mappila (Saint Thomas Christians) and the Juda Mappila (Cochin Jews). Demographics and distribution Demographics According to the 2011 census, about one-quarter of Kerala's population (26.56%) are Muslims. The calculated Muslim population (2011) in Kerala state is 88,73,472. The number of Muslims in rural areas is only 42,51,787, against an urban population of 46,21,685. Distribution The number of Muslims is particularly high in the northern Kerala (former Malabar District). Mappilas are also found in Lakshadweep islands in the Arabian Sea. A small number of Malayali Muslims have settled in the southern districts of Karnataka and western parts of Tamil Nadu, while the scattered presence of the community in major cities of India can also be seen. When the British supremacy on Malabar District was established, many Mappilas were recruited for employment in plantations in Burma, Assam and for manual labor in South East Asian concerns of the British Empire. Diaspora groups of Mappilas are also found in Singapore and Malaysia. Furthermore, a substantial proportion of Muslims have left Kerala to seek employment in the Middle East, especially in Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates. According to the 2011 Census of India, the district-wise distribution of the Muslim population is as shown below: Portuguese distinctions The Muslims present in Kerala were distinguished by the Portuguese historians into two groups: Mouros da Terra ("Moors of the Land"). Mouros da Arabia/Mouros de Meca ("Moors from Arabia/Mecca"). The latter, also known as the "Paradesi Muslims", in fact came from all over the Islamic world. They included Arabs, Persians, Egyptians, Turks, Iraqis, Gujaratis, Khorasanis and Deccanis (and Melakans, Sumatrans, Bengalis). These Muslims were not unsettled navigators but had settled in Kerala. The Malayali (and Tamil Muslim) community as a whole was considerably lower economic standing than the Paradesi Muslims. A Mappila is either, A descendant of any native convert (vast majority were Ezhavar, Thiyyar, Pulayar and Mukkuvar)) to Islam (or) A descendant of a marriage alliance between a Middle Eastern individual and a native low caste woman Till the 16th century, as noticed by the contemporary observers, Muslims settled