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Map marking the routes through maritime Southeast Asia of two delegations: a French delegation from Brest, France to Siam in 1685; and a Siamese delegation from Siam to Brest in 1686. A note next to Aceh records a sea battle against Portugal in 1616.

This 18th century map was designed to aid navigation through the Strait of Malacca between Sumatra and the Malay Peninsula. Shoals, reefs and islands are marked, and the numbers printed on the strait record sea depth (bathymetry).

A brightly-coloured hand-drawn map of the Gulf of Siam, made for a ship’s captain. The elaborate compass roses are the centre of a rhumbline network, a web of lines to aid navigation. Bathymetry (sea depth), islands, shoals and reefs are also marked.

Early navigation map of the South China Sea. The web of lines is a rhumbline network, while the numbers indicate sea depth (bathymetry), both used to aid navigation. A route around the Gulf of Thailand is marked with text and the dates 1643 and 1644.

A brightly-coloured hand-drawn map of the South China Sea. The compass is at the centre of a rhumbline network, a web of lines to aid navigation. Bathymetry (sea depth), islands, anchor points, shoals and reefs are also marked.

This mid-17th century map of Southeast Asia is from Isaac Commelin’s book describing the voyages of the Dutch East India Company ‘Begin ende voortgangh…’. There is an inset map of the island of Botton (Buton Island, southeast of Celebes (Sulawesi)).