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Map of stream ship trade routes around Southeast Asia. Rivers, railways, submarine telegraph cables, lighthouses (fixed, revolving and flashing), graving docks and coaling stations are marked. An inset map shows a railway route from Britain to Asia.

Coloured borders are used to highlight the colonial territories of the British (red), Dutch (orange), Spanish (red) and Portuguese (blue) on this mid-19th century map of Southeast Asia. An inset map shows the island and strait of Singapore.

On the main map, the volcanic regions of Southeast Asia are labelled, active and extinct volcanos are marked, and the 1815 eruption of Tumbora (Mount Tambora on Sumbawa) is highlighted. Even more details are shown on an inset map of Southeast Asia.

On the main map, the volcanic regions of Southeast Asia are labelled, active and extinct volcanos are marked, and the 1815 eruption of Tumbora (Mount Tambora on Sumbawa) is highlighted. Even more details are shown on an inset map of Southeast Asia.

Map of Southeast Asia highlighting the colonial possessions of the Netherlands (Dutch East Indies), Spain (Philippines), Britain (Straits Settlements, Burma, part of Borneo) and Portugal (East Timor). From the German atlas ‘Stielers Handatlas’.

Map of Southeast Asia highlighting the colonial possessions of the Netherlands (Dutch East Indies), Spain (Philippines), Britain (Straits Settlements, Burma, part of Borneo) and Portugal (East Timor). From the German atlas ‘Stielers Handatlas’.

On this map of India and Southeast Asia, borders are outlined and cities underlined in different colours to show the colonial territories of the European powers. On Borneo, the names of indigenous peoples are listed (‘Dayak’s, Papua’s, Bugi’s’).

Coloured borders are used on this map to divide mainland Southeast Asia into empires and kingdoms. Mountains, rivers and major settlements are shown in land, with islands, shoals and reefs marked in the South China Sea.

On this map of India and Southeast Asia, borders are outlined and cities underlined in different colours to show the colonial territories of the European powers. On Borneo, the names of indigenous peoples are listed (‘Dayak’s, Papua’s, Bugi’s’).

Longitude is indicated in two different ways on this mid-18th century map: along the top border, it is shown in degrees (number of degrees east of London); more unusually, along the bottom border, it is shown in time (number of hours east of London).

This map of Asia features a decorative cartouche with drawings of two women—one with a cornucopia and one with a censer (incense burner)—and a French coat of arms. Interestingly, the map is dated 1792, during the French Revolution.

This map of Asia features four different scales: French, Russian, Turkish and Chinese. Each country had their own measuring system, so this was not uncommon at the time.