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This map shows the empires and kingdoms of Asia. Its decorative cartouche features a drawing of a censer (incense burner) standing on a plinth, surrounded by patterned curtains and carpet. Magellan’s discovery of the Philippines is noted on the map.

This map shows the empires and kingdoms of Asia. Its decorative cartouche features a drawing of a censer (incense burner) standing on a plinth, surrounded by patterned curtains and carpet. Magellan’s discovery of the Philippines is noted on the map.

This 18th century map of Southeast Asia by the French cartographer Gilles Robert de Vaugondy features the national borders of the Philippines in green, and of modern Indonesia in yellow. The Malay Peninsula and modern Cambodia and Vietnam are in red.

The coast of New Guinea (‘Nouvelle Guinée’) is represented in part by a dotted line on this mid-18th century map, indicating that the exact coastlines were unknown at this time. The western tip is labelled ‘C. de Bonne Esperance [Cape of Good Hope]’.