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Southeast Asia is on the last sheet of this map of Asia. The South China Sea is labelled ‘Malayan Sea’. Small islands, shoals and reefs are shown. A label in Cochin China (Vietnam) reads ‘mountains inhabited by the uncivilized people called Kemoys’.

A late 18th century maritime navigation map of the straits east of Java, with drawings of the elevations of the straits. The map is also marked with routes of explorers, including the return of Captain Cook’s HMS Endeavour from Australia in 1770.

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.

A late 18th century map of Asia, with notes on the principal states, empires and kingdoms of Asia written in French on the right-hand side.

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.

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.

A mid-18th century map of the Philippines archipelago, with an inset plan of the city of Manila and Pasig River. The cartouche features a drawing of an Asian and a Western man taking part in a cockfight, with a crocodile in the foreground.

This mid-18th century map features labels noting the local populations, including the Kemois of the mountains and deserts of Cochinchinae (Vietnam) and the Byayos of Borneo. The map’s cartouche is embellished with maritime and military paraphernalia.

An early 18th century map of Asia by the French cartographer Guillaume Delisle (1675–1726). Regions are indicated with coloured borders, and the southern part of Borneo is labelled ‘Côte de Mahometans [Coast of the Muslims]’.

This mid-18th century map of Asia has a stereographic projection to aid navigation. An illustration features Asian men—probably merchants, one of whom sits on a throne—and a kneeling elephant.

This mid-18th century map of Asia has a stereographic projection to aid in navigation. There is also an illustration featuring two Asian men depicted as native warriors, with a robed woman, as well as a large lizard.

A map of the northern coast of Java and the important port cities of Batavia (Jakarta) and Bantem (Banten). The web of lines is a rhumbline network, and shoals, reefs and bathymetry (sea depth) are marked, all to aid navigation.