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The United States Treasury Department produced this map of trade routes crossing the Pacific Ocean between the United States and Asia. Each route is labelled with the names of its ports, and with the distance between them in miles.

Map of Asia featuring steamship routes—including around Southeast Asia—connecting ports such as Penang, Singapore, Batavia (Jakarta), Saigon, Bangkok, Rangun (Yangon), Manila, Macassar (Makassar) etc. There is also an inset map of Singapore.

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.

This 1883 map shows European colonial territories in Southeast Asia. An inset map details the proposed French annexation of Tonquin, Annam and Cochin China (modern Vietnam). International telegraph lines are also marked.

Map of the Eastern Hemisphere featuring a maritime route from the Netherlands to the port of Batavia (Jakarta) in the East Indies, with each day’s progress marked. Other routes around the region and back to Europe via the Suez Canal are also shown.

Map of the Eastern Hemisphere featuring a maritime route from the Netherlands to the port of Batavia (Jakarta) in the East Indies, with each day’s progress marked. Other routes around the region and back to Europe via the Suez Canal are also shown.

Map of the Indian Ocean showing maritime routes, including some to and around Southeast Asia, where they pass through the Strait of Malacca, the Sunda Strait, and the straits between the Lesser Sunda Islands.

The colonial possessions of Britain, the Netherlands, Spain, Portugal and Denmark are shown on this mid-19th century map of Southeast Asia. There are inset maps of Penang Island and Singapore, and text describing the region’s colonial history.

Brief notes printed on this 19th century map of Southeast Asia provide details about each region, including: numbers and ethnicity of the population, local or colonial rulers, crops and products, geography (corals, forests, volcanos, earthquakes).

Navigation map of the northern South China Sea, with bathymetry (sea depth), islands, shoals and reefs. There are five maritime routes to Canton and one to Manilla marked, and inset maps of the Gulf of Tonkin and bays and islands in the Philippines.

Navigation map of the northern South China Sea, with bathymetry (sea depth), islands, shoals and reefs. There are five maritime routes to Canton and one to Manilla marked, and inset maps of the Gulf of Tonkin and bays and islands in the Philippines.

Although there is not much detail on this early 19th century map of Southeast Asia, in addition to place names, some rivers and ports are named, and there is even a ‘Dutch Factory’ on the west coast of Malaya.