Search

The title of this mid-18th century map of Sumatra and the Malay Peninsula claims that it was based on the diaries of sailors. Interestingly, the title is repeated in both German and French, as are the names of some of the locations marked on the map.

This mid-18th century map of Celebes (Sulawasi) shows the island divided into approximately a dozen separate kingdoms. The Gulf of Saleyer is noted as being ‘rempli de Bancs de Sable [filled with sandbanks]’.

Map of the Tunquin River (Red or Hong River) from the city of Cacho (Hanoi, Thailand) to its mouth. At the mouth, bathymetry (sea depth), shoals and anchor points are marked. A place named Hean is labelled as an English and French trading post.

Map of the Menam River (Chao Phraya River) from the city of Ayutthaya (labelled ‘Ville de Siam’), past Bangkok to its mouth in the Gulf of Thailand. Features forts, villages, and a royal palace along the route.

Map of the Tunquin River (Red or Hong River) from the city of Cacho (Hanoi, Thailand) to its mouth. At the mouth, bathymetry (sea depth), shoals and anchor points are marked. A place named Hean is labelled as an English and French trading post.

Map of the Menam River (Chao Phraya River) from the city of Ayutthaya (labelled ‘Ville de Siam’), past Bangkok to its mouth in the Gulf of Thailand. Features forts, villages, and a royal palace along the route.

Maps like this aided navigation through the islands, shoals and reefs of Singapore and the Malacca Strait. Three routes around Singapore are shown, numbers on the sea indicate water depth, and the profile views of mountains were used as landmarks.

A map of a small island chain off the west coast of the island of Gilolo (modern Halmahera in the Maluku Islands of Indonesia). The military forts on the islands were used by the European colonial powers during conflicts over the area’s spice trade.

Map of the eastern coast of mainland Southeast Asia (modern Vietnam and part of Cambodia), divided into Tsiampa, Kochinchine and Tunquin. The shoals and reefs of the Paracel Islands are marked. The text is in French and Dutch.

The coast of New Guinea (‘Nova Guinéa’) is represented in part by a dotted line on this mid-18th century map, indicating that the exact coastlines were unknown at this time. Originally in French, the map has been modified to add Dutch text as well.

The coast of New Guinea (‘Nova Guinéa’) is represented in part by a dotted line on this mid-18th century map, indicating that the exact coastlines were unknown at this time. Originally in French, the map has been modified to add Dutch text as well.

The coast of New Guinea (‘Nova Guinéa’) is represented in part by a dotted line on this mid-18th century map, indicating that the exact coastlines were unknown at this time. Originally in French, the map has been modified to add Dutch text as well.